Flanagan: LJ rips Vermeil in HBO interview

[BigRock]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

So we are gonna give him a pass on playing the race card, wallowing in the victim mentality....and seemingly taking pride in being a "thug"...because he is black?

Seriously, WTF are you reading? Is it the same article that was posted at the beignning of this thread? Please point out to me exactly where LJ "played the race card" when he ANSWERED A QUESTION ABOUT RACE. And point out where he claimed to be a victim. And where he took pride in being a thug.

This thread has gotten embarrassing.

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by BigRock

Seriously, WTF are you reading? Is it the same article that was posted at the beignning of this thread? Please point out to me exactly where LJ "played the race card" when he ANSWERED A QUESTION ABOUT RACE. And point out where he claimed to be a victim. And where he took pride in being a thug.

This thread has gotten embarrassing.

It's not just the article posted here. You can dig through the archives for other threads if you need context. There were even those video-links that were posted a while back.

This just reinforces all of those.

From the article though:

...“I wouldn’t pay attention,” Johnson said of playing under Vermeil. “My eyes, I would be up in the sky. You know, I would be sleeping in my locker. I wouldn’t carry my playbook because I was just trying to get away from this building, you know, when Dick was here.”

Carter asked LJ, “Do you think Herm Edwards, being an African-American and you being raised, of course, by an African-American, that you see a lot of similarities in Herm that you saw in your dad that made you open up to him?”

LJ’s response: “I think so. I could relate to Herman. I couldn’t do that with the other coaches I had because they had not done it. You know, they haven’t put those pads or they haven’t been in the situation as a young black athlete and know what we had to go through.

“You know, when we go out, you know, we like to go out. You know, we like to hang out. We like to have fun. But then you got to worry about the guy around the corner with the gun. You got to worry about this girl on the block. You got to worry about, you know, your parents. You got to worry about your homeboys taking advantage of you.

“There’s so much things you got to worry about being a young black athlete. And to be able to have a father like mine and have a coach like Herm, I was able to escape a lot of those realities and find myself in a new ray of light.”

So, you gonna tell me, now, you don't see it?

Everytime it seems LJ is gonna grow out of it, something like this comes along to stir up those older impressions.

[BigRock]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

Everytime it seems LJ is gonna grow out of it, something like this comes along to stir up those older impressions.

Something like this? Something like what?

What did LJ say in this interview... or, more specifically since none of us have seen the actual interview, the portions quoted in this article?

He said he didn't like playing for Dick Vermeil. No surprise there.

Then, in response to a direct question about race that compared Herm to LJ's own father, LJ said he liked playing for Herm because he can relate to him. Both as a former player, which is the first thing LJ mentions, and because Herm is black and understands what young black athletes go through.

What is controversial about those comments? Absolutely nothing. Like Flanagan said in the article, the only thing that will come out of this is that Vermeil doing the commentary on the KC @ Oakland game might be more interesting.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by BigRock

Seriously, WTF are you reading? Is it the same article that was posted at the beignning of this thread? Please point out to me exactly where LJ "played the race card" when he ANSWERED A QUESTION ABOUT RACE. And point out where he claimed to be a victim. And where he took pride in being a thug.

This thread has gotten embarrassing.

Yep exactly what I was thinking. Some people need to take reading classes again.

LJ isn't talking about being black and growing up in the hood he is talking about the life of a young black athlete in the NFL with all of the hanger-ons, groupies, and the thugs that try to drag you down. He is saying because of his father and Herm that he has been able now to avoid those situations that could get him in trouble.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by BigRock

Seriously, WTF are you reading? Is it the same article that was posted at the beignning of this thread? Please point out to me exactly where LJ "played the race card" when he ANSWERED A QUESTION ABOUT RACE. And point out where he claimed to be a victim. And where he took pride in being a thug.

This thread has gotten embarrassing.

I agree that the thread has taken a dramatic turn. Things just tend to spill out when any mention of race is made.

I think its good to have discussions like this to clear the air.

But its never going away...there are hateful people of all colors that will never change their stripes, so there will always be racism.

Where i tend to get riled up is when people act like its all one sided.

[johnnykev]

Originally Posted by scott free

I agree that the thread has taken a dramatic turn. Things just tend to spill out when any mention of race is made.

I think its good to have discussions like this to clear the air.

But its never going away...there are hateful people of all colors that will never change their stripes, so there will always be racism.

Where i tend to get riled up is when people act like its all one sided.

Right on, man. Same feelings I have about the subject. It's bound to get absurd at some point and I just felt it was far too one-sided to let things go.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by MVChiefFan

Everyone who is black or totally without a doubt understands what it is like to live your whole life as a black person please raise your hands.

No one?

Well, by all means, please continue ripping.

Everyone who is a MULTI-MILLIONAIRE SPORTS CELEBRITY or totally without a doubt understands what it is like to live your life as a MULTI-MILLIONAIRE SPORTS CELEBRITY please raise your hands.

No one?

Cry me a fucking river.

[FloridaMan88]

I'd rather to listen to Vermeil, a Super Bowl winning coach who has taken two different franchises to the Super Bowl, than Herm, a career .500 head coach who is a blowhard and a Marty-wannabe.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsfan88

I'd rather to listen to Vermeil, a Super Bowl winning coach who has taken two different franchises to the Super Bowl, than Herm, a career .500 head coach who is a blowhard and a Marty-wannabe.

We would never have guessed.

That pussy did exactly jack in KC.

[Brock]

I don't know what being black has to do with LJ acting like he was 8 years old when he got here.

[FloridaMan88]

If LJ has a problem listening to old white guys, does this mean he tuned out Joe Pa as well?

[ChiefaRoo]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsfan88

If LJ has a problem listening to old white guys, does this mean he tuned out Joe Pa as well?

Right, why did he decide to go to PState to begin with. I don't think this is a White or Black thing. I think LJ is a stupid kid and Grandpa Dick was a tight assed old man. Simple as that.

[MVChiefFan]

Last time I checked there was a black man dragged to his death behind a pick up truck full of racist white men not five years ago. I don't think it's only talking that keeps up this attitude. C'mon guys, I'm not trying to be an a-hole but unless you have spent time, day in and day out, with black people you will never understand the hatred that's still there. You may not feel that way and not understand why they can't "get over it" but when you have problems every day with discrimination then it's kind of hard to "get over it". You can think I'm wrong but I'm just stating facts.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by MVChiefFan

Last time I checked there was a black man dragged to his death behind a pick up truck full of racist white men not five years ago. I don't think it's only talking that keeps up this attitude. C'mon guys, I'm not trying to be an a-hole but unless you have spent time, day in and day out, with black people you will never understand the hatred that's still there. You may not feel that way and not understand why they can't "get over it" but when you have problems every day with discrimination then it's kind of hard to "get over it". You can think I'm wrong but I'm just stating facts.

and it wasn't that long ago a white trucker was pulled from his truck and hit in the head with a brick.

stop pretending that the hate that this country can't seem to let go of doesn't rest on both sides of the fence.

[johnnykev]

Originally Posted by stevieray

and it wasn't that long ago a white trucker was pulled from his truck and hit in the head with a brick.

stop pretending that the hate that this country can't seem to let go of doesn't rest on both sides of the fence.

I don't think that he's pretending that there isn't hate. But "pretending" that it's alright to insult those different from you just on the basis of a few circumstances is problematic. It would be like me saying that because one white guy raped and murdered a little girl that all white guys are rapists and murders of little children. Just keep perpetuating the hate you've got brewin' and nothing will ever change.