Category: Controversy

Oh no he didn’t…..

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, NFL4 Comments

Let me start with saying that I have NEVER been a fan of Rob Parker(an analyst on ESPN). Not necessarily because of anything he has said or done but quite simply because of the way he talks. He whines when he talks. I do not mean that he is whining every time he says something. He literally draws out the last word of each sentence and sometimes he does that to other words in the sentence and it is just downright A.NNOY.ING. The other morning I turned on my tv to watch First Take, saw he was sitting at the debate desk and I promptly turned the channel. Well, after yesterday’s debacle I am sure there were a lot of people turning their tv.

One of the topics of yesterday’s episode was Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III. I do not know what prompted the discussion but I know it quickly went wide left when Parker used the discussion as an opportunity to question RG3’s “blackness.” Yes, I said his blackness. What does that mean you ask? I DO NOT KNOW!!! After reading the transcript of the discussion, I am going to assume it means that if you are black there are certain people in this world who expect you to think, act and behave a certain way because you are black. I guess that is what “blackness” is. The term is stupid and I have a better word for classifying what “blackness” is: A STEREOTYPE.

Parker had the nerve to ask on tv, “if he(RG3) is a brother or a cornball brother?” I find that question to be ironic coming from a man who always looks like he got dressed in the dark. Parker then went on to say, “He’s not real. Ok, He’s black, he kind of does the thing but he’s not really down with the cause…..We all know he has a white fiancee. There was all this talk about how he’s a Republican, which, I really don’t care, there’s no information at all. I’m just trying to dig deeper into why he has an issue. Because we did find out with Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods was like, I’ve got black skin but don’t call me black.” Lawd hammercy. This guy. Just spewing foolishness all over the place. Hidden amongst the broken sentences and incomplete thoughts is pure ignorance.

Let me break these statements down. First, what makes a black man a “cornball brother?” RG3 is educated, articulate, full of integrity and has never been in trouble. If that is what makes you a “cornball brother” then I wish there were more of those around. Second, what is this cause he speaks of? I DO NOT KNOW!! I am black and I was not informed that there was a certain cause I had to be down with. Third, what does him having a white fiancee and possibly being a Republican have to do with his “blackness?” I DO NOT KNOW!!! I know that there are folks in this world who believe people who marry outside of their race are “sellouts.” That is ignorance at its best. Who cares who other folks marry? Is it causing you to lose money on your job? Fourth, what does Tiger Woods have to do with any of this? Tiger Woods is NOT just a black man. Any logical thinking person would have no problem with him not calling himself a black man because HE IS NOT. He is multiracial, in case you missed the memo.

This may come as a shock to some but what Parker did is, sadly, not uncommon in the black community. Some of us live to tear each other down instead of lifting each other up. Some of us do not want to see others succeed, not realizing that when one is successful, that is a victory for all of us. It has taken us a long time to get to the point where we are respected for our works, endeavors, knowledge and service. We threaten the very foundation of what our ancestors went through when we questions people’s “blackness” simply because that person does not live their life the way we think they ought to. I know I may be upsetting some of my readers right now but there is no sugar coating in the world of journalism. Plus, if you know me, then you know I am not about “sugaring” anything. Instead of focusing on those things in RG3’s life that he does not understand, Parker should be focused on how this young black man has revitalized a team, fanbase and even a city. He has restored some pride that has been lost for at least a decade. His success is pumping money into the economy. He is a great role model for not just young boys who look like him but for all young boys across the world.

So after saying all that, I have concluded that I still do not know what “blackness” is. I love to read but I have not read the book that tells me what I need to be doing to prove how black I am. If being black comes with certain criteria then I am going to go out on a limb and say I may not qualify. I love to run. I am attending my first NASCAR race next year and I have Bon Jovi concert dates circled on my calendar. Does that mean I am not black? Ummmm, no. Those things are part of who I am. Despite how I see myself, I know that I am held to a different standard simply because of the color of my skin. I know there are people who expect more out of me because of my skin color and I know there are people who expect less out of me simply because of my skin color. I am kind, passionate, loving and I communicate well. I do not do drugs. I have not been to jail and I have graduated from college, twice. If that makes me a “cornball”, then so be it. I am going to take my two degree having, marathon running, non-profit starting “cornball” self to this Bon Jovi concert next year and sing all the songs as loud as I can. Keep fighting for DC, RG3!! Us “cornballs” are rooting for you!

