Rysheed Jordan

Eric Williamson wrote: Instead, he chose not to use what he was given (which in my opinion was alot more than most). He chose to not attend class and thus become academically ineligible. He chose not to have the dedication and work ethic necessary. He chose to not return to school and try to make it in the GLeague. He chose to get involved with drugs, and to have that gun on him. And ultimately, he chose to pull the trigger. And now he has to live with those choices.

So sorry/not sorry, but I have zero sympathy for him.

Eric, to say you could not have dealt with the situation he was born into and then to say you have zero sympathy for him doesn't make sense to me. Especially at this time of year, we should be thankful for all the blessings we have, which by the way includes being brought up in a very different situation, and have some empathy for this kid who has admittedly made a series of mistakes that he has to pay for and hopefully will come out on the other end w/o his life being ruined.
 
[quote="Beast of the East" post=309518][quote="Logen" post=309512][quote="redmannorth" post=309501][quote="Eric Williamson" post=309491]Interesting read, but I feel absolutely no sympathy for Rysheed. I understand that he had a tough upbringing, and has gone through some things that no one should ever have to go through. However, he was given every opportunity in the world to be successful, a lot more than most people in similar situations, and he CHOSE not to take advantage of it.[/quote]

Let me understand this Eric, he grew up in a terrible neighbourhood, no father, a sick mother, 6 or 7 younger siblings that he was the father to, looked after those siblings as his sick mother worked , had family members murdered during college and you say he had every opportunity in the world to be successful.
Here was a kid who was a 6 4 great athlete who showed a great deal of promise in basketball, let’s not forget he was not a MCAA, was a home town legend nicknamed Black Jesus and was offered a scholarship to good, not great , universities. That is exactly what he had no more no less. But that is certainly not every opportunity in the world to be successful. All he had was the ability to make money playing basketball somewhere on this planet one day in the future if he was able to spend 3-4 yesrs in college and worked hard at improving his game. Unfortunately , he could not.
Did he make mistakes , sure he did and he and his extended family will suffer the terrible consequences of his mistakes for the rest of his life. However, if you take the time to look at Rysheeds background and try to imagine walking in his shoes for a while I would think you would be a little more sympathetic to his tragic plight. I know I certainly am.
Merry Christmas to you Eric.[/quote]

It is a tough subject, but at the end of the day, Jordan shot someone who was running away from him, his choice. He certainly wasn’t thinking about his family when he made the decision to pull the trigger. So the end result is sad and tragic but more so on the people who were evidently depending on him.[/quote]

Logan I hear you loud and clear. At the initial mullin press conference I bought a cheap mullin jersey at a table the ad had set up. I chatted with a sweet doe eyed student worker who when asked about Jordan, said "he's a bad kid." In some ways no sympathy seems warranted.

In other ways we have college grads whose parents paid some or all of their tuition, still pay their cell phone and health insurance, subsidize their rent, attended all their soccer games and little league games and watch them blow out candles each year.

I lean towards redmannorths position because DNA may provide athletic skills but no immunology against the bc streets swallowing them.

It may be a contradiction for you to war with sju13 over edgerton bricks, defending a fine young man, but have no compassion for a kid asked to raise younger siblings at age 9. I dont know. I feel you, but my heart tells me that a little compassion and hope for this kid is in order, if not for his crime, for at least his shitty life that our kids did not have.[/quote]

You are taking a quantum leap assuming I have no compassion for Jordan, I feel sorry for him that he made the decisions he made, but there are many people who had horrible circumstances growing up, order of magnitude worse than Rysheed Jordan, who did not do something comparable to shooting a man while he was running away from them. I believe virtually unequivocally in personal responsibility and the only responsibility for what Rysheed Jordan did belongs to Rysheed Jordan, not the circumstances he grew up under. If the circumstances were to blame, some inner city neighborhoods could resemble the OK Corral and we could just rationalize it away.
 
