Stop Me When I Start Lyin: AP is not Ray Rice

Despite the other involved factors in the Ray Rice situation becoming such a big debacle (the commissioners' continually hypocritical stance changes, the Ravens' possible cover up attempt, the phantom security footage sent/not sent to the NFL office, etc.), no one can deny Ray Rice was wrong in both aspects of his transgression: the action itself, and the severity. The severity of punching your woman so hard it knocks her unconscious is horrific. But even if she weren't knocked unconscious, the action of punching your wife is wrong, especially being that the video shows she wasn't imminently pressing the action. No matter what happened before to lead up to it, when you're in the position Ray's in (career with high visibility, very high salary, short career span, etc.), you have to handle it better than he did. Hell, they were the only two in the elevator, had he not dragged her out and dropped her on her face, suspicion wouldn't have been heightened. But the die has been cast for Rice, and he'd have to get lucky to have a second chance in the NFL during his prime.

Adrian Peterson is not Ray Rice. Peterson is in hot water because his 4 year old child was taken to the hospital with lots of welts from AP whipping him with a switch. Once again, I like at 1) the action, and 2) the severity. The action itself of whipping your child is not alarming at all to me; I was a bad kid once and my parents kept me in line this way. As for the whip, Adrien Peterson is from Palestine, TX. I've never been but it strikes me as an old school country place. Although I was raised in more of a city (I got punched in the face instead), I have country cousins, country friends, city friends who spent time with their country family members, etc. EVERYBODY got beaten with a switch, it virtually ALWAYS leaves welts. AP was likely no different as a kid, it's what he knows. So my issue with the switch wasn't its use alone, that's where severity comes in. The kid is 4, which I believe is too young for the switch to be used. He should still be getting open hand-to-butt whooping over clothes I believe. Plus AP is a professional athlete and workout addict, if you were using a switch (which I don't condone), it should be getting a very very dialed back swing instead of any full swings; and probably 3-4 swings instead of 15 or whatever it was. AP has several kids by several women, meaning he likely rarely spends one on one time with some of these kids. Could the kid have been disobeying out of unfamiliarity which contributed? I don't know. But AP went overboard which how he punished his child this particular time. He may need to be suspended for a short while, sent to some time of parenting counseling, learn a lesson to make himself a better parent, and move on. I don't think this should be treated like Rice's situation. I don't think he should be cut, banned from the league, or anything else. He's a parent who did the wrong thing for the right reason (presumably). I assume every parent probably had moments where they went overboard to make a point, learned from it and never did it again. Just because he's a pro athlete doesn't mean we can remove his opportunity to learn on the job as a parent. Let's keep this in context. Stop Me When I Start Lying...

Do Better: NFL players f***king up with women

I'm lost on this. More people wanna talk about the Dolphins bullying and Michael Sam the gay prospect instead of some serous character flaws in successful current and former players. Maybe it's just me, if I feel like I need to put hands on my lady, I'm probably gonna "cancel her" (Nino Brown quote) before going Kimbo Slice on her. Plus because of my mom's crafty personality, I grew up believing my mom would get my dad back in his sleep if he ever put hands on her; I took that to heart. So when I saw the video of Ravens running back Ray Rice dragging his fiance out of the elevator of a casino after (allegedly) knocking her out cold. I've heard of couples having a fight cutting each other up a little bit, but she looked sleep like Manny Pacquiao after the Marquez fight. She looked like a World Star Hip Hop fight comp victim or something while he looked very non-chalant while dragging her (not carrying her, not throwing her over his shoulder, but dragging) and setting her on the hallway floor face down. I'll be the first to admit: I don't know what she did, she might have been just as culpable in things getting physical but yet and still, it's on you as a young Black man (much less a rich, recognizable young Black man) to keep the situation contained. If she's hitting you (which I don't condone either, women gotta stop using the "I'm a woman" excuse to beat the shit out of a dude) grab her to restrain her or something. Shit looks bad for Ray Rice right now. And following a subpar season anyway, you may have really fucked up. And now (drum roll please)...Darren motherfucking Sharper. ***closes eyes, shakes head*** I don't know where to start. The 'fine ass' (as reported by several women over the years) retired football player is accused of drugging and raping up to about 10 women in a few different states. They're calling this man a serial rapist. I'll repeat: he's "fine", in shape, famous, former athlete, well off (if not still str8 up rich) with a TV commentator position and you're drugging women and stealing the pussy? Are you fucking kidding me?? If you have any semblance of charm or personality (he got hired to be commentator after all), women should be throwing the box at you. Look above, this dude pulled Gabrielle Union back in the day for God's sake. How the fuck you go from that to stealing the box from everyday women? Are you drugging the few who say no? Are you drugging them to save time talking them up? I don't fucking understand. I realize these situations are still in the investigation stage and I may be jumping to early conclusion. But (excuse my N-word), these violating ass niggas need a preemptive Do Better...

