Why pack heat?
I often wonder why certain friends of mine who have wealth lust for the attention celebrities and athletes receive when they venture out into the public. Well, this is my conscience now 25 years later. But back when I was becoming well known for my abilities in basketball, I longed for it like a drug. Just the thought of people staring at me and screaming my name with joy gave me a sense of pride that is indescribable. Draining a game-winning shot or winning a big game or accomplishing the ultimate goal of winning a championship can put you in a spotlight that can shine brighter than the sun. But unfortunately that’s where your problems can begin if you are not careful.
Why? Well, it is sad to say this but this world has a bunch of individuals that quite frankly do not jump up and down when you make a game-winning shot or sign a big contract.
The hardest thing to do for anyone who gains instant fame and wealth is staying grounded. The people who find a way to stay level-headed are usually the ones who access their subconscious mind.
I would like to think I did just that after making the NBA as a second-round pick of the Kansas City Kings in 1981. I did not get the big contract that my close neighborhood friends Mark Aguirre and Isiah Thomas, who were drafted 1 and 2, received that year. But I went from $0 to thousands in a matter of weeks and that can change anyone.
What’s change? Well, change can happen in many ways, but the change I am talking about is not using your subconscious mind and that is the sum of our past experiences and memories. How simple can that be?
The three of us spent our middle school and high school years on the West Side of Chicago – Mark living in a area called K- town and Isiah and I living in L- town. The letters were meant to identify the fact that each area was defined by the street names beginning with that particular letter.
Those letters also meant you better know someone in that neighborhood if you decided to venture in, because gangs controlled every corner and trouble would be immediately in your future if you slipped.
For us, growing up in those times we had to call on that subconscious mind daily and be ready to react if we sensed any sign of trouble. Basketball was our life and the goal was to survive and achieve two things: win an athletic scholarship and make the NBA.
The challenge was to stay on the straight and narrow by reflecting on past experiences that put us in tough situations and remembering things that happened to not only us , but to family members and close friends. That and blending in with the crowd in terms of staying down to earth was the secret to having a chance to accomplish our goals.
Following those rules still did not stop me from consistently having to encounter tough situations. I was still robbed at gunpoint at least six times while attending middle school and high school, but it cut down my odds drastically.
We played 43 years total in the National Basketball Association without a whimper in terms of off court behavior and that is credited to us following the same rules that enabled us to achieve our goal and, again, that was pay attention to that subconscious mind.
Sadly this is where the example for the majority ends and for a few other athletes begins.
Do I agree that every citizen can bear arms? Yes. Do I agree that those arms should be stuffed in your pants? No. Do I agree that before anyone purchases arms they should have schooling? Yes.
Those questions are important because I think it would enlighten athletes to the true fact that if you carry a gun, it means you are willing to kill someone and face the consequences of doing it. That choice should cause everyone to dig in that subconscious mind and make a sound decision.
I personally think a high number of gun-toting celebrities use the excuse, “It’s for protection.” But realistically it’s just another piece of the wardrobe that garners attention and that’s where I have a huge problem.
The gun is jewelry. It goes along with the cell phones hanging from the belt of the baggy jeans. The gun looks good and matches the interior of the new Bentley or Range Rover. It gives you rhythm when your windows are down and your favorite artist is blasting from your stereo.
The gun is there for beauty and coolness and the last thing an athlete is thinking about is pointing it and making a life changing decision. Why else would a Plaxico Burress fumble his gun in a club and accidentally shoot himself in the leg? He didn’t know that it would be better to have the safety on and maybe more stabilized in a holster or pocket? Did he know the laws said if you take a gun in a public place you are in big trouble? Somehow I would bet he did not know that being cool and so-called protected would eventually cost him his contract and garner him time behind bars. And to add icing on the cake, a bullet in the leg. Plaxico was his own security and it cost him $30 million when he could have paid $500.
The excuse athletes/celebrities use for carrying a weapon is caused by their inability to remember what it took for them to get this far in life and that is a serious problem.
If we research most of the gun problems and incidents among athletes, they usually happen around nightclubs. Every person, athletes toom, has a right to party.
But here is where it changes and most athletes/ celebrities do get it right…
Rules of thumb!