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[quote="Logen" post=309532][quote="Beast of the East" post=309518][quote="Logen" post=309512][quote="redmannorth" post=309501][quote="Eric Williamson" post=309491]Interesting read, but I feel absolutely no sympathy for Rysheed. I understand that he had a tough upbringing, and has gone through some things that no one should ever have to go through. However, he was given every opportunity in the world to be successful, a lot more than most people in similar situations, and he CHOSE not to take advantage of it.[/quote]

Let me understand this Eric, he grew up in a terrible neighbourhood, no father, a sick mother, 6 or 7 younger siblings that he was the father to, looked after those siblings as his sick mother worked , had family members murdered during college and you say he had every opportunity in the world to be successful.
Here was a kid who was a 6 4 great athlete who showed a great deal of promise in basketball, let’s not forget he was not a MCAA, was a home town legend nicknamed Black Jesus and was offered a scholarship to good, not great , universities. That is exactly what he had no more no less. But that is certainly not every opportunity in the world to be successful. All he had was the ability to make money playing basketball somewhere on this planet one day in the future if he was able to spend 3-4 yesrs in college and worked hard at improving his game. Unfortunately , he could not.
Did he make mistakes , sure he did and he and his extended family will suffer the terrible consequences of his mistakes for the rest of his life. However, if you take the time to look at Rysheeds background and try to imagine walking in his shoes for a while I would think you would be a little more sympathetic to his tragic plight. I know I certainly am.
Merry Christmas to you Eric.[/quote]

It is a tough subject, but at the end of the day, Jordan shot someone who was running away from him, his choice. He certainly wasn’t thinking about his family when he made the decision to pull the trigger. So the end result is sad and tragic but more so on the people who were evidently depending on him.[/quote]

Logan I hear you loud and clear. At the initial mullin press conference I bought a cheap mullin jersey at a table the ad had set up. I chatted with a sweet doe eyed student worker who when asked about Jordan, said "he's a bad kid." In some ways no sympathy seems warranted.

In other ways we have college grads whose parents paid some or all of their tuition, still pay their cell phone and health insurance, subsidize their rent, attended all their soccer games and little league games and watch them blow out candles each year.

I lean towards redmannorths position because DNA may provide athletic skills but no immunology against the bc streets swallowing them.

It may be a contradiction for you to war with sju13 over edgerton bricks, defending a fine young man, but have no compassion for a kid asked to raise younger siblings at age 9. I dont know. I feel you, but my heart tells me that a little compassion and hope for this kid is in order, if not for his crime, for at least his shitty life that our kids did not have.[/quote]

You are taking a quantum leap assuming I have no compassion for Jordan, I feel sorry for him that he made the decisions he made, but there are many people who had horrible circumstances growing up, order of magnitude worse than Rysheed Jordan, who did not do something comparable to shooting a man while he was running away from them. I believe virtually unequivocally in personal responsibility and the only responsibility for what Rysheed Jordan did belongs to Rysheed Jordan, not the circumstances he grew up under. If the circumstances were to blame, some inner city neighborhoods could resemble the OK Corral and we could just rationalize it away.[/quote]

Most inner cities DO resemble the o.k. corral and very few kids , maybe no kids are untouched by violence around them. I heard an interview with dennis Rodman yesterday and he spoke of regularly watching his mom get beaten by men who had come Into her life.

A few miles from my middle class oasis, teenaged boys have been murdered for NOT joining a gang, you know personal responsibility. Girls have been hacked to death for rejection overtures from gang members.

Drug deals gone bad are a way of the streets. Just marijuana. The same sources that supply all these white college preppies too.

Ya, Rysheed is responsible for pulling the trigger, but not for the shit life he was handed. The same life that many d1 basketball stars come from. Some are just lucky not to be brought down by it, and our revered hero Harrison was a hairs breath away from destruction himself, self destruction.
 