Long Live Richard Sherman

Cocky bastard or Community activist? Accused thug or Stanford educated Masters scholar? Classless shit talker or confident shut down corner? Don't let perception convince you that Richard Sherman is something that he is not. I started this blog entry right after he set social media on fire by going off in an off-field interview right after he made a great play that sealed a trip to the Super Bowl for his team. Since you can't badmouth his game after such a play, his detractors resorted to calling him a thug or racially derogatory terms. For those who don't know, cornerback is a position that attracts cocky characters. As diva-like as receivers can become, corners have to feel that they can react and neutralize anything the receiver can do. In Sherman's case, not only does he shut them down, he's also proficient at winning the mental battle with the opponent by getting in their head and ultimately under their skin. This reminds me of the greatest cover corner - and one of my favorite players - of all time: Deion "Primetime" Sanders. Sherman is the Deion Sanders remix but with a brash "thug-like" appearance but a prestigious academic background. Deion was hated early in his career for being too cocky, talking too much, and being too many theatrics to a sport that didn't value them. Does Sherman talk too much? Anyone could easily say 'yes' to that question. But better question: do you want him on your team, or on the opposing team working his way into your star receiver's head? I'll take him on my squad any day. I get how middle America feels about outwardly cocky young Black men; so much of the reaction doesn't surprise me. But as a young black man, I can look past him having dredlocks and being an animated shit talker. He's a beloved teammate, he's very intelligent (3.7 GPA and a Master's degree from Stanford), and he's already at the top of his position in the NFL at just 25 years old. Not to mention, he goes back to Compton to work with kids to help them make it out and beat the odds the way he did. So to call him a thug is to dismiss all he had to overcome to make it, and for that reason it's disrespectful; especially coming from cashiers in middle America who didn't face or overcome odds the way a kid in Compton did. But love him or hate him, you're talking about him. Love him or hate him, in the end, all thug accusations fall by the wayside as there's no logical proof. Love him or hate him, his meager $500K salary (pennies by NFL standards, especially when the 2nd best corner is making $14 million this year) is now being tremendously boosted by endorsements borne of his newfound attention. And now he's got a Super Bowl ring too. Long live Richard Sherman...

A Last Dance for the Ages

That's the storybook ending to a legendary career. Despite the storm of controversy (PEDs, 2000 charges, etc), a mid-game power outage, and a difficult opponent hellbent on coming back, Ray Lewis goes out holding the Lombardy trophy with the confetti falling on him. Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Ray Rice and the rest of the gang win their first championship on a team that's been elite for 5-6 years but could never get over the hump. Joe Flacco comes up big (possibly making himself a lot of money) in the biggest game and earns a Super Bowl MVP trophy. Although I feel bad for Randy Moss and I generally do like the 49ers, this was the Ravens' moment, this was the last moment of Ray's last ride. It was perfect for him...

