Plaxico Burress. Plaxico Burress, star wide receiver for the world champion New York Giants, turned himself in to authorities today after accidentally shooting himself in the leg Friday night at a Manhattan nightclub. (I don't believe this story for one second.) Burress's lawyer argued that "he had 35 million reasons to come back to court" therefore no bail needed to be set. (Wouldn't he have those $35 million reasons NOT to go to a club with a gun?)It is a privilege to play in the NFL. Plaxico Burress, Adam (Pac Man) Jones and many others need to understand that playing in the NFL is not a right. The enormous stupidity that these athletes show is almost understandable. Yes, I said it was almost understandable. These athletes get everything in our society. In junior high school and high school teachers take it easy on them. Other students do their homework. They are treated like royalty. All they have to do is shoot a basketball or throw a football. When they get to college, the treatment continues. They get paid to turn on sprinklers. Alumni will try to figure out a way to slip them some cash or a car or even a house -- ask Reggie Bush. Yep, I'm playa hatin'!!
Then, they get to the NFL. The spotlight of celebrity is now upon them. Local newspapers cannot cover up their shenanigans as a matter of fact the local newspapers try to expose their exploits. Now, everything is different. Unfortunately, these athletes who've gotten away with everything have a hard time adjusting.
Let me ask three basic questions -- first, why do you need to go to a club where you think you have to have a gun with you? Secondly, you make a lot of money why can't you hire bodyguards to protect you? Let them get in for carrying concealed weapons. Finally, it is two days before a big football game against your arch rivals the Washington Redskins why are you out at the club anyway?
I don't think that I'm going out on a limb by saying that Plaxico Burress is not a genius. Nowhere else in the world could he make $35 million in 3 - 5 years. He can't make that kind of money working at Wal-Mart or at Sanford's junkyard or on Wall Street (especially these days). Plaxico Burress and other athletes like him should follow their knees and thank God that they can run and catch a football and get paid handsomely for it.
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4 comments:
When you are this stupid, I have little sympathy.
I was at home last week - it was amazing how much in sync my thinking was with the neighbors I had grown up around.
Being "smart" for a lot of us is a combination of things - the thing that your own internal police officer uses to tell you when you've gone over the line, though, is not innate but learned.
When the handcuffs go on, they all look like the rich boys they are, scared and ashamed.
I will still maintain that this young man has the capacity to do good things in the world, the same way Michael Vick does, the same way Ray Lewis DID.
All of us have clay feet. There just isn't any spotlight on ours.
Brown Man,
I have lived in an urban setting my entire life. Outside of school, I've lived around Black people my entire life.
Never have I owned a gun. Never have I thought I needed to own a gun.
This guy wasn't going into the projects. He was in a nightclub. With an unregistered firearm, and didn't know enough about it so that he shot himself.
If you believe you need a gun, why go to those places. HE had the money, so why not hire protection?
Not feeling the excuses for this dude.
Seeing these Black athletes in trouble has become so commonplace that it seems to be part of the normal landscape now. In fact, it would be strange if a year went by without one of these stories. They are being accused of everything imaginable....violence, drug charges, running from police, beating their wives/girlfriends (who are usually with them for their money anyway), gun charges, rape, animal cruelty, shootings, stabbings, gang affiliation, fighting, etc...
I don't pay much attention to these stories because it seems to come with the territory. I also don't have sympathy for them because these guys....along with the rappers and thugs, have to a large degree destroyed (and continue to destroy) the Black image in this Country... and the Black male image in particular.
It annoys me even more to see these very young, immature multi-millionaire thugs waste so much money and squander so much opportunity, especially when so many others are struggling so hard.
The NFL and the NBA are part of the problem.... the NCAA as well for setting the stage for it early. They help to create this madness... by paying so much straight from college. These guys have no incentive to work towards million dollar contracts in their early career. Their careers seem to consist of their college years...and the payoff is the initial pro contract (these guys see this as retirement). After that... they figure ...'what the Hell i'm already rich..I have nothing else to work for'. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
No contract should be more than the league minimum during the first 2-3 years in one of the major pro sports... and it should be the same internationally...so these guys would have no incentive to run overseas. And ironically... when they come out of college... most of them have not earned their degrees.
I pretty much despise these guys. This new culture in the NBA and NFL is the reason why I no longer follow either sport anymore. This comes from someone who once loved Basketball (20 years ago)...and played organized Basketball for a couple of years as a kid. I also once loved the NFL.
Now I don't really follow any major sports... I just don't have the time...and really don't have much interest anymore. But when I do get the time to watch, I find myself watching Major League Baseball, college basketball, college football, and Tennis. (and I am someone who used to hate Baseball... thought it was too damn boring, but that was before I understood strategy, lineups, pitching, etc). I'd rather watch ESPN Pool than an NBA or NFL game.
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