• 1

  plaxico burress deserves no concern or pity? first off, who are you to make that judgement. do you know the man personally. are you aware of his situation, personal struggles, family concerns. have you walked in his shoes?

  athletes are targets my friend. are you not aware that steph marbury, steve francis sebastian telfair and others have been assaulted and robbed at gunpoint over the past few years in new york?

  are you aware that sean taylor was murdered because his wealth attracted some fools who intended to rob him, but killed him instead.

  i’m tired of people making snap judgements about black athletes, yet have never spent one minute with nor had one conversation with them, other than to ask about what happened on the field.

  the man deserves to be concerned about because he just suffered a gunshot wound you fool. so what if it was accidental and self inflicted. if i was in his position, i’d make sure that i could protect myself.

  and pacman jones seems to have some psychological issues that are very self destructive and harmful to others. maybe he was abused as a child. maybe he suffers from a mental disorder. maybe he’s simply an idiot. how do you know and, again, who are you to judge. yes, put his ignorant tail out of the league and get him the counseling and wrap around services he needs.

  but everyone, no matter who, deserves some level of concern my friend. even you, for your need to be judgemental and act is if you sit on some throne, making judgements about things and people you know nothing about.

  > manos de piedra

  Posted 12.05.08 at 9:57am UTC
• 2

  Hey Manny,

  To answer your question, I’ve been a sports writer for major metropolitan daily newspapers the last 16 years and counting so I have had plenty of conversations with athletes. In fact, I know Giants Antonio Pierce and Justin Tuck personally having covered them at Arizona and Notre Dame, respectively. Hope that gives me a little credibility in your mind (because that is oh so important to me).

  Seriously, I understand what you are saying but athletes in general and African-American athletes in particular have to be smarter because they are targets. Try this, don’t hang in places where you might have to carry a gun. Whatever happened to chosing your friends and the circles you run in wisely? This guys are millionaires with reaches well beyond many of our imaginations. They have to be smarter. We have to stop giving them excuses. Plaxico obviously has had no gun training or I’m thinking he would have been smart enough not to be a pistol in his pants pocket and the gun might have been registered. Trying to protect himself, he could have caused harm to innocent people. Maybe a relative or loved one of yours. My guess is then you would not be defending this guy for carrying a loaded gun into club. If concerned about safety, hire a bodyguard and chill with all the bling, bling!

  And another thing on Plaxico, I don’t know if you’ve been following this but he has been acting a straight fool since getting his big contract. Not smart since in the NFL the only thing that is guaranteed is your signing bonus. The Giants could cut him today and not owe dude another dime. Their problem is the pro-rate on the signing bonus would kill him.

  My message really is these guys have to be smarter and chose their friends and the places they hang out wiser.

  Manos, we have to stop offering up excuses for failure because we handicapping grown ass, capable men. And when they continue to act out, it is us who consistently make excuse for their bahavior who are really the fools.

  Sincerely,

  Terrance Harris

  > Terrance Harris

  Posted 12.05.08 at 11:38am UTC
• 3

  “The reality, however, is that these two deserve none of our pity or even our concern for that matter.”

  that’s just a very arrogant statement to me. i do not agree with what plax did, but i understand why he felt the need to walk around with a gun.

  yes, he should have been smarter and yes, the man seems to have some issues that actually date back to before he signed that big contract: stretching back to michigan state and possibly even before that.

  if your message is that they need to make smarter choices in terms of friends and places to hang, i couldn’t agree more. wish you would have said that in the piece.

  “…suspensions have proven to have little impact on millionaire athletes.”

  now there’s an earth shattering observation. suspensions have prtoven to have little impact in elemenmtary, middle and high school as well. it’s not just millionaire athletes. and you say that with (what seems) a hint of disdain and jeolousy almost. they earn their check because of the forces that the commercial climate bears.

  i respect your credentials as a journalist, but do you know plax intimately? have you walked in his shoes? are you aware of what’s going on underneath the surface?

  In reference to Tuck and Pierce, you may have covered them, but DO YOU KNOW THEM? Have they ever called you in tears during times of crisis? Are you a friend? Or did you speak with them and establish a professional relationship with them as commodities to write about and report on?

  i’m not offering up an excuse for failure. i’m saying that the man, regardless of his transgressions, is indeed entitled to some concern.

  plax needs to do better, yes. but shown the door? the man needs some help. he needs some concern.

  > manos de piedra

  Posted 12.05.08 at 12:18pm UTC
• 4

  Manny,

  If you are comfortable holding the hands of grown men, then do your thing. I’m not into that.