[quote="nycfan" post=309537]Do feel for Rysheed. Easy to judge someone except few of us here ever grew up in that environment

Some parallels here/who know what really happened
[URL][URL]https://www.cbssports.com...-players-after-fatal-shooting-in-baton-rouge/[/URL][/URL][/quote]

I'm sure there are a few fans here that grew up in similar environments. From personal experience I can only say that the friends you keep close in that environment have a very strong influence on your behavior.
Having a strong parent to guide you is paramount in avoiding the wrong influences. Half the kids I grew up with went on to become mobsters. Being street smart I always remained respectful to them as they went down one road, dropping out of high school, working for bookies and ultimately every form of thievery while my father paid for me to live a few blocks from SJ to avoid all the gang influence. I never returned to the neighborhood as I got drafted and my family had moved away.
As for Rysheed, while I feel empathy, he clearly made his choices under the influence of bad friends. I place some of that blame on our previous staff for enabling him to play the sick mother game while excusing his absences where he was clearly spending time in the streets rather than with family. Both that staff and the school allowed him to fall hopelessly behind in academics. When Mullin arrived Sheed was already a lost cause.
As for his current status the number of attorneys who have walked away from him tells you why he is still sitting in jail awaiting trial from anything I can gather.
Unfortunately he chose to honor the gang code of silence just as the good fellas did in my old hood. He never cooperated with police in identifying his co-conspirators and knows full well he is on the hook for the entire rap. The only good thing in this sad tale is that no one was actually killed. If someone had been fatally shot some here writing mea culpas for Sheed would be singing a different toon.
Finally, this is no where similar in any shape, matter or form to Jayson Williams or any other previous redmen player's legal issues.
I hope he can survive the system but the longer he is in lockup the worst outlook for him as his peers are likely hardened criminals.
 
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[quote="Class of 72" post=309539][quote="nycfan" post=309537]Do feel for Rysheed. Easy to judge someone except few of us here ever grew up in that environment/[/quote]
—————-
Marvin Clark grew up in an environment similar to what Rysheed did but Marvin chose the correct path.

Rysheed’s character issues were know by colleges which effected his recruitment. See non offer to Jordan by hometown school Villanova and non offers many of the other national powers despite the fact he was ranked #20 in his class by Rivals. Rivals only identified 6 schools that offered Jordan a scholarship which is remarkably low for the #20 ranked player who committed after his full senior year summer camp season had long ended.
 
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[quote="redmannorth" post=309501][quote="Eric Williamson" post=309491]Interesting read, but I feel absolutely no sympathy for Rysheed. I understand that he had a tough upbringing, and has gone through some things that no one should ever have to go through. However, he was given every opportunity in the world to be successful, a lot more than most people in similar situations, and he CHOSE not to take advantage of it.[/quote]

Let me understand this Eric, he grew up in a terrible neighbourhood, no father, a sick mother, 6 or 7 younger siblings that he was the father to, looked after those siblings as his sick mother worked , had family members murdered during college and you say he had every opportunity in the world to be successful.
Here was a kid who was a 6 4 great athlete who showed a great deal of promise in basketball, let’s not forget he was not a MCAA, was a home town legend nicknamed Black Jesus and was offered a scholarship to good, not great , universities. That is exactly what he had no more no less. But that is certainly not every opportunity in the world to be successful. All he had was the ability to make money playing basketball somewhere on this planet one day in the future if he was able to spend 3-4 yesrs in college and worked hard at improving his game. Unfortunately , he could not.
Did he make mistakes , sure he did and he and his extended family will suffer the terrible consequences of his mistakes for the rest of his life. However, if you take the time to look at Rysheeds background and try to imagine walking in his shoes for a while I would think you would be a little more sympathetic to his tragic plight. I know I certainly am.
Merry Christmas to you Eric.[/quote]

Sorry, I have to step in. Rysheed's aunt died in college. That's not an excuse. I lost my dad, aunt, and grandfather in ten days in 9th grade...and we had six kids in my family until my brother died. My grandmother was stabbed through her chest and died from complications related to it later. My mom was diagnosed with MS and had surgery for breast cancer the same college semester my best friend was killed...I didn't miss a college football practice, pledged a fraternity, wrote for the school paper, was elected in student government and was honored at MSG as one of like 8 student athletes to get get a 4.0 that semester. This is after my friend and teammate was shot and paralyzed on campus after we went to a track party together. I could have handled much more too. I find it very difficult to have sympathy for people who try to blame their bad choices on the hand they were given. I've always felt lucky to be healthy and to be living in America.
 