Ray Lewis: The end of an unprecedented reign of MLB

First and foremost, isn't that an ill picture of Ray Lewis? The intensity, the muscles, the grass in his hand, the pyrotechnics in the background. It looks like introduction of the heavyweight champion in the glory days of the WWF (before this WWE business). In a way, that's precisely what it is. Ray Lewis IS Middle Linebacker, no. Ray Lewis IS defense, no. Ray Lewis IS football. He's the immovable object waiting for you. He's that big bad motherfucker who you spent all week preparing for nothing because he's still bringing you the pain all day Sunday. He's brought intensity, athleticism, instinct, and intimidation to the highest level of defensive play for 17 years. SEVENTEEN FUCKING YEARS!! That's like an oximoron when you're talking about Middle Linebacker. Along with running back, it's one of those positions that features so much hitting and punishment that a decade is plenty to call a good career at the position. Ray's played twice as long as Dick Butkus, 50% longer than Mike Singletary, Jack Lambert and so many more of the greats. All this while playing at an elite level (no offense, London Fletcher) in an age featuring the biggest, fastest, strongest, and most skilled players we've ever seen; Ray Nitschke and Chuck Bednarik would need some HGH to bang with these boys. Many of his predecessors even admit that (find a recent "Greatest Linebacker of All Time" list he's not on top of). He epitomizes being the heart and soul of a franchise. He's been the driving force of a Ravens defense that's been historically dominant since it won a SuperBowl back before the arrival of all-Worlds Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed (Tony Siragusa, anyone?). He was SuperBowl MVP despite the slander of his name after getting in potentially disastrous trouble soon before. That trouble now seems like a lifetime ago as he's been a model leader, teammate, and off-field humanitarian ever since. Who doesn't wanna play on a team with Ray Lewis? The only reason he doesn't have a fist full of rings is the team's perpetual unsuccessful search for a true franchise QB; he got Trent Dilfer a Super Bowl ring as a parting gift before he got cut that offseason for his subpar play. He's the Shaq of my generation's football fandom; no disrespect to Wilt Chamberlain (or in this case Nitschke, Bednarik, Butkus, even LT) but like Shaq in his prime, Ray Lewis is the most dominant force I've set eyes in this position. I guess I knew he had to retire some day - even if I was denying it to myself - and honestly I'm thankful that he told us up front that it would be at the end of this year. It was appropriate that his last game at home, Sunday's shellacking of the Colts (poor Andrew Luck, no worries you have time), began and ended with Ray's signature dance, filled with stellar defense play in the middle. Even if it ends as soon as next week in Denver (don't get me started on Peyton's greatness), I'm thankful I was able to witness such an illustrious run from the best to ever do it at MLB. I'll defend my position calling him the G.O.A.T. to anybody, anytime. He made me root for the Ravens when my teams weren't involved. Hell, he had me watching linebacker play when it was so easy to just be focused on offense. I doubt I'll ever lay eyes on another Ray Lewis in my generation. See you in Canton in five years #52.

