When is Being Black Being Black?

“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.” — Frederick Douglass

One of the most exciting young players in the National Football League this year is the quarterback for the Washington Redskins, Robert Griffin III — otherwise known as RGIII. Griffin, a graduate of Baylor University and winner of the prestigious Heisman Trophy, was the first player picked by the Redskins in the 2012 NFL draft. The Redskins mortgaged the house by trading three years’ worth of first round picks to the St. Louis Rams, a team that due to their dismal 2011 seasons had been awarded the second overall pick in the draft.

The first player picked in the draft was quarterback Andrew Luck, of Stanford, by the Indianapolis Colts at team with the worst 2011 record. Both college quarterbacks were highly rated collage players desired by many NFL teams.

Griffin was born on Okinawa, where his parents, Robert Jr. and Jacqueline, both U.S. Army sergeants, were stationed. The family later lived at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Washington, and then moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. They finally settled in Copperas Cove, Texas in 1997.

Griffin attended Copperas Cove High School, where he was a three-sport star in basketball, football, and track. He started at quarterback for two seasons. During his junior season, he passed for 2,001 yards and 25 touchdowns with two interceptions, while compiling 876 rushing yards for 8 touchdowns. He received first-team All-District 16-4A honors after the season. As a senior he recorded 1,285 rushing yards, posting 24 touchdowns, and passed for 1,356 yards for 16 touchdowns with seven interceptions. In his senior season Copperas Cove finished with a record of 13–2, but lost in the championship game of the 2007 Class 4A Division I state playoffs. Over the two seasons, he rushed for a total of 2,161 yards and 32 touchdowns while passing for 3,357 yards and 41 touchdowns with nine interceptions.

Rivals.com, a college football recruiting service, ranked Griffin the fourth-best dual-threat quarterback in the nation and the 42nd-best player in Texas in the high school prospect class of 2008. During the college recruiting period Griffin was pursued by Stanford, Tennessee, Kansas, Nebraska, Houston, Tulsa, Illinois, Washington State, and Oregon. Griffin initially committed to play for Houston under head coach Art Briles. When Briles left Houston to take the head coaching position at Baylor, Griffin switched his commitment and eventually signed a letter of intent to play for Baylor, in part because the university also had a top track and field program.

Griffin graduated from high school a semester early, after serving as class president and ranking seventh in his class. He began attending Baylor, A Baptist, Christian University, during the spring 2008 semester when he was 17 years old. As a member of Baylor's track and field team, Griffin finished in first place in the 400-meter hurdles at both the Big 12 Conference Championship and the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship meets; he also broke the NCAA Midwest Regional 400-meter hurdles record. He placed third in the NCAA meet and also participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials, in which he advanced to the semifinals. Griffin graduated in three years with a degree in political science and a 3.67 GPA, while appearing on the Dean's List twice. During his final year of college sports eligibility, he was studying for a Master's degree in communication.

Coming into the 2011 season, the Baylor Bears were not expected to do well, being picked 6th in the Big 12 preseason poll. The Bears opened the season against 15th-ranked TCU. The Bears took a 47-23 lead into the 4th quarter, and were able to fight off a comeback after the Horned Frogs gained the lead 48-47 briefly, only for Baylor to kick the game winning field goal and win 50-48. They pulled off the upset in large part due to Griffin's performance; he passed for 359 yards, with 5 touchdowns and a 77.8% completion percentage. On the game-winning drive, Griffin also caught a key pass. Following the win, Baylor entered the AP Poll rankings for only the third time in the previous 15 seasons, at 20th, and Griffin was considered by many to be a Heisman Trophy candidate. After a bye week Baylor shut out Stephen F. Austin State University 48-0, and Griffin went 20 of 22 (90.9%) for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns and ran for 78 yards. In week 4, Griffin ushered Baylor to their third win, beating Rice University 56-31; Griffin completed 29 of 33 passes (87.9%) for 338 yards with 51 yards rushing and a touchdown. In week five against Kansas State, Griffin almost brought the Bears to their fourth win, going 23 out of 31 (74.2%) for 346 yards and five touchdowns with only one interception, but they lost 36-35 to the Wildcats. In week six against Iowa State, Griffin took Baylor to Iowa for their fourth win, completing 22 out of 30 (73.3%) for 212 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. He won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first player from Baylor to win it. Griffin also led Baylor to a 10-3 record, including a 67-56 win over the Washington Huskies in the Alamo Bowl. With a combined 123 points, it stands as the highest-scoring regulation bowl game in NCAA history. Due to the Alamo Bowl, Griffin became the first player since Tim Tebow in 2007 to win the Heisman and not appear in the National Championship.