 

Until Next time….TOODELLS.

The Dallas Wake-Up Call…

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, Football, NFL, Uncategorized4 Comments

Seven days. That is all it took for the National Football League to be reeling from yet another tragedy.

Saturday morning, most of the world awoke to the news that Jerry Brown, a linebacker on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, was killed in a car accident. The accident was caused by his teammate and close friend, Josh Brent. Authorities say Brent was driving at a high rate of speed when his car hit a curb, flipping at least once and skidding approximately 900 feet before coming to rest. It is now known that Brent was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Awful. Just awful. Drunk driving claims yet another life. The statistics for fatalities as a result of drunk driving have not been released yet for 2012 since the year is not over. In 2011, there were 9, 878 fatalities, according to data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2011 marked the first year that drunk driving fatalities were under 10,000. While that does give organizations whose main focus is to educate the country about the dangers and consequences of drunk driving, it is a difficult “victory” to celebrate when 9.878 people lost their lives as a result of the problem.

So once again, seven days later, we all ponder the question: why? Why get behind the wheel knowing you are drunk? Why not call someone to pick you up? Why do you need to drink that much in the first place?You would think after last week’s wake up call in which former Kansas City Chief Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend before committing suicide, players, would be placing more value on their lives as well as those around them. Instead, another mother has to bury her son because a man chose to make a bad decision that ultimately affects the lives of many. Sad. Just sad. To make matters worse, Saturday was not the first time Brent had driven under the influence. In 2009, Brent was charged with driving under the influence(DUI). He was given 60 days in jail. It is obvious that there is a disconnect somewhere when it comes to Brent, alcohol and driving.

Over the past few days, I have heard a lot of talk about NFL players and drinking. A lot of journalists seems to be suggesting that this is a league problem. This year alone, 18 NFL players have been arrested for suspicion of DUI, up from seven in the previous year. That breaks down to a percentage of .7%. However, drunk driving is not just an NFL problem, it is a nationwide problem and I fail to understand why. I do not understand getting behind a wheel drunk and risking the lives of others and well as your own. Most of us have access to family, friends and complete strangers who are willing to help us get to our desired destination if we are too drunk to drive. Well, I should not say us and we because I do not drink. Anymore. I made the decision to stop consuming alcohol nine years ago and it is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I now have the chance to be one of those people I just talked about. If a friend were to call and say, “Hey, I am too drunk to drive. Can you come pick me up?”, I would be there before they have a chance to find their keys and change their minds.

The NFL does believe that the issue of drunk driving is a very serious one.  However, I think it is time for the NFL to step up to the field and adopt a stricter policy when players are arrested for DUIs, especially multiple times. According to USA Today, 18 players have been arrested for suspicion of DUI, up from seven last year. Since 2000,177 players have been arrested for DUIs, most notably Donte Stallworth who struck and killed Mario Reyes as he was crossing the street one morning in March 2009. Stallworth admitted he had been drinking. Ultimately, Stallworth was given a 30 day jail sentence and settled out of court. Stallworth was suspended one year from the NFL but for me that does not seem to be enough. I know the league is made up of hundreds of players who do not drink and drive but one driving under the influence is too many.

While it is easy to make this out to be an NFL problem, like I said earlier, this is a nationwide problem.  Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of death. Men are more likely to drink excessively than women are, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Men average 12.5 binge drinking episodes a year compared to 2.7 for women. Oddly enough, I suspect that the reason men tend to binge drink and then “assume” they are ok to drive, has a lot to do with what I talked about in my blog last week. Men are prideful. They do not like to ask for help. They do not like to show weakness. Telling another man that you are not capable of driving home implies that you are not capable of “handling your liquor.” All of this challenges your “manhood.”

The NFL is a major player, not only in our country but in this world. I hope the 2009 death of Reyes and the 2012 death of Brown serve as a catalyst to fight the “war” against drunk driving . The NFL has the opportunity to use these instances to educate their players as well as people around the globe that driving under the influence is dangerous, risky and stupid. One wake up call should be enough.