Real Talk: Recent NFL tragedies

For a second straight Sunday, the National Football League has to hold games on the heels of reporting player-caused fatality. Last Sunday, 25 year old Kansas City linebacker Jovan Belcher (pictured above) shot his girlfriend eight times at their home before killing himself in front of his coach, general manager, and other team officials at their practice facility. This week, Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent was driving under the influence and flipped his vehicle killing the passenger, his teammate Jerry Brown. I heard a quote today which I believe to be an apt description of the circumstances. Former NFL player and present commentator Tom Jackson said that despite popular belief, "The NFL is a microcosm of society." It's easy to view NFL players like their digital replicas on the Madden video games as nothing more than football playing images on your screen with no other purpose or attentions in life than playing up to the expectations of the fans. Ignoring the fact that we are all actually people (and therefore flawed) makes is easy to demonize and criticize them for on field play and ignore the fact that the complexities of life still affect these men off of the gridiron. People have off days, people have days of fatigue of aloofness, personal stresses or emotions can affect professional performance at times, pride often stops people from seeking help they may require. As quiet as it's kept, most teams have personal counselors available for any players who needs them. By all accounts from Chiefs players, Belcher was a model citizen in the locker room and an hard working, devoted teammate. If the rumors about the cause of the murder-suicide events are true, his girlfriend was late coming back from a Trey Songz concert and he became jealous enough to murder her. I can't believe that this level of rage emerged from this incident alone; although it is possible frighteningly enough. By reports, Belcher and his girlfriend were provided counseling by the Chiefs about their "financial and relationship problems." Is it feasible to believe that had they contacted the counselor earlier or been more honest at counseling about their issues that this may not have happened? I think it's possible. But instead this tragedy took place despite the fact that they actually made the hard step to begin counseling. Now because of this murder suicide, a young girl will never know her parents and whoever raises her will have a terrible story about them whenever she becomes old enough to ask. The NFL itself has a comprehensive substance abuse program available for any players willing to use it. Is it possible to believe that if Brent's ego allowed him to join the program, or use the NFL taxi service (yeah, the NFL has created a hotline for this very purpose), or bring a friend as a designated driver, his teammate would be alive and he wouldn't be in custody for intoxication manslaughter? It's a reasonable conclusion. But as with addiction and many other personal problems, it's difficult to admit that you have a problem which could cause death of someone close to you; often to a fault. This is especially true with alcohol, which is legal and often not considered an addictive drug. People use alcohol so casually that it becomes hard to determine what is truly a state of addiction and even how inebriated you are in relation to whether you are able to drive or not. I've wondered about that one and been more conscious of it myself as I've gotten older. Groupon had a personal breatalyzer on sale for cheap and I bought it just so I could examine that myself at home because if you're not 'out of control, world spinning, I can barely stand up' drunk, it can become hard to know exactly where you stand. Sounds crazy, but I did. It's worth the $20 to me to know how I feel at that point and avoid the possible DUI or tragedy which can follow. As a people, we have to be more conscious and deliberate handling our problems before they become the causes of tragedy. Hindsight is 20/20, but when your hindsight exposes you to the realities that your actions could have saved life, hindsight can also be very painful. I wouldn't ever want to have to live with that burden. Real talk...

