By LaVaron Lumpkin
Gilbert Arenas took guns into the locker room, or as the rest of us call it, “The Workplace”. I have heard complaint after complaint that the NBA is being too hard on him by suspending him for the remainder of the season. I am curious to understand where this is coming from. Truth be told, if you or I bring guns, loaded or not, into the workplace, we don’t get suspended, we get fired! As for the criminal charges…all I will say is, “Dude, did you not see what happened to Plaxico Burress last year?” Arenas got exactly what he deserved. Hopefully, the rest of the wanna-be thugs will take notice that you are given a gift that allows you to realize your financial dreams and stop the stupidity that jeopardizes that opportunity.
If I had a dollar for every time I heard somebody say, “Tiger Woods wouldn’t be going through this if he had married a black woman”, I would be financially secure. Newsflash people…the race of Wood’s wife is not what got him in hot water, it was his adultery that did it. When you are a celebrity of that magnitude, there are 2 things you have to realize. First, you should not publicly criticize other athletes for their mistakes like he did to Michael Vick. At that time, Vick, had gotten caught, Woods hadn’t. Second, you know that the same people that build you up are the first to knock you down the first chance you give them. I thought Tiger was smarter than to do what he did, but hey, I guess not. Regardless, it was not the white woman that brought him down, it was his own arrogance that did him in.
Since Michael Vick’s name was mentioned, let me get him too. I have friends that are season ticket holders and was upset that Atlanta didn’t bring him back. Let’s see, he committed a felony, lied to his boss about it, and on top of that, was not a hard worker. I don’t know about you, but at my job, if I did those things, they would fire me in a second. So what’s there not to understand why the Falcons terminated his contract and didn’t bring him back? “Aww, LaVaron, I know he did wrong, but they could have brought him back.” So I guess because he is Michael Vick, he should not be responsible for what he did? At best, if all of his dogs won every fight, he would have made about $200K - $400K. Between his contracts with the Falcons and Nike alone, he was bringing in close to $20 million. Need I say more?
Hey LaVaron, why don’t you ever say anything bad about the white athletes? You only come down on the black ones. Well, I’m glad you asked. Truth of the matter is this; the average white athlete is not doing dumb stuff like dog fighting, bringing guns to the locker room, shooting themselves in the leg at a nightclub, with an unregistered gun, and expecting preferential treatment because they are professional athletes. They go to work everyday, make the most of their careers, and pick up as many endorsements as they can, then transition into broadcasting for one of the major networks when their athletic career is over where they continue to make millions of dollars. When will the black athletes realize that their idiotic behavior when they are young will cost them even more when they are older?
I can tell you a good starting point. Instead of letting them get away with things when they are young, simply because they have a talent, how about as parents, you start disciplining them the same as you would a non-athlete. You should stop passing them when they should fail. Maybe if you start doing your job as parents, teachers, and leaders, then maybe these athletes, and future professional athletes, can be saved from these colossal mistakes as adults.