I have a feeling…

On By kassienetteIn ControversyLeave a comment

I am sad. Manny Pacquiao got knocked out Saturday night. Boo. That was not suppose to happen!!! Now that it has, I have a feeling we will never see a Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather. Boo.

I am not a huge fan of boxing. I find it to be quite barbaric. Blood all over the place, faces twisted, literally. Just barbaric!! Not as barbaric as UFC but it is still hard to watch at times.  However, I used to love to watch “Iron” Mike Tyson fight. Probably because I did not have to watch him fight his opponent for long. He was dropping dudes in 30 seconds. SMH.

Anyway, back to Pacquiao. I did not watch Saturday’s fight and I have not even read an article about how the fight went. I do not know who won what rounds, if it was evenly matched or if Pacquiao was losing. I do know that in Round 6, Juan Marquez, hit Pacquiao with a right hand that sent him straight to the mat. I kept seeing pictures of the knockout, thanks to Twitter, but had managed to avoid seeing the actual knockout until last night while I was watching SportsCenter. That punch would have sent all of us straight to the mat. Wow.

So with that knockout, say bye bye to a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. Pacquiao let Mayweather off the hook. Boo. No way Mayweather fights him after this. I personally think Mayweather has been a little shook when it comes to fighting Pacquiao. I sat at home a few months ago and watched Pacquiao say on LIVE tv that he would agree to Mayweather’s terms when it came to blood testing and that he would take a 55/45 split of the pot for the fight.  What else did Mayweather need to hear in order to agree to the fight? Did he need a guarantee from Pacquiao that he would let him win? Did he need to hear Pacquiao say how great of a fighter he is? Did he need to hear Pacquiao say he wants to be a part of Mayweather’s “Money Team?”

All of you true boxing fans should be mad at Mayweather. I do not think he ever wanted to fight Pacquiao and he was waiting for the perfect opportunity to justify his position. Well it looks like he got it. Mayweather has had plenty of opportunity over the past couple of years to meet Pacquiao’s camp half way. However, that is not his concern nor has he been concerned with giving boxing fans the fight they want to see. That reality is the true knockout in this whole situation.

The old switcheroo…

On By kassienetteIn Basketball, College football, Controversy, Football, SportsLeave a comment

Here we go again…

Before I went to sleep last night, I was skimming my Twitter timeline when my eyes landed on a tweet from SportsCenter “REPORT: ACC officials to vote on expansion candidates Wed. Louisville is most likely school to receive invite (via ACCSports.com).” My heart leaped for joy!! Not really. I rolled my eyes and said here we go again…

I am not sure if there is a word to express how annoying this realignment, musical chairs stuff is. For real. Almost every day there is talk of one school leaving this conference to go to another conference or this school does not want to pay this amount of money to leave their current conference. Talk about a mess!! Want to know what annoys me the most? The fact that this is all about MONEY. Surprising? Not at all. The decision makers could care less about tradition, alumni, the fans, etc. They are all playing switcheroo so they can see how much money they can make. Yes, athletic departments need money. Yes, institutions need money. Yes, the more money you have the more you can do for your school. However, society has become so money hungry that it is willing to sacrifice, at times, its integrity all because of a dollar or two.

Still not convinced this thing is money driven? In the college sports world, there are six major conferences: The Atlantic Coast Conference(ACC), the Big East Conference, the the Big 10 Conference, the Big 12 Conference, the Southeastern Conference(SEC) and the Pacific-12 Conference(Pac-12). Within the last two years, five out of the six conferences have either added or lost members due to the conference shuffle.

Lets take a look at the Big East, which I think will be extinct in a few years. As of today, the Big East consists of the University of Connecticut, Georgetown, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Rutgers, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple, the University of Cincinnati, DePaul, the University of Lousville, Marquette, the University of  South Florida and Notre Dame(in every sport except football). Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Notre Dame have all jumped ship and are headed to the ACC. Rutgers is sailing to the Big 10. To compensate for the impending losses, the brilliant minds in the Big East have decided to add Boise State(yes, the school in Idaho), San Diego State, Southern Methodist(straight out of Texas)Houston, the University of Central Florida, the University of Memphis, Tulane, East Carolina(in football only) and Navy. Whew! Makes your head hurt right? I am just waiting to see a tweet announcing that the Big East is now the Big USA conference or the Coast to Coast with a stop in the midwest conference. That conference makes no sense whatsoever.

