Reigning Heisman Trophy Winner Busted For Stealing Crab Legs.

You can't make this sh*t up, so naturally I'm just gonna assume it's real. I mean, seriously, who steal crab legs in the first place? If you're hungry, I could think of a million other foods that would be more nourishing than crab legs. And BTW, school is still in session, so I'm assuming athletes are still getting free meals on campus. If you're that hard up, can't you get some fellow student/fan or some chick/fan to just buy you something? You just won that National Title, dummy. You should be as famous in Tallahassee as the governor.

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was issued a citation Tuesday for shoplifting crab legs from Publix, according to multiple sources. Winston, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, is a red-shirt sophomore for the Seminoles.

"He got an adult civil citation," a trusted source inside Tallahassee Police told Tomahawk Nation. "If he completes the sanctions it will never show up on his record. They commonly give them to juveniles on first criminal offenses. They are now doing it for minor misdemeanors for adults to lower crime rate."

Winston has had previous run-ins with the law, but no arrests. He was investigated for an alleged rape, but the State Attorney declined to bring charges due to a lack of evidence. In November, the associated press reported that Winston was questioned about his involvement in a long-running BB gun battle, and that a Burger King reported Winston was stealing soda in a ketchup cup.

The timing of the citation is interesting given that the NCAA recently approved unlimited meals for student athletes.

Winston was recently voted the quarterback on the Florida State All-Jimbo Fisher team.

A source inside Florida State's program says that Winston will be fined $30, required to do community service, and will be suspended from the baseball team. The Leon County Sheriff's Office will hold a 2 p.m. press conference concerning Jameis Winston.

Of course, Publix coulda just given him the crabs legs, but that woulda been an NCAA violation, and would have gotten him in even worse trouble. So yeah, he looked at the two options and chose the lesser evil, I suppose.

Still, dummy move, especially for a guy who just beat a rape charge a few months ago.

Jameis might be Famous, but he damn sure ain't Smart.

Question: Did this dummy (allegedly) steal crab legs because he was hungry, or because he's a dummy?

Bomani Jones On The Real Problem With Donald Sterling.

I don't agree with this guy most of the time either, but he's spot-on with this commentary.

The NBA Lowers The Boom On Donald Sterling. Suspended FO' LIFE!!!

I hope Donald Sterling is a big fan of Mack 10, because there's a song the venerable West Coast Gangster Rapper made that's perfect for the ruling the NBA just threw down.

A news conference by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on the Donald Sterling controversy is underway. Punishments for the Clippers owner include a lifetime ban and a $2.5-million fine. Silver also said he would urge NBA owners and the board of governors to force Sterling to sell the team.

"I am banning Mr. Sterling for life from any association with the Clippers organization or the NBA," said Silver.

Most were expecting a large fine and suspension to be handed to Sterling after he allegedly made controversial remarks about blacks that created widespread outrage.

The NBA's bylaws allow for owners to be expelled from the league, though that power is reserved for limited circumstances, such as the inability to operate financially, gambling on league games or fixing games.

The more likely route, which Silver undertook, lay within Article 35 of the NBA Constitution, which allows the commissioner to indefinitely suspend owners for "conduct prejudicial or detrimental to the association."

All of this has happened with the team preparing for Tuesday night's Game 5 of its best-of-seven playoff series against Golden State; the series is tied, 2-2.

The lifetime ban makes sense. I think the $2.5M fine is sorta pointless, especially since a good chunk of it is prolly just gonna up at at Rainbow PUSH/National Action Network when it's donated. But the NBA's upcoming vote to force Sterling to sell is probably the biggest deal here.

Sterling's no dummy. Racist, sure, but not a dummy. He'll inevitably lawyer up when/if the other 29 owners vote to "force" him to sell. Legal issues like this don't resolve themselves overnight. This will end up in the courts, and it will probably take years to resolve itself. Look no further than the inter-party legal actions that held up the sale of the Atlanta Hawks a few years back for proof.

I suppose this does raise a quandary for the Clippers players now. Do they want to play the next x number of years for a team that's still technically owned by Donald Sterling, suspension and all? That's the real question here.