Heartfelt congratulations to you Marillac for conquering anguish and adversity in your life. Many of us have. More of us, given the species we've spawned from, aren't quite so tough or resolute and fall back, in varying degrees, to the soil we sprouted from.
Translation of an old Italian proverb told me ad nauseum by my mother goes like: "He who goes with one who limps, limps."
No one here, advocating empathy for Rysheed's plight, exonerates what he did, despite his lousy upbringing.
We 'understand' his circumstances,want him to pay his debt to society, and emerge whole 'enough' to have a decent remaining life.
That's it.
 
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[quote="Marillac" post=309547][quote="redmannorth" post=309501][quote="Eric Williamson" post=309491]Interesting read, but I feel absolutely no sympathy for Rysheed. I understand that he had a tough upbringing, and has gone through some things that no one should ever have to go through. However, he was given every opportunity in the world to be successful, a lot more than most people in similar situations, and he CHOSE not to take advantage of it.[/quote]

Let me understand this Eric, he grew up in a terrible neighbourhood, no father, a sick mother, 6 or 7 younger siblings that he was the father to, looked after those siblings as his sick mother worked , had family members murdered during college and you say he had every opportunity in the world to be successful.
Here was a kid who was a 6 4 great athlete who showed a great deal of promise in basketball, let’s not forget he was not a MCAA, was a home town legend nicknamed Black Jesus and was offered a scholarship to good, not great , universities. That is exactly what he had no more no less. But that is certainly not every opportunity in the world to be successful. All he had was the ability to make money playing basketball somewhere on this planet one day in the future if he was able to spend 3-4 yesrs in college and worked hard at improving his game. Unfortunately , he could not.
Did he make mistakes , sure he did and he and his extended family will suffer the terrible consequences of his mistakes for the rest of his life. However, if you take the time to look at Rysheeds background and try to imagine walking in his shoes for a while I would think you would be a little more sympathetic to his tragic plight. I know I certainly am.
Merry Christmas to you Eric.[/quote]

Sorry, I have to step in. Rysheed's aunt died in college. That's not an excuse. I lost my dad, aunt, and grandfather in ten days in 9th grade...and we had six kids in my family until my brother died. My grandmother was stabbed through her chest and died from complications related to it later. My mom was diagnosed with MS and had surgery for breast cancer the same college semester my best friend was killed...I didn't miss a college football practice, pledged a fraternity, wrote for the school paper, was elected in student government and was honored at MSG as one of like 8 student athletes to get get a 4.0 that semester. This is after my friend and teammate was shot and paralyzed on campus after we went to a track party together. I could have handled much more too. I find it very difficult to have sympathy for people who try to blame their bad choices on the hand they were given. I've always felt lucky to be healthy and to be living in America.[/quote] and to think Norm Roberts almost put you over the edge :)
 
Bravo Marillac, I’m tired of blaming everything and everyone for bad decisions in life, he has to live with it for the rest of his life and the millions of others who overcame just as much to be successful can sleep at night.
 
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[quote="Beast of the East" post=309536][quote="Logen" post=309532][quote="Beast of the East" post=309518][quote="Logen" post=309512][quote="redmannorth" post=309501][quote="Eric Williamson" post=309491]Interesting read, but I feel absolutely no sympathy for Rysheed. I understand that he had a tough upbringing, and has gone through some things that no one should ever have to go through. However, he was given every opportunity in the world to be successful, a lot more than most people in similar situations, and he CHOSE not to take advantage of it.[/quote]