Griffin was widely projected to be the No. 2 pick of the draft, but the St. Louis Rams — the team originally holding the pick — had already selected Sam Bradford to be their long-term starting quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Wanting to stick with Bradford, the Rams decided to deal the pick prior to the draft, with the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins perceived as the most interested bidders. After a brief bidding process, the Redskins acquired the pick by giving the Rams four high-value draft picks over three years: their No. 6 overall pick in 2012, their second-round pick in 2012, and their first-round picks in 2013 and 2014.

Griffin III's father, Robert Griffin, Jr., a talented basketball player at Kennedy High School, enlisted in the Army before he graduated. While stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado, he met and later married Jackie Griffin (née Ross). The couple were deployed to Okinawa, Fort Lewis and Fort Hood, nearby which they eventually settled after retiring from the military.

At Baylor, Griffin III met his fiancée Rebecca Liddicoat, a native of Boulder, Colorado.

If you haven’t noticed by now RGIII is black.

RGII is the latest black under attack by the Blackness Gestapo. The Blackness Gestapo are racists, black and white, who troll the airways keeping blacks in check, faithful to their blackness. They believe that to be authentically black, one must behave and think in certain ways. Blackness Gestapo-authorized black behavior includes having a chip on your shoulder against whites, maintaining an eternal victim and entitlement mindset, never achieving success without Democratic Party programs, and never, ever voting Republican. Blacks must call themselves African-Americans and display an urban edge via their speech, attire, and attitude.

Blackness Gestapo enforcer and ESPN analyst Rob Parker accused RGIII of not being black enough. Griffin comes from a great military family. His fiancée is white. He is extremely articulate. He wants to be judged by his performance on the football field without regard for his skin color. Wow — what a radical concept in our new "everything is about race" Obama America. Doesn't RGIII sound like he embraces the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — that people be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin? (Don’t look for the video of Parker’s remarks on YouTube as it has been pulled for violation of YouTube’s policies)

But worst of all, Parker stated he has a white girlfriend and rumor has it that Griffin might be a Republican.

It should be noted that Rush Limbaugh was fired from his 2003 football analysis gig on ESPN his comments on Eagles quarterback Donovan McNab for saying after the Eagles 23-13 win over the Buffalo Bills:

“Sorry to say this, I don't think he's been that good from the get-go," Limbaugh said. "I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."

The idiotic self-imposed suppression of black liberation and growth by the Blackness Gestapo goes way back.

In the '70s, I remember watching an episode of the sitcom Good Times. A black politician was criticized by the black community for coming across too white. To prove his blackness and win black voters, the politician had to show that he could speak an urban language called The Dozens. Clearly, the absurd, restrictive message of the episode was that regardless of one's education, racial loyalty requires that blacks maintain remnants of the hood.

Remember the '90s comedy TV show In Living Color? A standard joke of the program was the black guy who did not sound or behave like he came from the ghetto. The message was that blacks who speak English correctly and prefer sushi over fried chicken are traitors trying to be white.

Witness the same brain-dead behavior from blacks in Florida when brilliant, articulate black Republican Jennifer Carroll ran for Congress against the Democrat incumbent do-nothing-for-her-constituents Corrine Brown. Brown's district was mostly black and ghetto. Brown had been in office forever, without much positive change in her district. Carroll was smart and loaded with fresh new ideas. Brown won re-election, hands down. Word on the street was that Carroll sounded too white. Give me a break! Racist idiots! This behavior also applies to contemporaries like Allan West and Mia Love. It no doubt will be carried over to Tim Scott the newly appointed U.S. Senator (by Nikki Haley the governor of South Carolina) to fill .the seat of retiring Senator Jim DeMint.

