Fox News: “Michael Vick Should Have Been Given the Death Penalty”

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson followed the company's interesting tradition the other day by making one of the most distasteful and egregious comments in recent media history. Filling in for Sean Hannity, Carlson said that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick should have been executed for dogfighting.

"I'm a Christian, I've made mistakes myself, I believe fervently in second chances," Carlson said. "But Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did in a heartless and cruel way. And I think, personally, he should've been executed for that. He wasn't, but the idea that the President of the United States would be getting behind someone who murdered dogs? Kind of beyond the pale."

 

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Why Would Barack Obama Defend Michael Vick?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University –Scholarship in Action 

Anyone following the worlds of sports and politics heard about President Barack Obama's decision to congratulate the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles for giving the embattled Michael Vick another chance to shine. The president called Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to tell him that he condemns the crimes for which Vick has been convicted, but believes that those who've paid debts for their crimes deserve a second chance to contribute to society.

The symbolism of this moment can't be missed. Here we have an African American male going out of his way to express support for another black male coming out of the criminal justice system. While none of us knows Obama's true intentions, his public support for Michael Vick reminds us of the intricate connections that exist between many black males from all walks of life (Al Sharpton and I discussed thisvery same issue yesterday with regard to the arrest of the father of NBA star OJ Mayo): educated black politicians/doctors/lawyers who love sports have a great deal in common with athletes, who in turn have something in common with men in the criminal justice system, hip hop, etc. It's all connected at the end of the day (notice the close friendships between men like LeBron James and the rapper Jay-Z and the fact that many artists have friends who deal drugs).

 

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Ohio State Players Suspended for Selling their “Stuff”

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Terrelle Pryor, the star quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, is set to be suspended for four games next season as a result of receiving improper benefits. He wasn't the only Buckeye kicked out for 1/3 of next season: Four other players were also suspended: Daniel Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas are among the guilty and condemned.
Adams is being asked to repay $1,000 for selling his 2008 Big Ten Championship ring and Heron was busted for selling his jersey, pants and shoes for $1,000. Also among the list of offenses being investigated was that the players received free tattoos in exchange for autographs.
When I read this story, I thought, "Here we go again, the NCAA participating in their typical sanctimonious and hypocritical behavior."

 

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Tiger Woods Allegedly Abandoned His Relatives

Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Tiger Woods' brother, Earl Woods Jr., had some interesting things to say about the golfing superstar. Woods is the oldest of three children who came from the previous marriage of Tiger's now-deceased father. Tiger's brother now publicly claims that Woods has cut the family off and that he hasn't spoken to him since 2006. This is in stark contrast to the fact that they spoke quite frequently when Tiger was a young man.

It seems that, according to Earl, the trappings of fame, entourages and piles of money may have detached Tiger from that which matters most: those who love us. At the same time, we can't say for sure what happened in Tiger's family that caused the division to occur in the first place. Tiger's brother says that while they were invited to ride on Tiger's jet to the funeral of his father, the golfer barely acknowledged them during the trip.

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The Rise and Fall of Kobe Bryant: How His Career Has Evolved

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

This week it was announced that Kobe Bryant, star of the Los Angeles Lakers, is leading the nation in All-Star votes. Bryant has over 722,000 votes thus far and is on his way toward once again being America's favorite basketball player (well, he might already be there). He is more popular than his nemesis, LeBron James, who lost a bulk of his popularity after improperly orchestrating his move to Miami. At the same time, the criticism of James was inherently unfair.

What's interesting about LeBron vs. Kobe is that one guy has always been a team player and stayed out of trouble. The other one was being accused of rape just a few years ago and was also once known as a prima donna who wouldn't pass the ball to anyone other than himself. My oh my how times have changed.