Let me understand this Eric, he grew up in a terrible neighbourhood, no father, a sick mother, 6 or 7 younger siblings that he was the father to, looked after those siblings as his sick mother worked , had family members murdered during college and you say he had every opportunity in the world to be successful.
Here was a kid who was a 6 4 great athlete who showed a great deal of promise in basketball, let’s not forget he was not a MCAA, was a home town legend nicknamed Black Jesus and was offered a scholarship to good, not great , universities. That is exactly what he had no more no less. But that is certainly not every opportunity in the world to be successful. All he had was the ability to make money playing basketball somewhere on this planet one day in the future if he was able to spend 3-4 yesrs in college and worked hard at improving his game. Unfortunately , he could not.
Did he make mistakes , sure he did and he and his extended family will suffer the terrible consequences of his mistakes for the rest of his life. However, if you take the time to look at Rysheeds background and try to imagine walking in his shoes for a while I would think you would be a little more sympathetic to his tragic plight. I know I certainly am.
Merry Christmas to you Eric.[/quote]

It is a tough subject, but at the end of the day, Jordan shot someone who was running away from him, his choice. He certainly wasn’t thinking about his family when he made the decision to pull the trigger. So the end result is sad and tragic but more so on the people who were evidently depending on him.[/quote]

Logan I hear you loud and clear. At the initial mullin press conference I bought a cheap mullin jersey at a table the ad had set up. I chatted with a sweet doe eyed student worker who when asked about Jordan, said "he's a bad kid." In some ways no sympathy seems warranted.

In other ways we have college grads whose parents paid some or all of their tuition, still pay their cell phone and health insurance, subsidize their rent, attended all their soccer games and little league games and watch them blow out candles each year.

I lean towards redmannorths position because DNA may provide athletic skills but no immunology against the bc streets swallowing them.

It may be a contradiction for you to war with sju13 over edgerton bricks, defending a fine young man, but have no compassion for a kid asked to raise younger siblings at age 9. I dont know. I feel you, but my heart tells me that a little compassion and hope for this kid is in order, if not for his crime, for at least his shitty life that our kids did not have.[/quote]

You are taking a quantum leap assuming I have no compassion for Jordan, I feel sorry for him that he made the decisions he made, but there are many people who had horrible circumstances growing up, order of magnitude worse than Rysheed Jordan, who did not do something comparable to shooting a man while he was running away from them. I believe virtually unequivocally in personal responsibility and the only responsibility for what Rysheed Jordan did belongs to Rysheed Jordan, not the circumstances he grew up under. If the circumstances were to blame, some inner city neighborhoods could resemble the OK Corral and we could just rationalize it away.[/quote]

Most inner cities DO resemble the o.k. corral and very few kids , maybe no kids are untouched by violence around them. I heard an interview with dennis Rodman yesterday and he spoke of regularly watching his mom get beaten by men who had come Into her life.

A few miles from my middle class oasis, teenaged boys have been murdered for NOT joining a gang, you know personal responsibility. Girls have been hacked to death for rejection overtures from gang members.

Drug deals gone bad are a way of the streets. Just marijuana. The same sources that supply all these white college preppies too.

Ya, Rysheed is responsible for pulling the trigger, but not for the shit life he was handed. The same life that many d1 basketball stars come from. Some are just lucky not to be brought down by it, and our revered hero Harrison was a hairs breath away from destruction himself, self destruction.[/quote]

Look, we disagree, that’s fine, but all your examples of life in the inner city doesn’t excuse what Jordan did in my eyes. I grew up on 212th place in Queens Village and while that is not North Philly, I know urban living. And I know most people who grow up in the worst of neighborhoods do not shoot people. Chicago will have about 3,000 shootings this year with about 600 deaths by shooting. Abhorrent for sure but that means the overwhelming majority of people living in the “Rysheed environment” there are NOT shooting people. So I would respectfully suggest you stop with the sensational anecdotes, which are true and horrible, and look at what Jordan did a little more objectively.
 
Not everyone has the capacity to overcome the odds being against you. It doesn't absolve you or excuse you but there's a reason for all the shootings happening in Chicago's worst neighborhoods and not in upper brookville. Want to discuss the reasons for multi-generational poverty hand crime and drugs and hopelessness that ensues? Guarantee the thread would be shut down in a few hours.