- Be careful about going to a club with a history of problems.
- Don’t walk in the club with $100,000 in jewelry on your body.
- Respect the other patrons and their significant others.
- Hire club security and do not give your unlicensed entourage the thought that they are your security. They are not trained to calm the situation, they only enhance it with bravado.
- Don’t drink excessively.
- Don’t frequent the same club every week
- Don’t close the club down. If you didn’t meet the girl of your dreams by midnight, what makes you think you will by milling around a parking lot at 2 am because she has gone home.
- Hire a driver.
This is important for anyone, but for a celebrity/athlete it should be the Bible. Athletes know full well that when the lights come on and the jewelry is shining and the Bentley is out front, some people get jealous and drunk people get real jealous. That sometimes leads to confrontations that could have been avoided if the athlete followed simple rules of avoidance.
That’s why I frown at guns, but this is where I agree with guns.
If I go to school and have a licensed weapon that I can legally carry in non-public places and someone follows me home as they did with NBA players Antoine Walker and Eddy Curry… Well, in that case, I say use it well as it was intended and don’t hold back. That’s our constitutional right, but understanding avoidance and restraint is what our athletes need to prove first and then we say justifiably so!
It costs nothing other than using what you already have, your subconscious mind.
jg2gbaby Said,
December 31, 2008 @ 11:31 am
GREAT ARTICLE , NOW JOIN THE CAVS AS AN SPECIAL ASSISTANT AND HELP DEVELOP SOME OF THEIR TALENT AS SHARP SHOOTERS PLEASE!!!!
Lupe Said,
December 31, 2008 @ 11:40 am
I really enjoyed this article a lot, it was very personal. I think players like “Ron Mexico”, Plaxico, Artest, Stephen Jackson, etc. should give back to their respective sports by participating in rookie seminars, and inform them of their bad decisions/consequences.
bigmurph1985 Said,
December 31, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
I agree that past generations had a harder path to follow than the current generation: discrimination, scare resources, and etc. But the today’s athlete will not face the same growing pains if they are good enough. And the rules of “the game” has changed, with agents and other avenues to help the new athlete will hurt their subconscious decisions. For the most part, the top 400 players travel throughout the United States in the summer with AAU and do not get to be around the same way that older generations were in the summer. I do not agree with an athlete not being able to go where he wants and wear what he wants because other people want to rob them to make ends meats due to social injustice, income inequality, prison industrial complex, underfunded public schools, lack of opportunities, and other problems the affect the most vulnerable of today’s society.
MAXIMUST Said,
December 31, 2008 @ 3:06 pm
Headz on Eddie
I think if athletes wanna bust a 100k jewelz they have the right to do it when your paycheck is 10k per game or more and you manage your money well you can go out and buy lot’s of toys…if you go in a local club where most of the peeps are wearing 1000$ jewelz at max well of course an athlete will shine and be the envy of many…but I doubt it would happen if Shaq trow down a party because most of the guess if they want the chain they can go out and buy it….so the environment play a big role…I think using common sense and follow Eddie’s rule book is a good start…
C Fatz Said,
December 31, 2008 @ 5:26 pm
Eddie, Let’s just hope the young bucks listen too you and leave the piece at home or better still, don’t buy one at all and leave security to the professionals
:0)
satch Said,
December 31, 2008 @ 6:16 pm
hmmm.you notice the white ball players never seem run into this mess.and they are hitting bars too.the difference is they are not in honky tonks and biker bars too many bros want to hang out in the ghetto in places sane working folks don,t go to. and the strip clubs are the worst way too many scum bags hang out in those places.
Kmart Said,
December 31, 2008 @ 10:23 pm
For all this talk about common sense isnt it strange that you think that people should be allowed to carry guns? Because the equation is simple guns=killings, because even if you have a gun is it really going to help you if you are getting robbed at gunpoint, probably not it just increase your chance of getting shot. Less guns= less violence less violence= less fear less fear= less guns so please drop the constitutional rights crap and get the fact that guns dont solve anything at all.
Paul C. Said,
January 1, 2009 @ 5:49 am
Eddie, I give you huge props for this article. It was probably the best gun-related article I’ve ever read. Guys like Plax don’t think, they just do. And you wonder why stuff like that happens. But even in the case of someone following me home, I wouldn’t shoot to kill unless I was shot at. Say someone breaks into my house, i’d use a gun, but I would shoot them in the leg or arm or something.