As Lloyd Marcus, a Black Tea Party conservative wrote in American Thinker

“Blackness Gestapo Generals Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton had a "'tude" against Obama for running for president without hood "creds" such as theirs.  Obama had to prove his blackness by spending 20 years in Rev. Jeremiah Wright's racist church. The mainstream media partnered with the Democrats in hiding Rev. Wright's racist rants from the public to protect their first black serious socialistic/progressive contender for the Oval Office.

If I sound a bit frank in my language, it is because I am tired of Blackness Gestapo thugs threatening and stifling the growth of blacks. How dare they dictate the behavior of myself and other blacks?

Forty years ago, I met a black fencing master -- as in sword-fighting. I was elated. I carted the brother to recreation centers across Baltimore. I wanted black kids to see black excellence beyond basketball, football, baseball, and entertainment. I wanted them to see that blacks need not be limited in their abilities, hopes, and dreams.

So Blackness Gestapo thug Rob Parker, get a life and mind your own business. RGIII is free to be whomever and whatever he wishes without your and your homeys' approval. Wimp conservatives/Republicans say we must pander to your ilk to win the urban vote. That "ain't happenin'" as far as I am concerned. I will never sacrifice principles and values that I know are right and best for all people to the false god of votes. Racist thugs like you must and will be defeated.”

As it stands today RGIII is a perfect role model for all youth — not just Black kids. He is talented and has used that talent the God gave him and his parents nurtured to pursue his dream and so far have done very well. Is leadership abilities were quickly recognized by the Redskin’s player that they named him team captain — this is unheard of for a rookie! He is an exciting football player to watch and I will root for him — except when the Redskins play my beloved Rams. If he continues on his current career path and can avoid career ending injuries he will no doubt end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Also, if he lives up to his principles and does well he will no doubt eventually become a national leader in some capacity — perhaps politics.

The Price of Cowardice

"Any single man must judge for himself whether circumstances warrant obedience or resistance to the commands of the civil magistrate; we are all qualified, entitled, and morally obliged to evaluate the conduct of our rulers." — John Locke

A few days ago I wrote about cowards and Glenn Beck’s book on that subject. Today the NCAA brought sanctions against Penn State University that were the price of the cowardice on the Penn State athletic department, the universities leadership and Joe Paterno.

I watched as NCAA President Mark Emmert delivered the results of their investigation resulting from the sex abuse scandal that rocked the university last year. Here are the sanctions the NCAA imposed on Penn State according to a Fox News report:

“The NCAA slammed Penn State with an unprecedented series of penalties Monday, including a $60 million fine and the loss of all coach Joe Paterno's victories from 1998-2011, in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Other sanctions include a four-year ban on bowl games, the loss of 20 scholarships per year over four years and five years' probation. The NCAA also said that any current or incoming football players are free to immediately transfer and compete at another school.

NCAA President Mark Emmert announced the staggering sanctions at a news conference in Indianapolis. Though the NCAA stopped short of imposing the "death penalty" -- shutting down the Nittany Lions' program completely -- the punishment is still crippling for a team that is trying to start over with a new coach and a new outlook.”

…..

“Emmert fast-tracked penalties rather than go through the usual circuitous series of investigations and hearings. The NCAA said the $60 million is equivalent to the annual gross revenue of the football program. The money must be paid into an endowment for external programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims and may not be used to fund such programs at Penn State.

"Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people," Emmert said.

Emmert had earlier said he had "never seen anything as egregious" as the horrific crimes of Sandusky and the cover-up by Paterno and others at the university, including former Penn State President Graham Spanier and athletic director Tim Curley.

The investigation headed by former FBI Director Louis Freeh said that Penn State officials kept what they knew from police and other authorities for years, enabling the abuse to go on.”

A report just issued by the New York Times states;

“The postseason ban and the scholarship restrictions essentially prevent the program from fielding a team that can be competitive in the Big Ten. The N.C.A.A. will also allow Penn State players to transfer to another university, where they can play immediately, inviting the possibility of a mass exodus. Penn State will lose 10 initial scholarships and 20 total scholarships each year for a four-year period.

