ESPN's 30 for 30 documents Benji Wilson's story

I had never heard of Benji Wilson until I watched the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Benji, which premiered Tuesday on the network. By the end of the film I was in tears over how a promising young man's life was tragically cut short abruptly.

The year was 1984 and the city was Chicago; a city with a long history of violence that continues to this day. The location was a few yards away from Neal F. Simeon Vocational High School, where 6-foot-8-inch Benjamin Wilson was a star basketball player. The culprits were 16-year-old William "Billy"  Moore and 15-year-old Omar Dixon, two students from nearby Calumet High School. Moore was the gun man. These are the undisputed facts of the tragedy.

Benji Wilson, a 6-foot-8-inch basketball phenom was gunned down near his high school in Chicago

The why? Well, that's up for debate. At the time of their convictions the story went that Moore and Dixon had a confrontation with Wilson, who was taking a lunch break walk with his girlfriend Jetun Rush, then shot him in an attempted robbery. In his only interview since his release from prison, Moore told the filmmakers Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah that he shot at an angry Wilson, who was lunging at him.

Wilson, 17, died on Nov. 21, 1984, the night before the first game of his senior season, leaving behind a 10-week-old son. He had been ranked the No. 1 player in the country following a successful state championship run in his junior year; the first Chicago native to be named the nation's top prospect. Wilson had drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, but sadly never got to live up to his full potential because he happened to be at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Wilson's story is eerily similar to that of another budding star Len Bias, who died nearly two years after Wilson; the night after he was drafted by the Boston Celtics. The circumstances of their deaths were different –Bias, a University of Maryland star, died of a cocaine overdose–but the impact both men had on their communities, the sports world and the nation, were very similar. The fact that both players died just as they were on the verge of reshaping the course of their lives is chilling.

Boston Celtics Len Bias' basketball career and untimely death drew comparisons to Wilson's

Decades have gone by since Wilson was gunned down on S. Vincennes Av., but murders remain a major issue in Chicago. As of Oct. 21, more than 400 murders have occurred in Chicago this year alone, and more than 2,000 shooting victims reported. When Wilson was killed in 1984, he was the 669th murder victim reported in the city that year. The bloodbaths haven't stopped.

Wilson's son, Brandon, also became a high school basketball star in New York after relocating with his mom. He went on to play for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore basketball team. Moore was released in 2004 after serving more than 19 of his 40-year sentence. He now works with an organization helping convicts find work and turn their lives around. Dixon served half of his 30-year sentence, but was back in prison in 2007, serving a 40-year sentence for armed robbery.

You can check your ESPN listings for reruns of Benji, or find the video online. You can also find Without Bias, the 30 for 30 documentary on Len Bias on YouTube.

Levi, Lance and doping in cycling

Two days ago, I was at the movies waiting to see Argo, a new movie about an attempted rescue of six U.S. Consulate workers who had escaped an attack on the U.S. embassy by Iranian rioters in Tehran. As I watched movie previews before its start, I was drawn to one promoting a documentary on U.S. cyclist Levi Leipheimer.

I'm not a huge cycling follower, and had never heard of Leipheimer, but was curious to know who this man was; a man who, according to the documentary's trailer, "would've been the greatest American cyclist," if the Lance Armstrong era didn't exist.

Levi Leipheimer has admitted to using performance enhancing drugs

It was no shocker though, that a quick Google search of Leipheimer instantly produced references to doping. Yes, Leipheimer has confessed to doping and has been dropped by his sponsor team Omega Pharma-Quick-Step. The soon-to-be 39-year-old admitted to cheating while cooperating in a USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) investigation into Armstrong. In a nutshell, he wasn't necessarily willing to out himself until he was contacted in connection to Armstrong in exchange for a reduced punitive penalty. Regardless, Leipheimer does want you to believe that his most accomplished results – a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games and a third place finish at the 2007 Tour de France – were achieved while clean.

Isn't that convenient?

Leipheimer joins the likes of Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis who initially denied doping, then confessed, while asking everyone to believe their testimony that Armstrong doped. Ahh, yes. Lance Armstrong. The greatest cyclist and one of the greatest athletes to grace this earth. Initially, allegations about Armstrong doping were met with skepticism; myself including. After all, it's not unusual for someone who's caught to attempt to take someone else down as well. Well that was until a compelling report by USADA, with testimony from 26 people, 11 of them former teammates of Armstrong, detailed how Armstrong was the focal point of a comprehensive team doping program.

The report portrays Armstrong, a cancer survivor, as someone who would go to any length to meet his goals, ultimately resulting in seven Tour de France titles. Despite Armstrong's continuous denial, the collective evidence is hard to ignore. You would have to be in a state of extreme denial or disillusion to not believe he was doped up. Even his biggest supporters have begun pulling away.

Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles amid doping allegations

Longtime sponsor Nike severed its relationship with Armstrong Wednesday, saying, "Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him."

Trek, who sponsored and provided Armstrong's bikes, and Anheuser-Busch also cut ties with him. But the most significant end to a partnership came when Armstrong was forced to step down as chairman of Livestrong, the foundation he started to support cancer victims. That announcement may be the closest he may ever come to an admission. Though he remains on the foundation's board, these series of events suggest that the heroic worship of Armstrong may be on its last legs.

The UCI, cycling's governing body, is set to make a decision on whether or not to uphold USADA's decision. There could be a push to recover any prize money that he earned, which shouldn't hurt Armstrong financially. But for someone who worked so hard to shape and control his image and legacy, a public disgrace from his beloved sport is by far the worst possible punishment.

As for Leipheimer's documentary, no word on if it would still be released. Though if you ask me, I think it may be time to shelve the movie and swallow the financial loss.

Speak up against jungle justice

Early Friday morning, many Nigerians in the diaspora awoke to news of four University of Port Harcourt students murdered by residents of Aluu, a small community near the university, located in the oil rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Since the news broke, several reports have been published about the identities of these four young men and how or why they met their fate. You can read one of the first reports about this story and view some of the pictures taken while the act was being committed here.

Tekena Elkanah

Chiadika Biringa

Ugonna Obuzor

Michael Lloyd Toku

In the days since Tekena Elkanah, Michael Toku, Chiadika Biringa and Ugonna Obuzor were bludgeoned, then set ablaze, multiple variations of this story have emerged. Depending on which one you heard, these boys were either armed robbers who had terrorized the residents of Aluu for months; going as far as killing a man as he tried to prevent his daughter or pregnant wife from being raped. Or, they were notorious cultists who were in the neighborhood to oppress residents and/or collect dues from other cult members. Or they were petty thieves who had stolen laptops and cell phones. Or they were innocent students, three of whom had accompanied the fourth to the residence of someone who owed him money. The debtor, not willing to cooperate, alerted the community of his visitors by yelling, "thief, thief." As Nigerians know, this action typically draws a large crowd, especially in large public areas like roadside markets, who take it upon themselves to execute jungle justice on the alleged criminals without necessarily confirming the fact. Another version of the story cites a fifth man who was fortunate enough to get away, however the only confirmed story so far is that these four young men are indeed dead.

I saw the pictures of this barbaric act circling the internet and was disturbed by how so many people could stand by and watch as these boys were executed in such a gruesome way. But it was even more disconcerting to learn about video footage making the rounds. I watched one of such videos, seeking some kind of explanation to this story that I knew still pictures wouldn't provide. And now I am haunted. I am haunted by the bloodied eyes of one of the victims. Unable to move any other part of his body as he sensed his end was near, he barely managed to blink his eyes slowly, once or twice, using them to plead for mercy. I can never forget that.

I can never forget the way the last of the victims remained slightly upright; somewhat defiantly, as he propped himself up with his elbow, refusing to succumb to his inevitable fate. And then one of the perpetrators, the one who joyfully pounded away as others watched without flinching, set the boys ablaze. That last boy who refused to go down, got up one more time and rolled away to get away from the fire. He refused to give up. I can’t forget this video. It’s worse than the videos of men in the middle east, stoning women to death for their alleged promiscuity. I cringed and flinched when I saw those women dropping down. I thought the worst about those men. I never thought I’d see my own countrymen commit even worse atrocities. I weep for Nigeria.

We may never know if these guys were truly armed robbers, cultists, rapists, petty thieves, or just innocent students in the wrong place and at the wrong time. It doesn’t matter now, because few members of a community already decided that no matter what, they were no longer fit to walk this earth. Make no mistakes, this isn't the first time alleged criminals have been convicted by street justice. In the past, others have suffered similar fates usually by being burned alive. This, however, is the first time most people have witnessed such extreme torture by bludgeoning them to death. It wasn't OK then, and it certainly shouldn't be tolerated now. It is time this phenomenon of jungle justice is condemned.

Acclaimed Nigerian rapper M.I. respectfully put things in perspective with this piece he posted on his blog. Nigeria has become a nation of complacency built on hope. As long as we are not personally affected by a problem or issue, we turn a blind eye to it while hoping someone takes care of the solution. This apathy has to end.



So do not believe the above picture circulating of the alleged killers being tortured. I received this picture more than a month ago with a different explanation behind it. These are not the four boys' killers. Do not let your cries for justice be silenced so this story doesn't go away quietly. Several such incidents have occurred where innocent victims were killed over false allegations, but it takes just one case to put an end to this madness. Let this be the one. Innocent or guilty, let the Aluu four become the symbol for putting an end to jungle justice.