What is wrong with ESPN??

[Dlyne8r]

This isn’t necessarily an indictment of ESPN, but this thread was the most logical place to post comments about what I’m listening to on ESPN Radio. Colin Cowturd is again spewing more trash about ST and basically warned listeners that if you couldn’t handle the ugly truth, turn the dial. I almost did, but wanted to listen anyway. He talked about Michael Wilbon coming on Tirico’s show later today to discuss ST and how he (Cowturd) essentially has a man-crush on Wilbon and his latest take on this tragedy. Cowturd further stated that ST was guilty of really bad judgment and even if ST had begun to turn things around in his life and distanced himself from his old followers, “just because you clean the rug it doesn’t mean you’ve cleaned the stains.”

But the thing that really got me was when Cowturd recanted a conversation he had w/ Stephen A. Smith in the elevator regarding ST’s death. Smith said that because ST was shot “down stairs,” that this was most certainly a “message.” What?! Are you kidding me? How does Smith know that as fact? Did that “message” mean that ST was having relations with another man’s women or something?? That’s what Smith seems to be implying. I would assume the altercation occurred in darkness, the perp was confronted by ST and took a shot, missed, and took another one possibly running from a man brandishing a machete! Did Smith ever consider that the perp was trying to get the hell out of there and didn’t take time to plant his feet and take more careful aim? Give me a break.

I fear we are just going to hear more uninformed speculation on this and it makes things even tougher when it comes from blowhards like Cowturd, Smith, and now maybe even Wilbon, who I once respected. The media just doesn’t get it. At least practice a little patience before opening your mouth, typing on your computer, or writing on paper. We will ultimately discover more details about this incident, but until then, these clowns need to shut the hell up.

[dgack]

Originally Posted by Dlyne8r

Cowturd further stated that ST was guilty of really bad judgment and even if ST had begun to turn things around in his life and distanced himself from his old followers, “just because you clean the rug it doesn’t mean you’ve cleaned the stains.”.

As I've said before in another thread, the big problem with this line of reasoning is that it suggests that it's okay to condemn an individual for youthful mistakes, as if growing up and being an adult human being is somehow a game of razor-thin margins where perfection is the only way to survive and win.

This is just utter crap, and I guarantee that nearly everyone on this board, as well as every one of those blowhards on the radio and TV, can probably think of some foolish incident in their youth that could have cost them their life in the form of accidental death or a jail sentence. If not, you led a pretty sheltered life as a teenager.

I'm not a huge fan of judging others, but there are obvious lines where it's appropriate and those where it's inappropriate. A guy like Pacman Jones, who doesn't seem to be learning his lessons in any way, or really making any effort to change? That's pretty obvious.

But to spew crap like, "cleaning the rug doesn't remove all the stains" is really hurtful, because it implies that a man who HAD realized the mistakes of his youth and WAS trying to be a better person, and by all accounts SUCCEEDING, somehow had it coming. And that's just completely counter to what most Americans believe.