CBS and Sports Illustrated Lie About Athlete's Criminal Record

CBS and Sports Illustrated Lie About Athlete's Criminal Record

By Luther Campbell Tue., Mar. 8 2011 at 8:00 AM

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke explains how the criminal justice system destroys young black men in Miami-Dade County.

A couple of major news organizations, CBS and Sports Illustrated, recently concluded a six-month investigation unearthing the criminal backgrounds of thousands of division I college football players. The point was to show college football programs don't do a good job sniffing out skeletons in a kid's closet.

Among the players the report cited is a young man whom I used to coach at Miami Central Senior High. His name is Antwan Darling, and he's now a freshman at the University of Cincinnati.

I had a conversation with his mother, who is a full-time postal worker, last week. She was very upset about the tone of the CBS/Sports Illustrated expose. She is thinking about suing for slander. I can understand why. It is easy to go out and publicize how many times a player got arrested to make the case he doesn't deserve a scholarship. After all, the sensationalism is going to get people to read the magazine and tune into the network's news programs. Had the reporters done a little more research, they would have found out that he was never arrested in 2006 for firing a gun. They got that wrong.

The report also made hay about Darling going to an intervention program on a burglary charge. Again, if CBS/Sports Illustrated had done some digging they would have found that the police did not find any of his fingerprints at the scene and that the footprint inside the home was a size 7. Darling wears a size 11. The only reason he opted for the intervention program was to put the whole mess behind him. Had he fought the charges, he would have been on house arrest, and would not be able to travel anywhere. Had he waited the six months to go to trial, the school would have rescinded its scholarship offer, and he would have no college to go to. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. So he took the plea deal so he could go the University of Cincinnati.

Now CBS and Sports Illustrated have the NCAA looking at how to keep inner city schools from getting into college. What would have happened if Darling was turned down for a scholarship? Who is going to hire him after he puts down that he was arrested but was never convicted? Where ever he applies, they will tell him, "hell nah." What is he left with? His homeboys on the corner selling weed and coke who remind him that "no cracker is going to give him a job."

But you don't read about that in the CBS/Sports Illustrated piece. This is why I am trying to explain to people why African Americans are afraid of the criminal justice system. The judicial process is set up to disenfranchise African Americans, a majority of whom can't afford their own lawyer and take guilty pleas to get on with their lives. It's why elected officials leave ghettos looking like Beirut. It's why individuals with an arrest but no conviction on their record have a hard time getting legitimate jobs in corporate America.

And thus the vicious cycle continues. To stop it, we as a society have to change our attitude that you are guilty even when you are found innocent.

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Tags:

Antwan Darling, CBS, Sports Illustrated

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Andre Johnson

One thing we must also remember Miami is the South. Oh there it is a Confederate flag on top of the Herald Building. LOL Just jokinig, Drive by to see. Abraham Lincoln brought 5 of the countries most affluent blacks to the White House and he asked that upon the freedom of the slaves that they all move to Belize in Central America. One because it was tropical like the continent they were kidnapped from and most importantly that because of the vast different in the complexions of White and Blacks that there could never be a harmonious real peace. The best thing about this and DNA is in Miami is that almost every Latin person who lives in Miami if the trace their roots back they will find a black grandfather or grandmother in the not so distant past. Don't fight it. Pretty soon all our daughters will be having a baby by a black man and all our grandchildren will be black. Imagine that !!! Look at he news today, all the power couples are Black.

Andre Johnson

By the way what is El Heat?

Andre Johnson

My aunt who is 67 years old is an avid El Heat fan and lives in California and hates Kobe. We were talking about the new super teams of the Miami and New York or maybe it was Boston. Anyway she said that I must remember that sports is a business. Also that San Antonio or Boston would win this year to allow the old timers a nice going out present before the youngsters like Camello, King James, Wade and the others created the dynasties that would go on for years. But most important to remember who buys the tickets to the game it is not blacks, it is not ladies, it is white men and they want to see white men playing basketball as stars. Who is the great white hope basketball now? They have to slow down the influx of inner city blacks or basketball will have no whites playing. Then an all white basktball league may become viable. WTF? I don't know.

Iamafake

African-Americans should be afraid of the "justice system." Everybody should be afraid.

E_oriol

Although I disagree with Luke's undying support for anyone Black,I need to support him this time around.His attackers's comments reek of racism and hate.I don't know what it's gonna take for people to realize that the system they are defending while attacking Luke,will eventually come after them and their loved ones.I have spoken to many white red necks who hate everything that has to do with the Hispanic culture.I find it very difficult nowadays to defend Cubans when most of the police officers gunning down young Black men are Cubans.Cubans need to understand that most whites look down at them and speak of them as if they are the enemy.When we have a judge from Pennsylvania being found guilty of sending young children to his friend's prisons in exchange for cash,every one regardless of race should be concerned ..

non-racist white guy

"attackers's comments reek of racism and hate" followed by "Cubans need to understand that most whites look down at them and speak of them as if they are the enemy"

Wow... and you expect people to respect your opinion. Sure.

unclelukehasasmallpenis

Uncle Luke is a Jigaboo...............

Oak Cliff Townie

I am sure there is a Rug this could swept under....If the young man was a really good athlete I Mean a really good Athlete ..

RungoRungo

Oh wow, is anyone actually surprised by this? I mean seriously. lol.

www.total-privacy.ie.tc

Please, shut up.

You are such a moron.

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Justice

I wondered when racist trash like Caesar_Palache would rear their pathetic heads,

Misco Jones

You lost a bet to Sid and didn't come through you phony.

Kylemack

Luther call me a cracker to my face.

Juan E

I think the mom or you mean "libel" and not "slander" lawsuits. Just want to clear that up

You're Wrong

Suing for slander means suing because of damages done your name so it's not suing for libel so you're wrong. Just wanted to clear up your inaccuracies.

Jerksy

slander is orally defaming someone's name, libel is defaming through publication. So I think Juan is correct.

Caeser_Palache

Yeah - its the fault of our justice system, CBS and Sports Illustrated that blacks can not get a job and are afraid of the justice system. Moreover, that's the reason the ghetto looks like Beirut. Yep, has nothing to do with an element of crap flooding the streets who have zero disregard for the citizens that do care? Teenagers killing each other with guns over $2 dollars? Nope, that has nothing to do with it. Great platform and grass-root effort to run for mayor, you have it in the bag. I swear, do you really believe this stuff? What idiot would take a plea (public defender or not) if they were not guilty? I guess, blacks? Obviously, this kid has a propensity for crime because he has had more than one charge. Wait, wrong place defense? It was not me, defense? Idiot, you really are retarded!

Reality

I'm black and I have a job, a college education and I'm not afraid of the justice system. Oh, and my neighborhood doesn't look like Beirut. I know you find this hard to believe because you believe that all black people look alike, act alike, and live in the same place. Oh, and your buddies Whites also take plea deals (dies Jason Giambi ring a bell, or do you think he's black?) But if you weren't racist you would know that.