Growing up in queens village when our lady of Lourdes school was 99% white is not exactly urban blight. To make the comparison even today is ridiculous. For the record I have one friend whose family remained as the neighborhood became diverse with many races and ethnicities. He says the houses are nicer kept than ever. But I digress.

Marillac, it's great you overcame that environment. Ben Carson did and he's not exactly celebrated for it. Don't give yourself too much credit though because you were born with intellect and a high capacity to overcome. Your family structure may have been non existent or you may not have had it as bad as others. Maybe you had a mentor or role model.

That's not giving Jordan a pass. We all know that a white kid from a middle class who pulled the trigger in a botched drug deal would have been sleeping in his own bed the same night, been lawyered up, and plead down. Let's face it, we are only talking about it because the kid could play ball else he'd just be another thug that no one gives a damn about.
 
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For everyone asking about the trial, I can't seem to find any info. Doesn't seem like Pennsylvania has any records online of the charges or how long the person is serving. I unfortunately know these lookups too well since one of my best friends has been in and out of jail. Connecticut gives more details on the case and how long they'll be in.

If you go to this link and search you can find Rysheed though.

http://inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov/#/
 
Everyone is free to decide, for themselves, whether to feel sorry for Rysheed or not. That said, remember that we are not born with innate values and a moral compass. Most of us were fortunate to have someone instill these tools over our formative years. As a parent, I realize this is a job that demands consistency over a long stretch of time. Kids that don't have this are much less equipped to assimilate to norms......never mind figuring out how to navigate a rapid rise to quasi-fame.

It's not an excuse. At the end of the day, Rysheed made his bed. But, when deciding whether to be empathetic, I do consider that he was at a disadvantage compared to a basketball star coming from a stable background.
 
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[quote="Beast of the East" post=309560]Not everyone has the capacity to overcome the odds being against you. It doesn't absolve you or excuse you but there's a reason for all the shootings happening in Chicago's worst neighborhoods and not in upper brookville. Want to discuss the reasons for multi-generational poverty hand crime and drugs and hopelessness that ensues? Guarantee the thread would be shut down in a few hours.

Growing up in queens village when our lady of Lourdes school was 99% white is not exactly urban blight. To make the comparison even today is ridiculous. For the record I have one friend whose family remained as the neighborhood became diverse with many races and ethnicities. He says the houses are nicer kept than ever. But I digress.

Marillac, it's great you overcame that environment. Ben Carson did and he's not exactly celebrated for it. Don't give yourself too much credit though because you were born with intellect and a high capacity to overcome. Your family structure may have been non existent or you may not have had it as bad as others. Maybe you had a mentor or role model.

That's not giving Jordan a pass. We all know that a white kid from a middle class who pulled the trigger in a botched drug deal would have been sleeping in his own bed the same night, been lawyered up, and plead down. Let's face it, we are only talking about it because the kid could play ball else he'd just be another thug that no one gives a damn about.[/quote]

So you want to have a discussion fine, but you started this with comparing my reaction to jump shot criticism of Earlington with Jordan’s attempt to murder someone who was running away from him so please don’t preach to me about absurd. I mentioned where I grew up in am to attempt to give a little context. I believe I also stated it was not North Philly so get off your high preaching horse. And my citing Chicago shootings was not to emphasize the why’s of the shootings but to point out that most people who live in blighted neighborhoods don’t shoot people. That obviously went right over your head.You want to buy into the “poor Jordan” story that is your business but taking the kid gloves off, there was a reason schools stayed away from him, reasons he constantly missed practice and games and it had nothing to do with his family and everything to do with the streets. So save your compassion and sympathy for someone who is worth it. I am out of this thread so any reply will fall on deaf ears as far as I am concerned.
 
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How would people feel if that was your kid you had to bury? I know how I would feel. One family can atleast visit him and unless he got life with no parole will eventually get to see him in society unless he decides he wants to remain there for life. While the other only have memories. So no I don’t feel sorry for him.

Sorry my nephew sent this message who was not a fan of his nor knew the whole situation.
 