In announcing the penalties, Mark Emmert, the N.C.A.A. president, called the case the most painful “chapter in the history of intercollegiate athletics,” and said it could be argued that the punishment was “greater than any other seen in N.C.A.A. history.” He said Penn State accepted the penalties when they were presented to the university.

The N.C.A.A.'s penalty is the latest action to stem from the scandal involving Sandusky, who was convicted last month of being a serial pedophile. The release of a grand jury report detailing Sandusky’s actions last November led to the firing of the head coach, Joe Paterno; the removal of the university’s president, Graham B. Spanier; and charges against two other top university officials.

Emmert said that no punishment the N.C.A.A. could impose would change the damage done by Sandusky’s acts, but “the culture, actions and inactions that allowed them to be victimized will not be tolerated in collegiate athletics.”

Ed Ray, the president of Oregon State and chairman of the N.C.A.A.'s executive committee, said the case, and the sanctions imposed, represented a declaration by university presidents and chancellors that “this has to stop.” By that he meant a win at all costs mentality with respect to intercollegiate sports.”

On November 15, 2011 I posted a blog reversing a previous blog on situation at Penn State and Joe Paterno (A Reversal on Happy Valley). This post reversed my opinions on the Penn State scandals as more information became available. In that post I stated:

“The Penn State scandal is so disturbing that it’s hard to even write about. When I first heard Joe Paterno had been fired, I thought and wrote that perhaps it was an overreaction on the part of Penn State’s board of trustees. But as I read more about some of the details of the case, I quickly realized I was wrong. As it turns out, Paterno is a split legal hair away from being guilty of covering up a heinous crime spree that staggers the moral imagination of the average American.”

I have no problems with the imposition of the $60 million dollar fine (one year’s revenue from the football program), the suspension from Bowl games for four years, the reduction of football scholarships, and the removal of Paterno’s statue. I do, however, have a problem with the removal of the football team’s wins from the record book from 1998 to 2011. To me this is an assault on the players who won the games on the field — in essence a reversal of the truth. I realize they did this to knock Paterno down from the most successful coach in college football (409 wins) to number 12.

By vacating 112 Penn State victories over a 14-year period, the sanctions cost Paterno 111 wins. Former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden will now hold the top spot in the NCAA record book with 377. Paterno, who was fired days after Sandusky was charged, will be credited with 298 wins.

The scholarship reductions mean that Penn State's roster will be capped at 65 scholarship players within a couple of seasons. The normal scholarship limit for major college football programs is 85. Playing with 20 less is crippling to a program that tries to compete at the highest level of the sport.

I would have rather have seen a much heavier fine – say $500 million- and an asterisk placed after Paterno’s name in the record book. The players won the games on the field and to take away the wins is to punish the innocents.

The Penn State scandal is not so much about sexual abuse as it is about denial and cowardice. The person responsible for the sex abuse, Jerry Sandusky, has been tried and convicted and will no doubt be sentenced to prison for the remainder of his life. The cowardice and the denial of Paterno and the University is a much larger issue. In the case of the University of Southern California the athletic director and coach, Pete Carroll, knew what was going on with the illegal pay-offs to Reggie Bush and did nothing about it as they wanted to win. Once again the players who won the games were sanctioned while Carroll bailed out of the university and took the head coach job with the NFL’s Seattle Sea Hawks and a multi-million dollar contract. It should have been the athletic director, Carroll, and any other university official who should have been sanctioned not the players who sweated on the practice field and took the hits during the game.

The bigger issue is the denial, cover-up and cowardice of the university officials. Paterno had an obligation to take the claims of Mike McQueary to the athletic director and if he did not act then to the president of the university. The athletic director or president had an obligation to act. Instead they brushed the allegations under the rug with no thought to the victims. Then they lied to investigators. This was the cowardice in their actions.

This situation is not unique to Penn State or USC. It is prevalent at many of our colleges and university. Just look what happened to the Duke Lacrosse players when the president of the university threw then under the bus in an effort to “protect” the reputation of the university.

Today our colleges and universities are so focused on money for their bloated programs it appears as though nothing else matters. This is why I would have imposed a much larger monetary penalty and let the players, who won those games, alone. They did nothing wrong — the masterminds in charge of the university did.