In Asia, while commenting on Black NBA players, the president slipped into his inner-city accent. No, the president is not being racist...Jay Carnie Tweet
- By all accounts, the allegations claiming Donald Sterling is racist appear to be true---from his own words. One fact is certain. He's a bum.
- But for the entire NBA community and a host of other observers to come out and appear "shocked" at the current revelations is disingenuous, insincere and overtly hypocritical. As pointed out by Tony Manfred of Business Insider yesterday, the NBA ignored Sterling's behavior and allegations of racism for years. For example, in 2006, the Feds filed housing discrimination charges against Sterling for his alleged refusal to rent to African-Americans. The suit was settled three years later for $2.7 million, with "Sterling avoiding an admission of liability." In that same case, one of Sterling's supervisors claimed Sterling made racist comments about blacks residing in one of his buildings.
- Regardless of the outcome of this story, there is a plethora of evidence that also shows all of major league sports, the media and the entertainment industry have only themselves to blame for such incidents.
- Bill Maher is on record for calling Sarah Palin a "c..t" and made jokes about her son who has Down's Sydrome. Maher is a minority owner of the N.Y. Mets.
- Michael Vick, formally of the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles, is currently one of the quarterbacks vying for a starting position with the NY Jets. He served 18 months for animal cruelty. According to a federal indictment, when any of Vick's dogs lost a fight, they were routinely killed by hanging, drowning or electrocution. Yes, there was outrage. Yes, he served time for his crime. And yes, he's still playing professional football today.
- One of the first persons many in the complicit media interviewed regarding Sterling's comments was non other than Al Sharpton, the infamous race-baiting thug. This is the same Sharpton from Tawana Brawley fame that proved later to be a hoax. This is the same Sharpton from the Duke Lacrosse hoax case. This is the same Sharpton who has been welcomed to this White House even though he owed millions in back taxes.
- The list of current and former athletes and celebrities (and yes, even media types) with arrest records and serious inappropriate behaviors can fill an encyclopedia. For example, in the NBA alone, as of 2012, The NBA Crime Library lists over 300 total arrests covering all franchises. Where's the NBA's or media's outrage of these incidents alone?
- Other names immediately coming to mind include Ravens' LB Ray Lewis for obstruction of justice after prosecutors agreed to dismiss murder charges against him because he testified against his two friends. Others include, but are certainly not limited to, Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, PacMan Jones, Brett Favre, Alex Rodriguez, O.J. Simpson, and Donte Stallworth. In fact, in the first six months following the 2013 Super Bowl, 27 NFL players were arrested ranging from DUI's to drug possession to assault and battery. Pro Football Talk
- Of course, the lunatic behavior of some of the on-air hosts at MSNBC has also been well documented.
- The lesson here is clear. There are a lot of people living in multi-million dollar glass houses that are too damn busy throwing stones.
Postscript:
Since this was posted earlier today, the NBA banned Sterling for life. I agree with that decision with one caveat: The NBA set a standard and a precedent. Therefore, in the future, this standard must apply to everyone else in the NBA from players to management.
