Black Friday

Black Friday
By Michael – Louis Ingram
BASN/FRO
 
“Attention Wal-Mart shoppers – you are now free to buy cheap 50-inch televisions, IPods and laptop computers without guilt…”
 
PHILADELPHIA (BASN/FRO): In a courtroom in Kennett, Missouri, the “Show – Me” state showed everyone the antediluvian attitudes which accelerated the influx of assholes there are alive – in hell.
 
The trial of Heather Ellis, a 24 year old schoolteacher who stood to do 15 years in prison – for allegedly cutting in line at a local Wal–Mart – was concluded when lawyers for Ms. Ellis agreed to a plea bargain of a year’s unsupervised probation; as part of a lesser sentence for disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.    
 
While it seems a victory of sorts was won for Ms. Ellis, let’s not get this twisted: the people involved – and much credit to Dr. Boyce Watkins, Ms. Ellis legal team and everyone who helped stand up to defend her – only managed to nick a draw before final whistle.
 
Surely, if Heather Ellis were a white woman, this scenario would be very unlikely to happen; no need for security to step in, no calling the police, no outcry over cutting in line; it would be “thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart” and have a nice day.
 
In the race for humanity’s soul, the forces running toward 1850 seems to have a slight lead over those running toward 2010. That Heather Ellis almost became the new Dred Scott wasn’t lost on the few who spoke up and rallied to her defense.
 
I can still hear Dame Shirley Bassey singing in the background, “and it’s all just a little bit of history repeating…” 
 
 
Welcome to New Congo Square Mall
 
 
Now, before I hear, “what does this have to do with sports?” let’s mosey on over to the New Congo Square Mall – site of the NCAA (Negroes Carrying Athletic Aspirations) Claim Center Store.    
 
Looks like University of Kansas head football coach Mark Mangino is at the Returns Desk – let’s listen in, shall we?
 
 
(Male voice: May I help you, Coach Mangino?)
 
“Let’s take a look at this,” Mangino said. “We’ve improved graduation rates here for football. We have set semester records for team GPA. We’re graduating kids, we’re putting kids out into the world that are prepared. But I can’t do the work of some parents, what they should have done before they got to me.
 
“There’s some things for 18 years that happened in their lives that I can’t change in four years of college. Can’t change their behaviors, can’t change their attitudes.”  
 
 
(MV: Oh, so you’re saying your Negroes are defective? Well, given the four-year warranty has run out, I’m afraid we can’t offer a refund on them; but then again, you could have bypassed those people if you didn’t have such a hard-on for making a seven figure salary off these same Black men you treat like Niggers because they don’t bow and scrape.
 
That a scum-sucking parasite like you would stoop to blaming parents is the reason why your Negroes won’t work, muthafucka; and if I were the parent of any of those kids you made the negative asides about, I would bounce your fat ass up and down this mall.
 
What those parents should have done was avoid KU altogether. How many lies did you tell; how many times behind closed doors did you complain about how “those people” are lazy and stupid?  Well, attention shoppers – Niggers are on sale right now at the University of Kansas! Our Black Friday Special – Shot Homies, alcoholics and ghetto trash - now 50% - offed! Prices are slashed because products were slightly used by a self-serving, smug sonuvabitch who should be stomped into submission by the very people he looks to belittle.
 
Now stick that up your BCS, you punk-ass muthafucka!)
 
 
A tall young Black man (and, yes, he fits the description) named Alshon Jeffrey had the chance to choose between several schools, and had decided on the University of South Carolina. New Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin, in an effort to convince Jeffrey to come to UT, put on his best rap – and it didn’t work.
 
According to accounts by Jeffrey, who had committed earlier to Southern Cal, later told head man Pete Carrill he changed his mind. Carrill, who many felt showed his true colors in his bitch-fit press conference after quarterback Mark Sanchez left early to go pro, threatened to flex on Jeffrey, but his efforts failed.
 
 Kiffin, however, was even worse. After Jeffrey made it clear he was going to play for the Gamecocks, Kiffin told Jeffery that if he chose the Gamecocks, he would end up pumping gas for the rest of his life; like all the other players from that state who would  dare to choose somewhere other than his school.
 