I suspect, much like the forced sale, it'll be awhile before we know the answer.

Question: Did the NBA do the right thing? How is this gonna end?

The Problem With Donald Sterling (And The NBA).

I'm happy this morning. Very happy. My Wizards are up 3-1 on the dumpster fire that is the Chicago Bulls, and we can close things out Tuesday night, which would be our first series win in a decade. So yeah, my sporting focus should be there, but of course there was a(n arguably) bigger story from The Association this weekend. I suppose I'm obligated to discuss it here.

Donald Sterling wasn’t in a courtside seat Sunday afternoon, where he would’ve had an up-close view of what his coarse words and corrosive opinions did to his Los Angeles Clippers.

The team was drained and unenthusiastic despite a crucial NBA playoff game in Oakland, Calif., against the Golden State Warriors. The Clippers’ most impactful action in a decisive loss came during pregame warmups, when they gathered at midcourt and peeled off their team-issued warmup jackets to reveal red shirts turned inside-out to hide the team logo — a sign of protest against the team’s 80-year-old owner, who allegedly made racist remarks to a girlfriend that were recorded and posted Saturday on the Web site TMZ.

The report is the latest in a series of allegations of racial and gender discrimination against Sterling, a real estate mogul and the longest-tenured team owner in a league whose player pool is more than three-quarters African American.

In the recording, a man identified as Sterling scolded the woman, identified as V. Stiviano, for posting to Instagram photographs of herself with African Americans and for attending Clippers games with them.

Sterling’s history paints a picture of a man who has let slip bigoted beliefs for years — and has, at least so far, sidestepped major repercussions. He was sued in 1996 for sexual harassment. In 2003 he testified in a separate court case that he occasionally paid women for sex. The same year, Sterling was sued by 19 tenants of a building he owned, along with the Housing Rights Center; they claimed Sterling’s employees refused repairs to black tenants and frequently threatened to evict them. Sterling settled the case for an undisclosed sum.

In 2009, Sterling spent $2.73 million to settle another suit, this time brought by the Justice Department, which alleged Sterling refused to rent his apartments to non-Korean tenants, preferring that black and Hispanic prospective tenants look elsewhere. The lawsuit quoted Sterling as saying in sworn testimony that “Hispanics smoke, drink and just hang around the building,” adding that “black tenants smell and attract vermin.”

Sterling also feuded with Elgin Baylor, a Washington native, NBA legend and the Clippers’ general manager for 22 years. Baylor, who has declined commenting publicly this weekend, sued Sterling in 2009 for discrimination and wrongful termination. In the lawsuit, Baylor, who is African American, alleged Sterling built his franchise with the “vision of a Southern plantation-type structure” and accused the team owner of a “pervasive and ongoing racist attitude.” A jury ruled in Sterling’s favor in 2011.

Nothing, though, has attracted attention like the recorded conversation that TMZ obtained and posted Saturday. Some have called for Silver to force Sterling to sell the Clippers, and others have said publicly that Sterling should face significant sanctions if the voice on the audio is proved to be his.

Let's not kid ourselves here: there is no defending what Sterling says here. Period. No qualifications. I'm sick of people who have made this a Conservative/Liberal issue (stop it already), a privacy issue (bullsh*t[1]) a free speech issue (free speech doesn't mean free of consequences) or an issue on par with the civil rights movement (please, kill the hyperbole) in some way.

Nope, what's here is an employer, making comments about his employees that would constitute creating a hostile work environment in 99% of workplaces. And yes, if the CEO of your company said something similar, he'd be in trouble as well.

My biggest issue here isn't necessarily with Sterling. It's with the NBA itself, which has allowed this racist ingrate to own a team for 3 decades, despite plenty of prior evidence that he is in fact, a racist ingrate. New commissioner Adam Silver is playing things as well as he possibly can thus far, as he's obviously beholden to owners first, players second. So yeah, good job, Mr. Silver. But if you're gonna move to have Sterling ousted, make sure it's clearly understood that this isn't merely because his golddigging girlfriend[2] secretly taped him saying some really racist sh*t. Nope, make it because Sterling has a well publicized history of doing some really racist sh*t, and this was just the tipping point.