Want another example? The Big 12 which consists of Baylor, Iowa State, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, the University of Texas, Texas Christian University, Texas tech University and West Virginia University. That is 10 schools for those of you keeping count. In 2011, the  University of Colorado and the University of Nebraska, bolted for the Pac-12 and Big 10, respectively. In 2012, the University of Missouri and Texas A&M left for the SEC. I fully expect the Big 12 to go after two more schools since they can not call themselves the Big 10, now can they?

This round robin, in my opinion, is putting a damper on college sports. Schools such as Texas A&M and the University of  Texas will no longer get to compete against each other year after year due to Texas A&M leaving the Big 12 to join the SEC. The ACC which had not lost a charter member since 1971, recently lost another when the University of Maryland decided to leave for the Big 10. High school athletes sometimes make decisions about where to go to school based on the conference they would play in. Etc. Etc. Etc. I could go on and on about why I wish a moratorium would be put in place when it comes to the switcheroo but I do not have the energy to do it. Plus I know my argument would just fall on death ears. So I will just sit back in The Korner, watching the money talk and secretly thanking them for giving me something to blog about, repeatedly. Insert sarcasm.

 

Until next time…TOODELLS.

Remembering Sean Taylor…

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, Football, NFL5 Comments

I remember…

I remember hearing about Sean Taylor in 2001, when he was headed to the University of Miami. I remember hearing he was a hard hitter. And I definitely remember that hit he laid on P.K. Sam from Florida State. I am sure he remembers that too.

I remember watching Taylor play for the Washington Redskins. I remember his motor always being turned up as high as it could go anytime he stepped on the field. I remember seeing him look confused in coverage probably because he was always looking to lay a big hit on someone. I remember watching him deliver those hits on some of the NFL’s best.

I remember watching ESPN on November 26, 2007 and hearing the news about Sean Taylor. I remember changing my profile picture on Facebook to a picture with the number 21 and there was a little candle in the middle of the two numbers and under the numbers were the words “Stay Strong.” I remember praying that Taylor would be ok. I remember the reports saying he had been shot in the leg but had lost a lot of blood. I remember thinking, well he should be ok since he was shot in the leg. I remember praying before I went to bed. And I remember waking up on November 27, 2007, turning on the TV(which was already on ESPN) and hearing the anchor say that “Sean Taylor was dead at the age of 24.”

I remember, I was 26 at the time and I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that a budding NFL star in the making was dead, at the age of 24. I had never met Sean Taylor.  I never saw him play in person. I was not a Miami Hurricanes fan and I definitely was not a Washington Redskins fan but I was sad. Sad that a life was taken so young. Sad that a young girl would grow up without her father. Sad that his girlfriend would relive that episode over and over and over in her mind. Sad that a mother and father would have to bury their son. Sad that the media was just now wanting to report on the type of man Sean Taylor had become.

I remember always hearing the saying, “Give me my flowers while I am here.” In the days after Taylor’s death, it seemed that every journalist across the country wanted to give Taylor his “flowers.” Not surprisingly, they gave very few while he was here. His run-ins with the law were very well documented in the years before his death. We all knew about the DUI arrest. We all knew about the aggravated assault arrest. We all knew that the media did not have a very favorable opinion of him. Following his death, we would soon learn was that Taylor was shy, quiet, caring, loving, humble and a great father.

On today, I will remember that five years after his death, the latter Taylor that I described is the one people seem to remember most. He has been trending on Twitter all day. I have seen clips of former teammates and childhood friends who have talked about the wonderful person that he was and how they miss him. I have seen countless pictures of him from his high school days to his days as a Washington Redskin. Today, no one seems to care about who Taylor was in the past. They are choosing to remember the man he was when he was taken away so suddenly. While he may not have gotten many flowers while he was here, I hope he is in a place where he can see the thousands of bouquets that have been left since he passed and know that people remember more of the good than the bad. After all, he was only human, just like us.