With that, we now go back to our Help Desk and our Claim Center Customer Service Department…
 
(MV: Young Jeffrey’s situation is a clear case of Bait-and-Beeyotch. The would-be coach gets all hot and bothered when he thinks he’s caught something when wooing the talent. Then, depending on the level of pettiness after finding out otherwise, insults the prospect, letting him know in his own special way that he was just another Nigger he wanted to help him win games – and get paid. Hey - cop-and-blow – every pimp would know. Next, please?)
 
I’m sure Alshon Jeffrey takes comfort in knowing that three other young men who chose to come to Tennessee won’t be pumping gas, either; at least not for the moment. Nu’Keese Richardson, Michael Edwards and Janzen Jackson went from assets to assholes when they attempted to rob someone outside of a convenience store.
 
Robbing someone is bad enough, and the people involved deserve to be punished; but what would motivate three collegiate football players to rob someone? After playing in front of thousands of fans on Saturday afternoon, they’re broke Saturday evening – and the school, the coach, the networks – everyone except the players – get paid.
 
As if that weren’t bad enough, Richardson was the subject of a situation that marked Kiffin’s indoctrination into the Southeastern Conference, whereas Kiffin implied Florida head coach Urban Meyer cheated to secure Richardson. The statement resulted in Kiffin being reprimanded by the SEC, but keeping Richardson.
 
Now, Richardson has been kicked off the team – and will be lucky if he gets to pump gas; so much for taking care of his recruit – gee, thanks, Coach…
 
Meanwhile, back at the mall, Boise State head coach Chris Petersen slinks into the Claim Center…
 
(MV:  Afternoon, coach – are you having a problem with your Negroes? I heard that nasty Negro person LeGarrette Blount is coming back to Oregon. Heavens to Nike! Aren’t you concerned?
 
"We have tremendous respect for Oregon. Those coaches, we know most of those guys very well. And so, whatever they decide we're 100 percent behind. I think that's good for all involved if that's what they chose to do."


It appears Coach Petersen wasn’t as much worried about Blount as he was whitewashing his own team’s involvement in one of the nastiest episodes in collegiate sport. Not since Johnny Bright’s being savaged in broad daylight by scumbags from Oklahoma A&M, has there been such a polarizing event.
 
It is also interesting how most mainstream sports media labeled this the LeGarrette Blount incident and not the Byron Hout/LeGarrette Blount incident, Hout being the jackass from Boise State who pulled on Blount’s jersey and called him Nigger after winning a decisive 19-8 victory against Oregon earlier this season.
 
Hout was summarily knocked on his ass, and all hell broke loose.
 
Now – how do we know Blount was called Nigger? My friend and colleague Zennie Abraham, in his City Lights column for the San Francisco Chronicle, produced the following information:   
 
Abraham writes: This is the contents of the blog post I wrote outlining my source’s claim that Hout said the N-word to Blount:
 
 
Twitter was the source of the latest information torpedo in the (unfortunately) still unfolding story behind the "punch seen round the sports World" by Oregon Running Back LeGarrett Blount to Boise State Defensive End Byron Hout.
 
Track athlete E.J. Prince used Twitter to blast this:
 
@realskipbayless Just talked to Jamere Holland (from Oregon WR) said that L. Blount socked dude from Boise State cuz he called him a n_____
 
Jamere Holland is Oregon's wide receiver.
 
Prince also tweeted this:
 
@q17 yeah I just hope the news about LaGarett Blount being censored gets out to people like @jemelehill
 
@jemelehill is ESPN Columnist and Analyst Jemele Hill.
 
There's no indication that she responded to Prince's Twitter feed. He also sent a tweet to Skip Bayless; no tweet back to Prince from Bayless. Basically it seems that Prince's story is being ignored by certain mainstream media people. I can't confirm that, but it seems that way.
 
The main problem has been that none of the main actors in this play are talking. LeGarrette Blount's not moving his lips. Byron Hout's lost his voice. Both schools are silent on the question.
 