On a somewhat related note, I hate that the Clippers had to stage that paltry "protest" prior to yesterday's game, then came out and got their asses handed to them by the Warriors. To me, it sorta seems like they spent a bit too much time watching ESPN and worrying about how to publicly respond, when they really shoulda just kept their heads down, focused on the task at hand (winning a crucial game) and let others (like Lebron James, whose comments were spot-on and pretty brave) speak on their behalf. Getting blown out is the absolute last way to stick it to Da' Man, especially when Da' Man is your employer. Play for the fans and each other. Eff' the racist owner.

I obviously think Sterling should be removed as owner, just as Marge Schott was, and just as Rush Limbaugh was prevented from becoming. The NBA is a multibillion dollar, worldwide corporate entity. It has no place for idiots like Donald Sterling.

Question: What should the NBA do to Donald Sterling? Should Magic Johnson be allowed to buy the team now?

[1] In a normal workplace, management can be held responsible for things said off the record, and away from/after office hours. The NBA is no different.

[2] Seriously, sista, what's up with you? #BlackGirlLost

Why Cliven Bundy's Views On Slavery Aren't Really That Shocking.

We've seen the resurgence of "in your face racism" with the election of our first black President. It's almost like some people are so upset at the (perceived, but by no means real) shift in power that occurred in November 2008 they just seem emboldened in their racism and feel no need to even hold back or pretend otherwise. Which is why Nevada Welfare Rancher Cliven Bundy's recent comments on black people being better off during slavery don't really shock me, or for that matter even offend me. They're par for the course.

Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s battle against the federal government over land rights took an unexpected detour after a newspaper quoted the 67-year-old grandfather suggesting African Americans were "better off as slaves" because slavery taught work skills and enhanced family life.

Bundy, who has waged a standoff with the Bureau of Land Management, insisting he has a right to graze hundreds of head of cattle on public lands without paying fees, has been surrounded by citizen militias that have converged on his ranch in rural Bunkerville after armed federal officials moved in to remove Bundy’s cattle.

Over the weekend, Bundy spoke to supporters about general issues involved in the standoff. Suddenly, he took a turn and began discoursing on African Americans and public welfare.

“I want to tell you one more thing I know about the Negro,” he said in comments quoted by the New York Times. He recalled driving past a public-housing project in North Las Vegas, “and in front of that government house the door was usually open and the older people and the kids — and there is always at least a half a dozen people sitting on the porch — they didn’t have nothing to do. They didn’t have nothing for their kids to do. They didn’t have nothing for their young girls to do.”

He added: “And because they were basically on government subsidy, so now what do they do?” he asked. “They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. And I’ve often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn’t get no more freedom. They got less freedom.”

Conservative lawmakers in Washington, who have so far supported Bundy, have blasted his remarks, including Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), who had previously referred to the gray-haired rancher as a patriot.

Much like Paula Deen, I'd actually be more shocked that a person his age who lives on the fringes of society wasn't racist. It is what it is.

Maybe ole' Cliven had a point though. I mean, living in public housing is fairly demoralizing and whatnot. Living on a plantation, whith free room and board in exchange for a few leisurely hours of work was much better by comparison. Blacks had a much better sense of work ethic then, and their families were so much closer knit, once you get beyond rape, lynching, forcible separation, the fact that they were liberally traded property and whatnot. Yeah, those were the days!

The funniest part of this whole ordeal has been watching the very Conservatives (including many elected officials!) who got behind Bundy's armed anti-government crusade backpedal faster than Richard Sherman in an effort to distance themselves from this guy. Three days ago they loved the guy more than single white chicks love Jim Halpert[1], now they hate him more than Spotify users hate Flo From Those Progressive commercials.[2]

There's a teachable moment here for everyone, especially talking heads like Hannity, Limbaugh, and Co.

Pick your heroes wisely. They just might not be as heroic as you think.

Question: What's your two cents on this story?

[1] Single white chicks LOVE Jim Halpert! Is there an equivalent "perfect, albeit completely fictitious" boyfriend/husband for single black chicks? Just curious.

[2] Seriously though. You're really getting into your playlist and then, boom! Another Flo ad! Arghhhh. This is the price you pay for totally free music I guess.