Great way to start the new year. Happy Holidays Eddie, to you and your family and friends.
P.S. You might want to dial up Sir Charles and ask him what he was thinking when he got busted for suspicion of DUI.
ericktmd Said,
January 1, 2009 @ 5:53 am
kudos eddie very responsible article. should be an editorial in a big time city paper. when are you gonna give your thoughts on the nba specially the lakers
Chicagoan Said,
January 1, 2009 @ 10:25 am
Eddie,
I followed your career since you played in high school (Westinghouse, IIRC) and then the U. of I. Few athletes have your quiet dignity and intelligence. Even fewer have your deadly jumpshot. I hope we can see and hear more of you in the future.
BTW, as to the topic, I am a strong 2nd Amendment supporter. However, I think that people who carry arms in public must have special training. An assesssment of their intelligence and maturity wouldn’t hurt either.
DS Said,
January 1, 2009 @ 11:17 am
Kmart that is one of the most ignorant thing’s I have heard. If a criminal knows that you carry a gun then that will decrease your chances of getting robbed. Anytime a criminal want’s to rob somebody they want to make it quick and simple. A person carrying a gun doesn’t make anything quick and simple. And saying Less guns=Less violence is simply untrue. A criminal can always get a gun regardless.
eddie Said,
January 1, 2009 @ 3:20 pm
Satch
you sound like one the guys they need to advoid in the club! their have been many instances of white athletes having problems in bars.
satch Said,
December 31, 2008 @ 6:16 pm
hmmm.you notice the white ball players never seem run into this mess.and they are hitting bars too.the difference is they are not in honky tonks and biker bars too many bros want to hang out in the ghetto in places sane working folks don,t go to. and the strip clubs are the worst way too many scum bags hang out in those places.
Larry Said,
January 1, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
Eddie,
Written with the understanding of a former player who was classy and talented both, and lived as a youngsterin the ghetto. Of course that first NBAcoach you had got you started on the right track. Your understanding of players problems on anf off the court, makes you a big,big asset to the Suns organization and in the broadcast booth. Best of luck. Nice job.
Jax Said,
January 2, 2009 @ 1:31 am
i really love what you write Eddie, makes total sense. Keep it up!
TIm W. Said,
January 2, 2009 @ 3:13 am
Great article, but I have to say I don’t understand this American fascination with guns. And if more guns = less violence, than the US would be the safest place on the planet. For those who have never ventured outside of your borders, it is not.
kingsblade Said,
January 2, 2009 @ 4:09 am
Satch:
How old are you? Grow up and join the real world please.
Chris Clark Said,
January 2, 2009 @ 10:05 am
If you hired the bodyguard then why do you need the gun on the way home?
The truth is you don’t. Hire protection if you need it and for goodness sake stay as far away from trouble as possible.
eddie Said,
January 2, 2009 @ 11:35 am
Chris
you are correct in that assumption, but a bodyguard is not with you 24 hours. Antoine Walker and Eddy Curry were at home. Antoine Walker was driving into his garage. We have a right to bear arms i just wish education preceded it.
Chris Clark Said,
January 2, 2009 @ 10:05 am
If you hired the bodyguard then why do you need the gun on the way home?
The truth is you don’t. Hire protection if you need it and for goodness sake stay as far away from trouble as possible.
Claude Said,
January 2, 2009 @ 3:26 pm
Eddie,
This is a very good and timely article.
I was especially intrigued by your statement:
“The people who find a way to stay level-headed are usually the ones who access their subconscious mind.”
I thought you were going to continue along that line of thinking, and talk about the need for pro athletes and celebs to think “bigger.” And, how whatever we focus upon expands. So if we focus on trouble, we get more trouble. We instead need to focus upon safety, and success, and more wealth, and more joy, and more benevolence. It’s like in ball, you play to win …. you don’t play “not to lose.” Same thing. If you play “not to lose” you are really focusing on “losing” instead of winning. So that’s why those teams always lose. In life, playing to win means going after things that really matter to you. Going to a club is great and I don’t have a problem with that. But showing off in a club shouldn’t be the most important thing in somebody’s or anybody’s life.