(And on that note, my first blog post speculated on the use of the N-word, not claimed that Hout used it as one blogger inaccurately wrote; this is different.)
 
E. J. Prince's value in this story rests on his tweet that he talked to (not tweeted) a friend of Oregon receiver Jamere Holland who plays for Oregon and who I will not name here.
 
Abraham’s contention about mainstream media’s silence is significant. A writer with the Denver Post and a University of Oregon graduate, when told of the incident, said he “couldn’t believe Hout said the N-Word.” After revealing our source in this matter, he would later say, “If Hout did call Blount the N-word, he deserved to get hit.”
 
The same reporter would later contact my colleague Tony McClean, advising that according to his sources, Hout never called Blount the N-word; as if our source couldn’t possibly be correct …
 
Abraham, however, was later hit with a deluge of negative comments implying he “played the race card” - but let’s be real here – who played whom?
 
Let’s review: Boise State won the game, fair and square; but showed they had no fucking class; the scoreboard said everything needed to be said. They could’ve walked off and partied or whatever behind closed doors.
 
If Hout doesn’t go seeking out Blount, pulling on his jersey and calling him Nigger, we have no incident; and we would have no sociologists coming on prime time news to attempt to ascertain the mindset of the “savage Black beast “that lurketh under the helmet.
 
And let’s be frank – with Hout being a D-lineman, he figured no little running back was man enough to take him out; it just goes to show everybody’s got somebody’s number.
 
But Hout or Coach Petersen was never publicly disgraced for their poor sportsmanship and lack of moral character; nor was Coach Petersen punished for losing control of his team. Boise State didn’t punish Hout for instigating the situation, nor did the WAC or NCAA punish Boise State for their role in this travesty.
 
And let’s not let Oregon off the hook, either. If it weren’t for the glare under which this event manifested itself, they would’ve (in my humble opinion) tried to force Blount off the team and kill his scholarship; I moreover believe Blount’s parent’s were ready to layeth the legal Smackethdown on Oregon’s ass – hence Blount staying put.
 
If I am the parent of a potential student-athlete, I’m thinking, “Fuck Boise State - and double Duck fuck Oregon - for what they did and didn’t do.”
 
Abraham goes on to explain his rationale in highlighting this incident:
 
“I do it also because I've received a number of subsequent messages and emails explaining that many Boise State Football fans were referring to Blount using the N-word in online forums. That lends weight to the assertion that Boise State fans uses of racial slurs in taunting Blount.
 
Since Boise State never officially explained exactly what Hout said, the speculation plus the assertions of my sources that he did use a racist term have been given more and more value.
 
That was bad PR on Boise State's part, plus the news that Hout would not be punished as Blout was and that it would be handled "internally" by the Boise State Football team gave rise to more speculation on what Hout said and did.
 
I also press this because of the desire by some to cover it up. People need to see society as it is before it can become what we want it to be. We've still got a lot of problems to straighten out. Hiding from the truth in any situation does not allow us to make progress in making ourselves better.
 
LeGarrette Blount took his punishment and reportedly proved himself in the classroom and in the Oregon college community during his suspension. I welcome him back, but with the sad realization that the "tests" he had to pass to rejoin the team are the same ones that should be applied to many of the people who taunted him in the first place, but they never will be.”
 
So, with words like “contrition” and phrases like the deadly “role model” inserted into the discourse like suppositories up one’s ass, the phrase parents of potential student-athletes should be caveat emptor; beware of those smiling faces who come into your life promising the moon, then taking the star from your child because they refuse to work the plantation the way Massa wants.
 
Do your research and find out about the school’s graduation rate, curricula offered, and, most important – when that coach looks you in the eye and tells you he will take care of your son or daughter like he or she was his own – you make sure he ante’s up and does just that.
 
I’ll conclude by saying this: the likelihood that a young Black man is going to be told he will be “sent back to the ‘hood to be shot by his homies,” will be significantly less likely to be uttered by a Black head coach or a coach at a historically Black college or university – an HBCU.
 
Because, if you can play, they will find you; and if they find you at an HBCU, they will also likely find you – graduated, and with a degree.
 

mike@footballreportersonline.com