The State Of Georgia Now Allows You To Pack Heat At Church. Yes, Church.

I grew up in the South. There were plenty of things about growing up there that I now appreciate in retrospect. The family-centric culture. The polite people. The slow, leisurely pace of everything. of course, there's plenty that I hated about growing up there as well, and that's why I'll never return, ever, ever. Stories like this idiocy are precisely why I'm keeping my black a$$ close to the Mason/Dixon.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Wednesday signed legislation significantly expanding gun rights in the state. The bill, described by the National Rifle Association’s lobbying arm as "the most comprehensive pro-gun reform legislation introduced in recent state history," expands the scope of public places where licensed owners are allowed to carry firearms.

The bill makes several changes to state law. It allows those with a license to carry to bring a gun into a bar without restriction and into some government buildings that don't have certain security measures. It also allows religious leaders to decide whether it's OK for a person with a carry license to bring a gun into their place of worship.

Democrats resisted the proposal, although they conceded it would pass in the GOP-dominated House of Representatives. They argued that allowing guns in more places will not make society safer and may lead to more deaths.

Under the bill, school districts would now be able, if they wanted, to allow some employees to carry a firearm under certain conditions. The bill also eliminates the fingerprinting requirement for renewing weapons carry licenses.

According to the Marietta Daily Journal, the legislation prohibits the state from creating and maintaining a database of licensed weapons carriers and repeals the state-required license for firearms dealers.

Colin Goddard, who survived the 2007 campus shooting at Virginia Tech, told Georgia Public Broadcasting he's alarmed by a provision that waives criminal prosecution of felons who use illegal firearms in the act of self-defense. “The stand your ground expansion is truly a new type of stand your ground as we know it,” Goddard said. “To expand it in such a way to remove all carrying or possession offenses is really unprecedented.”

Note to self: next time we're driving to Disneyland, make a detour through Tennessee.

Question: Just how badly is this going to eventually end? Do any of these "regressive" new laws make logical sense to you?

What Can The President Do About Chicago's Violence Problem?!?

Yesterday here in DC, a bunch of niggers had the unmitigated gall to engage in a gunfight at the entrace to The National Zoo.[1] Two people were injured, albeit not critically, in a display of Extreme Niggardry that overshadowed what's historically a day that black families visit the Zoo, a tradition that stemmed from the White House's exclusion of people of color from its annual Easter Egg Roll.

I couldn't help but think about the irony here. We now have a black family residing in the White House and hosting that very same Egg Roll, yet a few miles (and one day) away, the traditional Eastern Monday event at the Zoo where people have gone for years out of necessity is pockmarked with typical Negro violence. No, this isn't the first time Negroes packed heat at the Zoo (it also happened in the early 00's leading to the event being momentarily cancelled) but it definitely seemed a bit weirder this time for some reason.

All that said, DC's weekend shenanigans pale in comparison to what happened in Obama's native Chicago over Easter, and many are now calling for the President to step in and do something.

President Obama may have gotten our troops out of Iraq, but the gunfire in his hometown of Chicago is still earning it a searing nickname coined by young people who live there.

Chiraq.

On Easter weekend, 45 people were shot in the city, six of them children.

Five youngsters under the age of 15—four girls and a boy—were shot in a playground where they had gone after Easter services at a nearby church.

Witnesses agree that a car pulled up and one of the occupants asked the youngsters if they were in a gang. There is some dispute about whether the youngsters even got a chance to say no before the people in the car started shooting.

The most seriously wounded, 11-year-old Tymisha Washington, was listed in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds. She is expected to survive.

And this bloody Easter weekend was preceded by a weekend in which 37 people were shot, four of them fatally. FBI Director James Comey happened to be in Chicago the following Monday, and he ascribed much of the violence to the gang culture so deeply ingrained in the city. But Comey had little to say about what Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy recognizes as the core problem.

The war that now demands the president’s attention is the one in Chiraq.