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Paultzman had the courtesy to post a story about Rysheed and perhaps I am at fault as I clearly expressed how I felt sorry for him and his family. If I am to be faulted for that. Since then there has been a debate on if he was a victim of his background and upbringing or whether the person he shot was the victim. I certainly never meant for that to happen.
May I suggest that in the spirit of Christmas , and yes I am Jewish, that we all, myself included , stop posting about the right and wrong in this thread and either add positive wishes or go on another topic.
 
[quote="redmannorth" post=309577]Paultzman had the courtesy to post a story about Rysheed and perhaps I am at fault as I clearly expressed how I felt sorry for him and his family. If I am to be faulted for that. Since then there has been a debate on if he was a victim of his background and upbringing or whether the person he shot was the victim. I certainly never meant for that to happen.
May I suggest that in the spirit of Christmas , and yes I am Jewish, that we all, myself included , stop posting about the right and wrong in this thread and either add positive wishes or go on another topic.[/quote]

I don't think this is an argument, and I don't really think more than one person is worked up about it, but he gets worked up when his prunes aren't doing the job. It's easy to condemn. Our culture revels in burying people. Dozens of famous people this year alone find themselves as outcasts for sexual transgressions that vary from vulgar to criminal. We really do love tossing dirt on them though. What you pointed out is reasonable. So is not showing Jordan any mercy or compassion. We are all human, and one of the more famous quotes from the man whose birth we celebrate tonight is "He who is without sin cast the first stone."

It's all still a good discussion. Thanks for the Christmas greetings, RMN.
 
[quote="Marillac" post=309547][quote="redmannorth" post=309501][quote="Eric Williamson" post=309491]Interesting read, but I feel absolutely no sympathy for Rysheed. I understand that he had a tough upbringing, and has gone through some things that no one should ever have to go through. However, he was given every opportunity in the world to be successful, a lot more than most people in similar situations, and he CHOSE not to take advantage of it.[/quote]

Let me understand this Eric, he grew up in a terrible neighbourhood, no father, a sick mother, 6 or 7 younger siblings that he was the father to, looked after those siblings as his sick mother worked , had family members murdered during college and you say he had every opportunity in the world to be successful.
Here was a kid who was a 6 4 great athlete who showed a great deal of promise in basketball, let’s not forget he was not a MCAA, was a home town legend nicknamed Black Jesus and was offered a scholarship to good, not great , universities. That is exactly what he had no more no less. But that is certainly not every opportunity in the world to be successful. All he had was the ability to make money playing basketball somewhere on this planet one day in the future if he was able to spend 3-4 yesrs in college and worked hard at improving his game. Unfortunately , he could not.
Did he make mistakes , sure he did and he and his extended family will suffer the terrible consequences of his mistakes for the rest of his life. However, if you take the time to look at Rysheeds background and try to imagine walking in his shoes for a while I would think you would be a little more sympathetic to his tragic plight. I know I certainly am.
Merry Christmas to you Eric.[/quote]

Sorry, I have to step in. Rysheed's aunt died in college. That's not an excuse. I lost my dad, aunt, and grandfather in ten days in 9th grade...and we had six kids in my family until my brother died. My grandmother was stabbed through her chest and died from complications related to it later. My mom was diagnosed with MS and had surgery for breast cancer the same college semester my best friend was killed...I didn't miss a college football practice, pledged a fraternity, wrote for the school paper, was elected in student government and was honored at MSG as one of like 8 student athletes to get get a 4.0 that semester. This is after my friend and teammate was shot and paralyzed on campus after we went to a track party together. I could have handled much more too. I find it very difficult to have sympathy for people who try to blame their bad choices on the hand they were given. I've always felt lucky to be healthy and to be living in America.[/quote]

Much respect to you Marillac! The best part of this thread is our sharing our life experiences that clarify our position on the Sheed issue.
 
[quote="Mike" post=309567]How would people feel if that was your kid you had to bury? I know how I would feel. One family can atleast visit him and unless he got life with no parole will eventually get to see him in society unless he decides he wants to remain there for life. While the other only have memories. So no I don’t feel sorry for him.[/quote]


He did not kill anyone so I am confused by your post.
 
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