It’s a Dog Eat Dog World

By Robin Caldwell

“They are just trying to bring down a brother with money. He’s innocent until proven guilty,” said another brother interviewed on the street. Of course, he was talking about a certain football player who is in the news for some alleged illegal activity – dog fighting.

Technically, he is absolutely correct, according to the laws of our land, the football player is innocent until proven guilty. I’m not so sure that the indictment or the investigation that preceded it was fueled by a conspiracy to pick off the football player, who happens to be a black man with money. That doesn’t seem plausible.

Do people actually sit in a room at a round table trumping up false claims against pro football players? What would be their purpose? Are there enough powerful pro football players who can threaten “The Man” like that? And if so, I would hope that they would conspire to set one up with something less stupid than charges of dog fighting.

After all, who would deliberately and consciously throw away everything they’ve ever worked for on dog fighting in the backyard?! I think it could be someone who doesn’t have much to lose; maybe someone who needs the money and/or a greedy person. I could be wrong.

According to news stories, the football player stands to lose one of the most lucrative NFL contracts ever signed; a contract that made him the highest paid player in the league. There are the endorsement deals, one of which is under suspension pending an exoneration or conviction. His property can be seized and there are the fines associated with the federal charges. And there is his freedom.

Okay, this is where I’m torn. Some days three hots and cot seem very appealing to me – no bills, no worries connected to bills and no bills. Yet on most days I cannot imagine life without freedom, especially the fundamental freedoms of going where I want to go, when I want to go there.

The football player’s loss of freedom could come in the form of prison time and would most likely result in the loss of myriad other freedoms associated with the loss of income, assets, and livelihood. That’s a whole lot of freedom at stake.