I don't have any idea what the solution is to Chicago's specific, deeply engrained issues with urban crime. At a time when big city crime nationwide is at the lowest level in decades, Chicago (and to a lesser extent Philadelphia) is the outlier. Negroes are shooting each other like it's GTA: South Side, and there's no end to the bloodshed in sight. What's clear is that few politicians give a sh*t. Not the GOP, who doesn't care about these people because they're already voting for Democrats anyways. And not the President, who had no issue exploiting using the parents of Hadiya Pendleton as a backdrop for his ill-fated post-Sandy Hook push for increased gun control, but otherwise portends domestic crime is a state/city issue. Besides, those people already are voting for Democrats anyways. And they don't really donate much to political campaigns either. So yeah, basically f*ck them.

Ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away, but I don't have the answers either. My best idea would be calling in the National Guard and policing these communities with tanks and armed militia. Of course, that wouldn't be a lasting solution, because those resources would cost money, and in this political environment, any money spent specifically to benefit black people (even in life and death matters like this) won't fly. Let's not forget the outrage from many on the right (and left for that matter) when the President recently created his My Brother's Keeper mentoring program that was mostly funded with private donations. So nah, bump that.

Beyond that, who knows? Tighter gun control won't fix much here. Nor will the inevitable "task forces" and "blue ribbon commissions". Basically, Chiraq, absent an act of God, it prolly just screwed for good.

Question: What, if anything can be done to lessen the serious issue of inner city crime?

[1] If you have an issue with my use of the word nigger to describe people dumb enough to shoot into a crowd of children assembled at the Zoo for a day of family unity, then that's on you, not me.

AB.com Monday Open Mic.

I know what you've been saying.... "Breh, where the heck is the blog?" Well, it's back. I've been over my head at work, then off on Spring Break with 3 Kidz, but I'm back now and the blog should be back on its normal grizzly shortly. Anyways, here's some stuff for you to chew on in the interim...

Michelle Obama’s planned attendance at Kansas high school graduation sparks criticism - You can't tell me with a straight face that this doesn't have something to do with race. Sorry.

American wins the Boston Marathon - Of course, he's of Ethiopian/Somali descent, so expect a bunch of people to talk sh*t about this, because America.

Obama: 8 million have signed up under ACA - So does this make ObamaCare a success or not? I dunno.

Judge finds Chris Brown’s bodyguard guilty of assault in altercation with fan - We don't get many "Hollywood" style stories here in DC, which is the only reason this is notable. It's great to see weedcarriers take their charges like a man.

Some Megachurches Are Giving Out iPads, TVs to Easter Attendees - Recycling those tithes, I see...

Racist Easter Eggs Alarm Virginia Parents - Damn.

Boondocks Set to Return Monday Without Aaron McGruder - I'll watch anyway, but the 3rd season of this show already jumped the shark.

Question: What's on your mind today? Drop some links, start a convo.

NBA Playoffs Open Mic.

My favorite team won its first playoff game in 6 years last night. So yeah, I'm pretty happy today to put it lightly. Here's the highlights, not that you care unless you live in DC or have family members named Wall, Beal, Ariza, Gortat or Hilario.



Good times, good times.

This has the be the most wide-open playoff field I've seen in awhile, with high seeded teams losing a majority of the games this weekend. Indiana looks cooked, the Dubs look like they might have the Clippers figured out, Portland's up on H-Town already, and of course my Bullets stole Game One on the road. But of course, one game does not a series make. So we'll see.

Today though.... today is a good day.

AB.com Tuesday Open Mic.

I'm on the road (again) so new postage might be infrequent. Bills gotta get paid and whatnot.

Anyways, here's your blank slate. Fill it with something.

Question: What's on your mind today? Drop some links, start a convo.

Is Jay-Z A Five Percenter?!? Of Course Not.

I'm no Jay-Z fan, much less a Jay-Z apologist. Real talk, while I don't deny the man's got some lyrical ability, I've always found his ascent to the top of the hip-hop food chain a little bewildering. He just sorta happened to be in the right place at the right time (RIP Biggie) and took the ball and ran with it. I may catch some flack for this, but I still don't get all the fuss about Reasonable Doubt. It was full of lazy beats (save "Brooklyn's Finest", which is just f*ckin' amazing) and lazy lyrics about hustlin' and sh*t Jay-Z would love to buy one day when he makes real money. Now, Jay-Z's got the real money, and has a new, readymade for Fox News controversy on his hands.