  As far as finding jeolousy and disdain in words: Come on now. Be real. I’m comfortable with my life and the role I play in our universe. There is nothing anyone else has I wish I had (okay, maybe not being totally honest here because I gladly take Beyonce’ off Jay Z’s hands).

  To answer your questions: Do I know Plaxico? No. Have Pierce and Tuck ever cried on my shoulder? Not sure what locker rooms you’ve been in but that ain’t happening. We’re cool. I have many talks with them as well as other athletes I’ve covered about many things outside the football field. I know family is very important to Pierce. He’s was a college kid, married with six children and held it down well. Much respect and we always joked that he had to make it in the NFL to support all those kids. Glad to see he achieved his dream. I remember talking to Tuck about growing up in a small town in Alabama and what life is like there and seeing his dad go to work every day. I mentioned those two players because I know they are close to Plaxico, but I’ve covered most of the star athletes of this era. Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury you have of being in awe of them. I look at them as men and hold them just as accountable as any man walking the street. You can be the wealthiest of men or the poorest, trust you will bleed the same red blood my friend. Don’t get caught up and please stop trying to inable our brothas out here.

  > Terrance Harris

  Posted 12.05.08 at 7:28pm UTC
• 5

  actually not in awe of pro athletes at all, save for serena williams. i could give less than a damn about plaxico burress. i actually grew up with some folks who became some of the biggest names in music, boxing, football and basketball. and they’re no different than you and i. when they come back home to the barbershop, they’re still snapped on like crackhead larry down the block.

  just tired of folks acting as if they’re not human beings with flaws who make mistakes in judgement.

  and my simple point, which you’ve yet to address is the statement you made about the man, and others like him, not deserving concern.

  i’ve said that what he did was wrong, but i understand why he would. i’m not into holding the hand of a grown man. but sometimes everyone, even a multi-millionaire does not need to be summarily tossed into a trash heap.

  every human spirit has the capacity for growth and enlightenment. i’m simply saying that i have some compassion and empathy, even for someone who acts a fool.

  with that said, i’ve enjoyed the discourse and your other writings.

  > manos de piedra

  Posted 12.05.08 at 8:27pm UTC
• 6

  I’ve worked with athletes and entertainers as a PR consultant and publicist. They don’t have any more or less issues than the average person save the problems that come with money and fame. A level head can manage both. Unfortunately, a lot of these guys have never been told no. From the second their stars begin to shine as early as 9th grade, someone is all too glad to kiss their behinds and give them whatever they want. Yesterday, I talked with former NFL player Terrance Mathis and he said that no one ever addresses the whole man and while a man (woman) deserves praise and affection and admiration they also deserve to be corrected and held into accountability for their actions. I believe that is incredibly loving, sympathetic and kind to correct people’s bad behavior. I read empathy in Terrance’s blog post; he’s saying that they should be more accountable. There’s a lot of people who support that behavior by turning blind eyes because it makes them money. It’s time for them (athletes) to flip the script, be more accountable for their actions and regard themselves as commodities that they have full control over not some fool in a club or a fool in the front office. I feel you, Manos, but these guys need to step it up. There’s a way to hold someone’s hand or show sympathy and that’s by making them step it up.

  > Robin Caldwell

  Posted 12.05.08 at 9:01pm UTC
• 7

  WOW! I’m loved the dialogue that was. I must say that everyone is making great points but I do believe that everyone must be accountable for their own actions regardless of the situation. Terrell “TO” Owens was asked in an interview last week if he owns any guns and he said no guns other then the two that he carries in his arms everyday (talking about his arm muscles for those that don’t know). He mentioned that he does not go anywhere that he feels his life will be threatened. People can say what they want about T.O., but he makes a valid comment. If you know danger is on the street to your right, why would you turn on that street instead of finding another route to your next destination? You’re not running from your fears, you’re running FROM TROUBLE or POTENTIAL TROUBLE. It doesn’t take a genius to know which decision is the better one to make…
  To many times we let people get off easy or with very little punishment and people just don’t learn their lesson. It’s time that the NFL starts kicking people out of the National Football League and shut the door on them on their way out!!!
  A person who receives multiple DWI’s eventually loses the right to drive. In California, criminals have the “Three Strike Rule”. What does the NFL have? A new multi-year, Multi-Million Contract. WAKE UP NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE before your name gets change to the National Fools League. (You can thank Chad Johnson for giving me the inspiration on the “name change” bit). Although it was not said on this blog, people can say what they want but for the most part you rarely hear if ever, T.O. and Chad Johnson getting into any off the field trouble.
  Disclaimer: No animals or people where hurt while typing this message.

  RJ
  Dallas Cowboys Fan

  > RJ

  Posted 12.10.08 at 12:02am UTC

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