I know this goes to another level, but one must ask themselves how they can make a difference in the world, in someone else’s life. I think that’s the key to success and joy, and that’s why we’re here on earth anyway.
That’s why I honor and respect your article, and it feels like a privilege to read it. I like this article of yours too because I once wrote something that touched some of these topics, although not so specifically about guns:
Why So Many Black Athletes Self-Destruct (And How To Avoid It)
http://blackfivesblog.com/?p=260
Please check it out if you have a minute.
Meanwhile, best wishes and happy new year to you and family!
Claude Johnson
President
Black Fives, Inc.
Tsig Said,
January 2, 2009 @ 5:20 pm
Good read, one detail, Plaxico had a .40 caliber Glock in his pocket, they don’t utilize a traditional safety latch, the only safety on a Glock is its two part trigger mechanism, which he must have depressed to operate. ( just to speculate, it was probably with his finger as he was trying to take his pistol out to show someone.) But you are of course right in that a proper holster would have saved him a lot of pain and embarrassment, as well as some proper training/schooling.
Guns are just machines, and harmless unless negligently or maliciously operated. Following 3 safety rules THAT EVERY GUN OWNER/SHOOTER KNOWS will prevent accidental discharges.
1. Do not touch the trigger unless you are aiming at something you wish to shoot.
2. Only point a gun at something you wish to destroy.
3. When handing a gun to someone else, unload and and place the gun in ’safe’ mode, check and show that the gun is unloaded and safe. When receiving a gun from someone else, do the same thing, even if you just watched it being unloaded. If you don’t know how to do this, you should not be handling the gun.
*. Machinery and intoxicants don’t mix.
Education is the answer. Automobiles scare me more than firearms, and have been the leading cause of death in the United States for longer than any of us have been alive. I feel it should start with our country’s leadership (role models and government/community leaders) to not just emphasize and encourage responsibility, but to teach responsibility. Thank you for this editorial.
Tsig Said,
January 2, 2009 @ 6:19 pm
In response to Kmart:
You are absolutely correct in that the purpose of 95% of firearms is to kill. I feel the framers of the Constitution were correct ( despite their elitist agendas) in making the right to bear arms the second amendment and thus the second most important amendment, after our personal and collective freedoms. What good is freedom without the power to protect your freedom?
Of course I think that with something as potentially dangerous as a firearm, the law is to be followed to the letter, and local firearms laws are there for a reason. It is easier in some states than others to obtain a concealed carry permit, a permit which remains legal when traveling from one state to the next ( though the local law enforcement will most likely frown at it) but in Plaxico’s case, he had no such thing. Obtaining such a permit also requires additional safety courses with the local sheriff’s department
Guns have solved many conflicts, (Not always justly) and many would agree with me that the loss of some life is sometimes necessary to save many lives. I”ve been robbed at gunpoint myself, and had firearms trained on me on several other occasions and while it is not at all a fun experience, I would not kill someone unless it was a final resort. I’ve also been rescued from bad situations by gun toting neighbors, and am very grateful for their bravery. If however I had the opportunity to save someone from harm by lawful usage of a firearm, I pray that I would not hesitate.
The world we share is not a safe place, but shortsightedness, and fear induced reactions will not change that. If we outlaw guns, then only the outlaws will have guns.
America’s obsessed not just with guns but all fine machinery. Guns are exciting and relatively one of the most reliable machines ever devised, so our infatuation with firearms is not a mystery to me. Our immature and subsequently dangerous attitudes toward them is very scary, and to amend what I wrote before, I think the responsibility lies not just with our leaders but also the entertainers we look up to (Video games, Movies) that need to demonstrate a more sophisticated control of how firearms are portrayed.
Sorry for taking up so much room, but I feel this is an important topic. At least we have sports to help distract us from the harshness of the world, but sometimes I think our energies and dialogue would be better spent in trying to solve the pressing issues of society rather than the deficiencies of our favorite teams.
“I can understand that athletes of all professional sports are targets, some more than others, but the walking around with a gun is not the solution.”
