Category: Opinion

Ray Rice, Pete Rose, Lance Armstrong, Art Schlichter, Zeke Elliott, Michael Vick, Floyd Landis, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, are all players who have committed a crime–either on the field of play or off–that caused them to lose favor with the fans and the broader community.

The question becomes how long do we continue to persecute those athletes after they have apologized or finished their sentence. There are 3 UCLA basketball players–LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill–who are now facing that same persecution. While these players like the ones listed above brought the persecution on themselves, it remains to be seen how long they must face this persecution. Currently, the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) has stated these players are suspended indefinitely.

And so it seems most players who bring persecution on themselves by committing illegal acts or cheating by using performance enhance drugs end up with lifetime bans. This is true of Pete Rose, Lance Armstrong, Art Schichter, Ray Rice and Barry Bonds. The lies were too big when they came to light. Yet, fans and the broader community in general seem to be able to move past the mistakes of others like Michael Vick, Maria Sharipova and Zeke Elliott after they have paid their dues and apologize.

So, how long will those young men from UCLA have to wait before they will see grace and mercy again from the general public? Well, it may depend on how they handle their suspensions. Will they be arrogant and state shoplifting is not a big deal? Or, will they realize the errors of their ways and truly change?

According to Stadium’s The Rally’s poll of viewers, 44% believe that these young men deserve to be suspended for the entire year. A year’s suspension is actually a small penalty to pay considering these young men were looking at 10 years of hard time in a Chinese prison. Let’s hope these young men learn from the likes of Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress and x so they can change themselves, their surroundings and their futures.


Source: CBS Sports


Source: Complex News

If you don’t trust someone, then your interaction with them should reflect that lack of trust or knowledge of her. Yet, remember not to close yourself off by not getting the whole story. If you choose the right folks to be a part of your inner circle, life can be a beautiful thing.~Natalie Lue

It is important that the athlete have an inner circle of family and friends that he can truly trust. An athlete may need to delegate relocation, money, or other family issues, and those handling those matters need to have the athlete’s best interest at heart as well as follow his lead instead of following their own agenda.

For an athlete to consider anyone above reproach could be a fatal mistake. It is just as easy for a family member to steer the athlete wrong as Joe Smoe from down the street. And steering someone wrong does not lend itself to just financial decisions; it includes career direction, second career choices, physical conditioning, love, and just life decisions in general. Jack Johnson’s financial future was placed in jeopardy by his parents, Johnny Manziel’s career by his associates and friends, Maria Sharipova by her medical team, and the list goes on and on.

This past week, three UCLA basketball players were arrested in China for shoplifting. These players should have known better. . . . Whether it was peer pressure, a prank, a dare, or sheer greed, now these young men are facing up to 10 years in prison in China. Diplomats and other United States officials will now have to get involved to help resolve the issue. These young men risked their freedom, safety and future over sunglasses. The question begs on whether these young men had the proper people in their inner circle.

Teammates are teammates, but they cannot always be part of one’s inner circle. Sometimes after the game or practice, one has to divorce himself from the team to ensure a brighter future. The same goes for family and friends. One hopes their advice is in one’s best interest, but sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes, it comes from a place of manipulation or self-interest. As the writer of the blog, Baggage Reclaim, states:

Family doesn’t automatically qualify for being within your ‘inner circle’ unless you have the high degree of trust with each family member. You can love a family member but they may be further out in your circle (you trust them but you would be cautious over certain things or you just know your limits) and… some family members may be out of the circle because they repeatedly bust boundaries although they may feel that they’re entitled to ‘inner circle’ status.

If you don’t trust someone, then your interaction with them should reflect that lack of trust or knowledge of her. Yet, remember not to close yourself off by not getting the whole story. If you choose the right folks to be a part of your inner circle, life can be a beautiful thing. If you decide you chose wrong, just divorce yourself from them.