The Washington Bullet

As predicted last week, an athlete did make a complete ass out of himself. As the title indicates, I will comment on the Gilbert Arenas situation but not in the normal tone that I have established in my first three posts because this case is no laughing matter. At the end of December, Gilbert Arenas admitted that he stored guns from his house in his locker room at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. A strange situation only got stranger when it was revealed that Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton had a Mexican standoff (in layman's terms, they pulled guns out on each other) over a gambling debt (because nothing says pay up like a loaded gun).

Now apparently Gilbert did not believe David Stern (NBA commissioner) heard what happened. To make sure that he did, during pregame introductions in the next game Arenas took his fingers, pointed them like guns and "shot" his teammates. As anyone could imagine, David Stern was pissed. He immediately suspended Arenas indefinitely after the incident, and on January 27th Stern suspended Arenas and Crittenton for the rest of the season.

It is no secret that David Stern is very image conscious of his league (which is a deeper and highly convoluted issue in itself). After the brawl for all in Detroit, Stern instituted a league-wide dress code that ruffled more than a few feathers. While I did disagree with it at the time, I realized that most jobs have a dress code and the NBA is a place of employment. David Stern for all intents and purposes is the boss, and with millions of dollars on the line, who would mind dressing up in a suit instead of a throwback jersey (Those are so 5 years ago)? While the image of two young black millionaires with guns drawn at each other screams image nightmare, I will say that it was Arenas' arrogance that offended Stern more than anything else. That defiant (or stupid) gesture with his teammates may have cost Arenas the last four years on his five-year, 111 million dollar contract (who knew that finger pointing could be so expensive).

Gilbert Arenas is one of the most explosive scorers in the NBA, with a career points per game average of 22.7. At 6'3", he is big for a point guard. He has almost unlimited range on his jumpshot and great strength and speed to get to the basket at will. Arenas' appeal, however, is his unorthodox behavior. When he was a free agent in the summer of 2003, in order to choose between re-signing with the Golden State Warriors or signing with the Clippers or the Wizards (his eventual destination) he...wait for it... flipped a coin! His free-spirit and talent made him a fan favorite, but this same devil-may-care attitude is what got him suspended.

It was great that Arenas left his decision to sign with the Wizards up to "fate," but he probably should have done his research. If he had, then it would have become apparent to him that a) Washington, D.C. has some of the most strict gun policies in America, and b) WASHINGTON, D.C. HAS SOME OF THE MOST STRICT GUN POLICIES IN AMERICA! (just thought that point needed to be repeated.) In the late 80s/early 90s, Washington, D.C. was considered the murder capital of America. The Wizards late owner Abe Pollin became so conscious of this that he changed the name of the team from the Washington Bullets to the Wizards. It is a known fact that lots of athletes own guns but to actually bring guns to the workplace? (I drive a bus, and Lord knows what would happen if I brought a gun to work and somebody found it). Gun owners (especially athletes, who have a tendency to move a lot) have to take these things into consideration because if they do not then they could end up like this guy. I could spend days analyzing the gun culture in the African American community (which is at the heart of this very issue), but the point is that Arenas has to know that you cannot put out a fire with gasoline. He only made this situation worse, and he is lucky that a suspension for the rest of the season is all he got from the NBA. I am glad David Stern suspended Arenas. What he did was incredibly stupid. Charles Barkley was wrong: NBA players are role models. It is ideal for children to look up to teachers, police officers and firefighters, but it is not realistic. We live in a materialistic culture, and the fact of the matter is that the people with the most money and exposure are the role models. So Gilbert, if you are reading (I could always use your support), you can turn this around by being a role model because you have been through so much already. With your life experiences, you can be the inspiration that a young man needs. If there is a child who is homeless, who is not getting playing time on their team or being called a zero, would it not be nice for that child to say, "If Gilbert overcame this, so can I." We all make stupid mistakes, but they are our mistakes. We have the ability to turn lapses in judgment into moments of self reflection and understanding.