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HS BBall Player Attacks Referee

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

 

A player from Desoto High School in Florida is in hot water after attacking a referee during a basketball game. Apparently, the player wasn't happy when the ref ejected him for hitting another player. It was then that the player hit the referee, eventually slamming him to the ground.
The game ended when the refs refused to continue officiating.
Obviously, this incident should lead to a serious punishment for the young man involved. Referees should not, in any way, feel that they are physically threatened when making unpopular calls during an athletic event. What I hope, however, is that we don't somehow conclude that the young man who made this mistake is some kind of irreparable social deviant. My interpretation is that there was plenty of testosterone flowing in the game and it simply got out of hand. Young people, often unable to handle hormonal changes, can sometimes do things that they regret. In fact, during college, I once threw another player to the ground in the heat of competition. After the incident, I immediately left the court and went home so I could cool off.

 

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Michael Vick’s Financial Woes Keep Him Living the Simple Life

Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University Scholarship in Action 

Oh what a tangled web we weave with our choices. A man with one of the most tangled financial webs in America is Mr. Michael Vick. Vick has re-positioned himself as one of the leading quarterbacks in the NFL, and I’m sure a massive financial offer is forthcoming at some point. But don’t expect Michael to be rolling pretty for quite a while, since I haven’t seen this many financial problems since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Where do we begin? Let’s start with Vick’s stellar salary with the Philadelphia Eagles. Michael brings home a cool $4.1 million, which might seem like a lot of money for a man who didn’t just file bankruptcy while serving time in prison. A condition of the bankruptcy is that Vick doesn’t get to spend nearly any of the money he earns for anything other than absolute necessities. So, that means no Cristal at the club, no ‘blingin, flossin', shinin' or stuntin’ allowed, which seems to be the mandatory calling for far too many African American athletes.

 

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Tiger Woods Update: Another Tiger Mistress Says She Was Paid to Keep Sex Tape Off the Market

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Devon James is both a porn star and yet another woman who claimed that she slept with Tiger Woods. She is also a person who may be delusional, at least if you ask some of her friends. While it might be old news by now that Tiger likes to spend quality time with porn stars, the not-so-old news is that James claims that Tiger paid her a significant sum of money in order to avoid releasing their sex tape. By the way, she is also the one saying that she and Tiger have a love child.
James and her husband have been selling pre-orders for the tape for $19.99 through a website. The orders were to be shipped on December 1 of this year, but never arrived. There were also no explanations regarding why the tapes were never shipped. James says it's because she and her hubby were waiting for a settlement to come through from Woods' team, and that the settlement finally arrived (perhaps Tiger, like Obama, wanted to make sure that those in need received their benefits before Christmas).

 

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Black Love Gone Bad: Antoine Walker Sued for Taking another Man’s Finacee

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Former NBA star Antoine Walker is being sued for $5 million dollars by a man who claims that Walker stole his fiancee. Kevin Jenkins says that he caught Walker and his fiancee in an "intimate moment," and confronted Walker about it. He said that Walker laughed in his face to deliberately cause him emotional distress.
Jenkins then says that he became so emotionally distressed that he thought about killing himself.
To date, I haven't heard of anyone being sued for cheating with another person's fiancee. However, I do know that in some states, you can be sued for cheating with someone else's spouse. These "alienation of affection" lawsuits are legal in several states: Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota and Utah.

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Former Colorado Coach Says New Coach Hired Because He’s Black

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action 

Jon Embree is a former tight end for The University of Colorado. He is currently an assistant coach for the Washington Redskins. The rumor mill has it that Embree may soon take the next step of becoming head coach at his alma mater.
Typically, such a bold move by a university to give an African American coach a chance might be applauded. In this case, heads are turning because of confusing remarks made by former Colorado coach Bill McCartney.
McCartney, who was one of three finalists for the job as of Wednesday night, shut down speculation by stating that the university had informally offered the job to Embree. He also went as far as stating that Embree was offered the job because he is African American.
"It was never about me doing it again," McCartney told the Denver Post. "It was about setting the table for a black man to come in (as head coach). And he (athletic director Mike Bohn) hired one. Now, give him a chance."

 

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