Imus taken out of context

By: Adam Loghides

Posted: 6/25/08

Don Imus is back. And the radio show host for WABC in New York has recent remarks putting him in the national news - again.
In the wake of his firing last year for racist remarks made in reference to a women's basketball team, Imus finds himself in the shooter's eye again, mostly because of his name and not the actual remarks he made.
While bantering with his co-host on Monday about the many arrests of the Dallas Cowboys cornerback formerly known as "Pacman" Jones, Imus simply asked, "What color is he?" The co-host said Jones is African-American, and Imus responded with, "Well, there you go."
Yesterday, forced to defend himself, Imus stated that the remarks were sarcastic. Then he went on to say that his staff is more diverse than ever before, including a black producer and two black co-hosts.
Jones responded with anger. (What's new?) Jones also said he will be praying for Imus.
Imus' remarks are a corn on the foot of society, a speed bump on the highway of life. They mean nothing at all.
The bigger picture is clearer. Look at the last year and stories of athletes getting trouble with the law. One common thread ties them all together - the athletes are African-American.
Adam Jones, Cedric Benson, Dwayne Jarrett, Michael Vick, the Sean Taylor killing. The list goes on and on. Of the last 52 stories I could find, 49 of them were about African-Americans. That's an alarming rate that truly can't be ignored.
Or can it?
This is an issue that the media has skirted around for years, even more so recently, which is ridiculous. It seems that as long as name-calling and prejudices are left out, it should be fine to point out the facts.
Wouldn't we all like some incredible sociological brain to decipher the situation and explain to us all why this trend has become so blatant?
That will never happen because no doctor wants to be branded a racist for delving into the truth.
Does anyone truly know where the problem lies? Not really. Is it an inner-city problem, educational, financial? Who knows?
But when over 90 percent of professional athletes in trouble with the law are of any one racial category, something needs to be done.
Not by me, or by the average Joe walking down the street. Educators and law enforcement agencies aren't to blame either.
The media - more specifically talk radio hosts - have no hand in it either.
The thousands of professional African-American athletes who are stand-up individuals and pillars of their communities should be ashamed of guys like Adam Jones in the same way recovering addicts are ashamed of Lindsay Lohan and the way Oregonians, until recently, were ashamed of the Blazers.
Memo to Adam Jones: take a look in the mirror, stay out of trouble and stop worrying about guys like Don Imus and what they say about you. Don't pray for Imus - pray for yourself.