Karl Malone
“The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”
Albert Einstein
Paul C. Said,
January 3, 2009 @ 6:41 am
satch, Eddie could have played the race card in this article, but he didn’t. The reason we don’t hear about white athletes getting into trouble in night clubs is because the media doesn’t care. The media prefers to play up the stereotype of the black athlete wanting to “live the thug life, be gangsta.” Remember that pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals who died a few years ago? He was drunk, had cocaine in his car, and he was on his way to pick up a hooker (when he was married and had kids). What did the media do? They said it was “a tragic death.” What a joke. He intentionally messed up his life and the media made excuses for him.
It’s the same way with Brett Favre and Donovan McNabb. When McNabb has a bad game, the media rides him to no end about how he badly he played. When Brett Favre has a bad game, the media makes excuses, citing his age or the Jets D or the fact that his receivers dropped passes.
RSZ 1 Said,
January 4, 2009 @ 6:29 pm
Great Article EJ ! This should be sent out as a Memo around the Sports World and Entertainment World along time ago ! A.Walker,S.Hunter and E Curry are really lucky to still be on earth today after there recent encounters ! These guys talk act like having there Ghetto Pass is more important than keeping there NBA job ! I never heard of E Johnson,M Aguirre,Tony Brown,I Thomas or JJ Anderson getting robbed after making to the NBA ! These players are all from the Hood and I have never seen them with the Big Entourages. People if you need to take a gun with you,maybe thats not the place for you ! T Allen you need to to talk to your Boss and let them know the trouble you have gotten yourself in !!!!
Marco Said,
January 5, 2009 @ 2:58 pm
Eddie
Great posting. Owning a gun and carry license is a huge responsibility. Plax was not only a danger to himself but other people around him. How about if that bullet kept traveling after his leg and hit someone else? Twofold lesson here and Eddy nailed it.
1). Don’t carry a weapon if you are not trained in how to handle it and be prepared to actually use it as a last resort with the consequences that follow.
2). Fame is great but carries a price. Use common sense. Most of what he lists as rules also apply to us common-folk as well.
Michael Bennett Said,
January 6, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
Eddie - I think you’re right about the cool image idea. That’s the main problem. A lot of athletes, and regular people for that matter, think the hip-hop gansta lifestyle is cool. It’s pathetic. The gold/diamond chains and the false bravado and the constant ego. It’s not cool. It’s the opposite - it’s ridiculous.
Saggy jeans? If there is a specific reason why Plaxico’s gun went off, it’s because his jeans were sagging and loose, and the gun slipped, and BANG! If he wore his jeans like a man, he would have two healthy legs. Does anyone know where that saggy jean look was cultivated? In prisons. Inmates weren’t allowed to have belts or shoelaces so they couldn’t hang themselves or strangle another inmate. When some of these inmates got out, they continued to wear their pants low and sagging. I guess no one ever told them that they look like idiots AND inmates in the real world.
Here’s what’s really cool: Championships. Winning. Style. Confidence. Resilience. Empires. Family. Goodness.
Not chains and excess.
One of the best rules David Stern imposed was the dress code. These superstar athletes now look like superstar athletes, not thugs (Iverson) and skater punks (Nash).
The great thing about America and American sports is the second chances. Hopefully, Plaxico learns his lesson and becomes the valuable on field presence he once was.
On a similar note - I will say I’m baffled. Like Chris Rock said… Sarah Palin can shoot moose and wolves from a helicopter and take pictures over their dead carcasses. And, she ran for Vice President of the United States. But, Michael Vick’s in jail.
Athletes are held to higher accountability then everyone else. Especially black athletes. Especially Donovan McNabb.
illill Said,
January 7, 2009 @ 2:52 pm
SHOULDNT IT BE COOL TO PLAY ON SUNDAYS? OR TO PLAY IN FRONT OF CROWDS MAKING 200 000 A GAME? THATS COOL. JUST FOR THE STUPIDITY OF THESE ATHLETES THEY SHOULD BE BANNED FOR LIFE. AND I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW PLAYERS GET FOLLOWED HOME. WHEN I DRIVE I CAN SEE WHEN PEOPLE CHANGE LANES OR WHOSE BEHIND ME, AS I ASSUME MOST PEOPLE DO. THAT SHOULD NEVER NEVER HAPPEN.