As I said, I think I hear "piece of" too. But after that nothing. Certainly nothing in any way clear.

Who even uses the word "crap" anymore BTW? Maybe I just hang around with a different crowd, but it's always "shit" and not "crap" for me.

Now, I can't say I'm 100% sure he said "crap" there, however, if someone put a gun to my head and told me I had to get it right or die, I would have to go with "crap". It sounds like he said "You piece of crap" to me. Either way, it's a moot point to me. Getting physical with a dumbass fan for heckling is a no-no. Marcus let his team down when they were barely hanging on for survival.

If somebody held a gun to my head and asked me about it, I probably say I truly don't know. Might get my brains blown out I suppose, but at least I'd go down being honest. Just can't hear anything with certainty there.

Well, he's paying for it. So is the team.

I can hear it with 85% certainty. I would have to take those odds with a gun to my head, which was the point I was trying to make in a very obtuse manner. :)

It's better than an assumption, in any case.

That's not how the bystander effect works. The bystander effect is related to whether or not people will help a victim when the victim is in trouble. It is inversely related to the number of people present (so, the larger the number of people, the less likely people are to help), but that's because they assume that someone else is going to help, not necessarily because they want to avoid conflict. The smaller the number of people, the more likely it is that they will help because they feel that no one else will.

That's not exactly applicable here.

Well, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. But the fact is that it wasn't ONLY Texas Tech people around there. Even if it were, that doesn't mean that they would ALL condone racial slurs and not say something. Texas Tech interviewed the people around there, and none said they heard a slur. We have the fan in question taking responsibility for his actions. And we have a video where even if you CAN'T hear "crap," there's no racial slur audible (I mean, who would say "You piece of racial slur!"; that doesn't make any sense).

I just don't understand why you believe something with zero evidence behind it. You don't even have to believe the other side. But it doesn't make much sense to believe something with no evidence whatsoever.

Maybe he's not actually a giant asshole, and he's just some dude that went too far, even if his "too far" was saying "crap."

Still looks exactly like a he said/he said situation to me. I've seen no substantial evidence either way to this point that would sway me in either direction.


I'm no social psychologist, but this does seem to sort of describe what I was talking about.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2...stander-effect

In any case, I don't know enough about this particular theory to debate on it. Call it whatever you want, but I do know is that people are generally reluctant to act or get involved in something like this. It's not easy to confront racism, it takes a lot of courage.


I'm sure there weren't. That's precisely why I'd like to hear a statement from one of them. It would provide a more objective viewpoint here rather than Tech making biased, vague, less than credible statements about a supposed "investigation" that occurred over less than a 18 hour period.


Not only is there no racial slur audible, but nothing really is. As a result, it's a video that really means nothing at all. Of course, it should also be kept in mind the racial slur, if there was one, could have come after the initial provocation.

I don't staunchly believe anything at this point. Not until something substantial leads me one way or the other. But I do think, based on all the circumstantial evidence we have available to us (Smart's very unusual reaction, the fan's immediate guilt after it happened about going too far, the statements from other players familiar with the fan, etc.) that the insult was probably something stronger than "piece of crap."

From what we've learned about him over the last day from others and the video we've seen of him making an obscene gesture at another player, I kind of doubt it.

It's just not exactly applicable in this situation.

Maybe, but in this case, it would be easier, considering there are a rather large number of people looking for some kind of validation that he did say it. And it only takes ONE person. But there isn't even one.

Seems like you staunchly believe that the fan and Texas Tech are lying.

Again, this is purely assumption and has less substantiation than what you say you are not swayed by.

Yep. So far, nobody has even made a direct statement publicly either way so I don't exactly take much of anything from that. It can be especially to take a stand if you're not 100% sure about what you heard (and several of them might not be judging by how difficult it was to hear whatever was said in that video).

No, I just think they have a good reason to not tell the whole truth. Hence, I don't take what they've provided in their statements at face value. I still don't quite get the point of posting that completely inconclusive video either. Instead of admonishing what the fan did, it's almost as if they were putting it forward as some kind of half-baked defense of his actions.


Those aren't assumptions, though. Smart did actually react in a way he never has to any taunt before. The guy did actually send a text regretting that he went too far. And several other players have gone public to say this exact fan has said awful shit/made gestures to them on the court before. It all adds up in creating the picture of this situation. And without substantial evidence of any kind either way or a credible witness statement, that's all anybody has at this point.

Strange? What happen to the n word and Smarts white horse defenders? Is orr is the hospital yet for using a racial slur?

You're crazy if you don't think this will be a tough game.

I agree. The league has to set a precedent. No matter how bad the fan was it is never a little more acceptable just because the fan said something bad.

KCC,
I don't have a problem with you normally but you Marcus Smart love has clouded your judgement. Unless, of course, you're always this moronic. In which case, I would just say carry on. :doh!:

I kind of agree with KCC in the fact that it is hard to discern what the fan said. But I will say this. In no way does it sound anywhere close to the supposed racial slur that everyone was getting in a huff about last night. It sounds like it may very well be that he said "you piece of crap". But I'm 99% sure that he didn't call him anything racist. Of course, people won't learn from this incident. Just like they didn't learn from the Duke Lacrosse incident and on and on.

Address specifically what you had a problem with in my arguments. What exactly do you disagree with? I've said Smart deserved a suspension, my only thing is that there needs to be accountability for the fan's actions too (no matter what the insult was).

As for my bias, sure, I can admit it. It's there and it's not going away. But I'm debating with a bunch of people on here who have had a hate on for Marcus Smart all season. You could easily make exactly same statement for them.