Too soon???

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Controversy, Football, NFL, SportsLeave a comment

As a forever Faithful San Francisco 49ers fan, I did NOT see this coming. In case you missed it, last night’s Monday Night Football game was deemed the Battle of the Backups. San Francisco’s QB Alex Smith and Chicago’s Jay Cutler, both starting QB’s for their respective teams, were out as a result of concussions they sustained last week. So starting in their place you had Colin Kaepernick for the 49ers and Jason Campbell for the Bears. BOY OH BOY!!! Ok, that is not how I really felt when the game started. I honestly did not know what to think. Kaepernick, lets call him Kaep, had been used sparingly during the season so I do not think anyone outside of the team really knew what to expect from him.

My, my what a pleasant surprise. Not only was Kaep playing like he had been a starting NFL QB five years, he controlled the offense from start to finish. Lets check the numbers. 16/23 for 243 yards. 12 yards rushing. Yes, those were an important 12 yards. 133.1 passer rating and the single highest QBR rating for a first timer, 97 out of 100. Simply put, he was balling.

Now conventional wisdom says, a QB should not lose his job because of an injury. Well, we all know San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh is anything but conventional. When asked last night about who would be the starter on Sunday, he simply replied that he “usually goes with the guy with the hot hand.” Welp, sounds like Smith may be on the bench for another week.

Lets face it. Today may be too soon to start the QB controversy talk or is it? Yes, in his last 25 starts, Smith has gone 19-5-1. However, outside of the divisional playoff game against the Saints last where Smith truly seemed to be in control, Smith has not managed to convince me that he is the guy for us. I appreciate his dedication to the team because he went through the worse of the worse out in the bay. I appreciate him wanting to be in San Fran. I appreciate his love for the game. I appreciate the way he has believed in himself since Harbaugh arrived. With that said, for all the games I have watched over the past two years, I have never seen Smith look as comfortable quarterbacking the offense as Kaep did last night. Kaep was in command. I knew he was a good QB coming out of Nevada but sheesh, that was crazy. While I am still on the offense, did you all see the block Frank Gore laid on Lance Briggs? My goodness!! The 9ers played the way I had been expecting them to play all year, dominating on both sides of the ball.

So what happens next? Good question. I am not ready to say Kaep deserves to be the QB but I do think he earned a second start with his performance last night. If the 9ers are going to be all about starting to add rings to their other hand then you have to go with the QB that gives you the best chance to make that happen. This is going to be interesting. Get your popcorn ready. Looks like we have a QB controversy in the bay. Too soon? Not. At. All.

Until next time….TOODELLS.

The problem in New York….

On By kassienetteIn Controversy, Football, NFL, Sports1 Comment

…..is not Tim Tebow. It is the people running the team. Woody Johnson. Mike Tannenbaum. Rex Ryan. The circus came early this year folks.

All that is taking place within the Jets locker room is disgusting. Feel however you want about  and his football skills. That has nothing to do with the way the man is being treated. It is obvious that Ryan has no control over his locker room and that Johnson is lacking control over his organization. Now while Johnson seems to be your quintessential owner, ie letting the coach run his team, it is apparent that the players have very little respect for the Jets organization.

My mother is a principal. She always taught me that in a leadership position you have to assert yourself early. If you do not do it early then it will be nearly impossible to reel in those who you have been charged to lead, later. All the anonymous talk to the media should be a cause for concern. Not only does that show lack of respect for the organization but it signifies a divided locker room. I think the anonymous talk stems from jealously and pride. Players who are jealous of all the attention Tebow gets. Players who are jealous that he got a chance to be a starting QB even though people felt like he did not deserve a shot. Players who are uncomfortable with a guy who openly expresses his Christian faith. Now that this guy is riding the bench and being made a mockery of they want to take the opportunity to dig the knife in a little deeper. Sad, huh?

Maybe this is how the Jets stay relevant seeing as how they have not been since Broadway Joe declared a Super Bowl victory in 1969. It took discipline, poise and a united front to reach that plateau. Maybe Broadway Joe can come back and teach the current Jets a thing or two or three or four…

 

Until next time….TOODELLS.