Black people are the fathers and mothers of civilization, white men are the devil, the Christian god is nothing more than a ghost and only a small percentage of people understand the world.

These are just some of the ­beliefs behind the bling — the gaudy Five Percent Nation ­medallions worn by Jay Z and Carmelo Anthony.

Last week, all eyes at the Barclays Center weren’t on Jay Z’s better half, Beyoncé — but on the coaster-size golden pendant swinging from the rapper’s neck as the couple sat courtside. Asked once if the group’s symbol — an eight-pointed star with the number 7 in the middle — held any meaning for him, the rapper shrugged, “A little bit.”

So what exactly do Five Percenters believe?

The rationale is that the black man is God and created the universe, and is physically stronger and intellectually stronger and more righteous naturally,” says Michael Muhammad Knight, an author of two books on the radical group.

“Whiteness is weak and wicked and inferior — basically just an errant child who needs to be corrected.”

Some followers take exception to those who transform their flag into a fashion accessory.

“Jay Z is not an active member — no one has vouched for him” Saladin Allah, a representative of the group’s upstate region, told The Post. “It was always understood that you don’t wear the ­regalia if you don’t totally subscribe to the life.”

This story should end with that last paragraph. Anyone with common sense and with at least one cousin who dabbled with all that God Body sh*t in the mid 90's should know Jay-Z is just wearing the necklace because it looks sorta cool (which it does) not because he thinks white folks are the devil. Not the very same white folks he sided with in the Barney's controversy last year. Or the same white folks he sided with to evict black tentants via eminent domain to build a basketball arena in Brooklyn. Or the same white folks he's siding with the sell everything from shoes, to headphones, to lousy watered down domestic beer. So yeah, enough of that dumb sh*t. Jay-Z only worships one master. Hint: it's colored green.

But this being America and all, expect Conservatives to abandon the concept of critical thinking (and google) run with this one and somehow many it about Obama. Because America.

Seriously, Jigga Man, take that dumb sh*t off.

NYC Cops And Firemen Go To A Fight. A Hockey Match Breaks Out.

New York City's finest convened on Long Island for a charity hockey game this past weekend. The result... less than fine.

A large brawl broke out during an annual charity hockey match between New York City police and firefighters on Long Island.

Videos posted online show players from both teams clearing the bench and throwing punches while referees are seen trying to break up the fights. Hockey sticks and gloves are seen littered about the ice.

Newsday reports the fights began during the second period of the match at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale on Sunday as both teams were tied 3-3. The NYPD eventually won 8-5. The fire and police departments both declined to comment.

Although witnesses said fan loyalties were decidedly even during the game, a YouTube video of the thuggish display captured fans loudly chanting “PD sucks, PD sucks” during the brouhaha.

The brawl led to a 25-minute delay as equipment was picked up and refs made laundry lists of penalized and ejected players.

The cop in the stands said he’s been coming to this NYPD-FDNY game for 20 years and had never seen a bench-clearing, cop-firefighter brawl before.

Despite numerous black eyes and bruises, no players appeared to be seriously injured.

For a police force often criticized about use of excessive force, you'd think these guys would know how to better behave themselves. Nope.



I'm no cop-basher. Two of my good friends are cops here in the DC Area. Theirs is a difficult job, which is seldom appreciated. But come on, this sh*t right here is inexcusable. Grown men playing a glorified pickup game can't resist their own primal urges, even when the cause is for charity. Some are excusing this by noting that fights are commonplace in hockey, which is the dumbest cop-out I've ever heard. Bench clearing brawls occasionally happen in the NBA, but that wouldn't excuse a fight in a cops/firemen charity basketball game.

Let's just call this what it is, a bunch of jerks chanelling their inner Gretzkys and behaving like the very thugs they're supposed to be protecting the rest of us from.

Inexcusable.

AB.com Friday Open Mic.

No need to lie. I meant to put this up Monday, and just totally forgot. It's been that kinda week.

Anyways, here's your blank slate. Fill it with something.

Question: What's on your mind today? Drop some links, start a convo.