I don’t subscribe to black protectionism. At least not in the way other people want me to, or certainly not in the way other writers do when they profile black entertainers, athletes, politicians, etc. It’s not that I don’t empathize with someone’s demise, it’s more I don’t get amped about a complete stranger’s life, if that stranger is an idiot. I’m not making excuses for somebody I don’t know personally. If someone gets in trouble and has to pay the piper, so to speak, I’m not stressing it extra-hard because that person is black.
I want success and happiness for everyone period, and that’s my general outlook in life. Sure, there are moments of tribalism that surface from my DNA pool, but it’s not an all the time thing. If everything is good, then yeah, I’m on the side of the black person involved. But, I’m not in the habit of giving out extra points to knuckleheads because they’re black. I don’t care if the black guy dies first in the movie, if that guy is a crook. Understand?
So when I found out last night that former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu, got arrested for drug possession, I just shrugged my shoulders. Dude is already on suspension for this very thing and I’m beyond wondering why he would even risk it again. The drug of choice here is weed and let me tell you, weed is not addictive like that. You can shake that urge easy. It’s not smack or coke or even molly. He made a conscious decision based off desire, not a neurological imperative based off a chemical addiction.
I know some people are going to mention that the weed the cops found (10 bags worth apparently) wasn’t all Mathieu’s, and that most of it belonged to his friend. But what kind of friend is that? That’s your man, and he’s brazenly putting your LSU/NFL future at risk? Really? If you’re Mathieu, considering how high the stakes are, the moment you realize that there are drugs around, you jet. You have to leave immediately.
When he was first suspended in the summer, I wrote something about how little I cared that his potential NFL career would suffer. My point was, for those who have their dreams deferred due to personal bs, I’m not stressing it. I save my grief for the kids who get hurt or have to drop out of school because of a family emergency situation. Mathieu was good to go, coming off of a star-making season and primed for an upcoming NFL contract. If weed was the reason he wouldn’t be able to reach his NFL dreams, well, so be it. The fact that this is a black kid, doesn’t matter to me. If anything, if you’re a black kid, from a hardscrabble background, you need to be on better behavior than most. It’s hard for many of us to get out of the quicksand of the ghetto, and if you’re blessed enough to have that shot, you better go in. Instead, your man is playing games.
So with this latest arrest, I’m sure his return next year to LSU, is in jeopardy. So are his potential NFL riches. He doesn’t deserve another chance. Maybe he’ll still get that next chance from someone else, but it won’t be from me.