Stop Me When I Stop Lying: Tim Tebow, A Study in Mixed Feelings

This blog entry is overdue. Obviously I (a sports and ESPN addict) have grown very tired of the media-created "Tebow Mania" which has swept the nation - I hope not the world - the past few months. I sit here after he's finally been eliminated from the playoffs and am still hearing more about him than the teams still competing for a Championship. I'm sitting here thinking and I can't imagine someone who has caused more mixed feelings on so many different levels. Whenever arguments start about him, I start Tebow bashing" and get to the point where u say "Man, u really hate this guy." That's the point where I find myself shooting completely the other way, like "I mean hes a great person and leader and such tho" and I realize that I need to organize my thoughts, so here they are. Timothy Richard Tebow is a great young man personally and spiritually. His humility, motivational skills, and open faith give him, his teammates and followers tremendous confidence in him; this aids him in his well documented 4th quarter successes. He's a true high character role model in an age where a lot of athletes are not that way. These factors, which are very much more important in his life outside of the sporting world, are what make him so popular and get people to ignore the harsh truth about Tebow inside the sports profession he chose to take part in. That truth is that he is not nearly the quarterback he gets credit for being. Think of what a written job description of playing NFL quarterback would read like. Throwing the ball accurately and consistently is not 100% of the QB job description, there are rushing, toughness, and intangible factors; he has an abundance of those last traits. However, throwing the ball accurately and consistently (key word, CONSISTENTLY, not 46% of the time) still comprises a good 60% of the job description. Even in his historical string of comebacks, the facts are he didn't complete 50% of his passes (the certifiable standard for QBs is usually 60%) and looked sub-par for the first 3.5 quarters of most games. And unlike most QBs (the ultimate "all the glory, all the blame" position in football), ppl praised him in victory, but then blamed their defense (who actually saved many of their wins by limiting teams to 14 pts or less) when they lost. I get why Christians look up to him and support him unconditionally. But then I see how so many athletes, especially supporters of Black QBs, argue that no Black QB keeps his starting job even if he's winning; Ask Tavaris Jackson, Arron Brooks, Cordell Stewart and other Black QBs that won more games and had better passing numbers than Tebow and still got run out of their towns. I get how his "Never Give Up on urself, Keep the Faith" messages are so unifying and motivational. At the same time, I can see resentment coming from the fact that he got Kyle Orton run out of town from his popularity and not outplaying him on the field. He also gets credit for two national championship victories when he was a backup and situational player (like 10 plays a game) behind my hometown's own Chris Leak who actually led the team; this disrespect has led to much of the Tebow resentment here in Charlotte in particular. I get how ppl say he deserves a chance at QB, he's been a winner all through high school and college. But at the same time Leak didn't lost a game for 3.8 years of his college career and led that team through the SEC to the National Championship; where is the outcry for his opportunity? I've heard people say his unorthodox success is further validation of the power of faith; it's gained positive attention towards Christianity, especially with the inexplicable 3:16 numerical values in the win over the Steelers (316 passing yds, 31.6 yds per completion, 31.6 TV rating, 31:06 time of possession, etc). While I do think much of his confidence and personality comes from his faith, I do not think God would be caught up on something like who wins football games. So I can see how some Christians might see this as trivializing the works of the divine power. I could also see how those who don't like the concept of religion could point to this as a reason for their distaste. As a role model, I get how a Congressman could ask him appear for the prayer at major events. At the same time, there are better QBs who are also Christians and true Christian figures who are getting overlooked for such an opportunity. People have gone so far as calling praying on one knee (which has been done for as long as I can remember) "Tebowing" which I find ridiculous. I get why friends of mine support him and truly want to see him succeed (despite the "great QB" hyperbole that's often given to him unfairly). At the same time, my best friend said he represents corruption in White America, the "Great White Hope" who will get the notoriety and doors opened that others are more deserving of but will never get a crack at. He could probably get elected mayor of Gainesville, FL right now. I see how ppl saw his winning streak and loved him saying "All He Does Is Win". But I also see how his boss John Elway (certifiable great QB by definition and success) isn't convinced that he's ultimately gonna be his guy. I say all this to say Tim Tebow (under little fault of his own, he doesn't play into it) has something about him that's caused "Tebowmania" among coaches, sportswriters, and coaches all over. Unfortunately for him, all of that presses (a ridiculous amount of it) has been enough to provide all sides with what they need to paint him what they think of him; humble hero, recipient of "favorites games", faithful savior of pop culture generation, undeserving Great White Hope, Christian Crusador, exploitative media hog, ultimate "between the numbers" team competitor, inadequate QB keeping job through popularity, etc. The media created it with the brightest spotlight we've seen in a long time. I wish they would just let him play the game and things will be what they will be. So to bring it all back, I have no problems with him as a person. But my response to the media circus is simple, criticism will end when he starts performing his position like a first round pick QB he was drafted as. Stop Me When I Start Lying...

The Return: Part 1, Returning for Championship Football

In my other Malaysian journal blog (nigelsroadlesstraveled.blogspot.com), I've already pointed out some distinctive things I doubt I'll see or hear again once I leave Malaysia. In this blog, I have decided I feel like celebrating some of the reasons I'm excited to return to America. The first I'd like to highlight is returning in time for College Football Bowl Season and the NFL playoffs. I'm watching THE FUCK out of every football game I feel like watching. I've missed one and a half full seasons of NCAA and NFL football. I missed Cam Newton's remarkable Heisman season and the beginning of his superstar career with my hometown team. I missed Aaron Rodger's glorious playoff run. I may have missed Peyton Manning's last game as an NFL quarterback. Thus far this season, I've missed the success of rookies Andy Dalton, AJ Green, and more. I've missed the resurgence of the Bay Area (the 49ers and Raiders). I've missed the rise of Tebow Mania. I've missed the Heisman campaigns of Andrew Luck, Robert Griffith III and Trent Richardson. I've missed LSU's and Alabama's unprecedented dominance (although I still don't think an interdivision rematch is appropriate to decide the national championship) throughout this season. I've missed so much that it will take precedence over other events during the first few months of my return. If someone were to invite me to something that prevents me from watching some important football game (intriguing bowl match up or playoff game), I very well might say no with no remorse. NOT ONE FUCK will be given about how much they do not like it. After all I've missed, I deserve to be a football addicted bum for a while if I choose to. I've Been Called Worse...