Terrell Owens money woes highlights a sad trend in sports

Terrell Owens has returned to Texas to play football.

No, not for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, a team he once suited up for, but for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League. Owens made his debut on Feb. 25, scoring touchdowns on all three of his catches.

It's a far cry from the stardom he once reveled in, but its about the only contract the 38-year-old could command after missing the entire 2011-2012 season recovering from a major knee injury. Owens' stands to earn $500,000 for his contributions to the team, more than the NFL's minimum wage. He also gets a 50 percent ownership stake of the Wranglers. The average IFL player makes $225 a game.

Besides co-owning the Allen Wranglers, Terrell Owens will also suit up for the team

When you put that in perspective, half a million bucks is a lot of money to give to a player who will do little more than boost the publicity of the team. But why does one of the NFL's greatest wide receivers need to suit for a team he had never heard of, or for a league so far down the NFL's recruiting depth chart?

Because T.O. is broke! With no income coming in and plenty of mouths to feed, Owens net worth has been drastically reduced. While he says he isn't really broke, Owens has acknowledged that he is in jeopardy of losing everything he earned in his 15 seasons in the NFL; most notably a house he purchased for his mom.

It's the same old cycle. Boy grows up poor, gets an athletic scholarship to college, propels that into a professional career worth millions of dollars, then squanders everything on an expensive lifestyle, supporting his entire neighborhood and bad investment decisions.

Former NBA players Allen Iverson, Latrell Sprewell (who's famous for turning down a three-year, $21 million contract because it wasn't enough to feed his children, effectively ending his career,) Anthony Mason and Derrick Coleman are just a few athletes who are heavily in debt despite earning several million dollars.

Some are just guilty of mismanaging their earnings, but there's one other factor many of these athletes have in common: baby mama drama. In an interview he gave to GQ magazine, which you can read in its entirety here, Owens discusses his financial hardship, which is compounded by monthly child support payments of $44,600 he was ordered to pay to four women who bore four children for him. Though he has earned at least $80 million in his career, Owens said unlike many athletes, he never made exorbitant purchases. He said his biggest mistake was being to trusting. Trusting friends with access to his accounts, trusting financial investors to make investment choices in his behalf and engaging in a sexual relationship with each of his baby mamas despite never actually dating them.

It's a similar situation former NBA player Antoine Walker faces. Despite making $110 million in his career, Walker is now heavily in debt. Owing thousands of dollars in back child support payments to the mothers of his two daughters, Walker also blames trusting friends who squandered a chunk of his wealth in bad investments and have disappeared now that his debtors have come calling. Walker, no saint himself, is also indebted to a few Las Vegas casinos for an expensive gambling habit he picked up while rolling with NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Retired NBA veteran Antoine Walker reportedly owes millions to several debtors

Then there are the grand daddies of the child making factories: former NFL running back Travis Henry and current New York Jet Antonio Cromatie.

Henry, whose story you can read here, played six years in the league, and fathered nine children with nine women. With his first child conceived while he was in high school, Henry admitted that all but one of his children were unplanned. By the time he got into the NFL, he already had three children, but laughed his way through an NFL symposium educating rookies on the dangers of risky sexual activity. His explanation for fathering so many kids? Trusting the women when they claimed they were on birth control pills. By the time he turned 30, Henry's career was already over, and with no income coming in and plenty going out, it was no surprise when he was arrested for allegedly trafficking cocaine.

Travis Henry, no longer in the NFL, has struggled to provide for his nine children

Cromatie also has nine children he fathered with eight women across six states, one of whom he is currently married to. Cromatie, drafted in 2006, has not been in the league very long, and needed a $500,000 advance when he signed with the Jets to catch up on his child support payments. All nine kids are separated by a five-year gap. Unlike Henry, who claimed to be in long term relationships with most of his baby mamas, Cromatie, whose story you can read about here, engaged in multiple relationships simultaneously.

The N.Y. Jets cornerback fathered nine children within a five-year period

Guys, you can't make these things up.

What goes through these athletes minds when they are hitting the sack with women they barely know, yet trusting these women who say they are on the pill? No regard for the risk of picking up an STD, and certainly no regard for the possibility of bringing in an innocent child into the mix. Both Owens and Cromatie have admitted to not having any kind of relationship with at least one of their kids; apparently not really concerned about how their absences affect these kids and their future.

Which is why I have no sympathy for Owens when he talks about being ignored by friends and the NFL. You made your bed so you must lay on it. Walker, in an Outside The Lines interview, talked about discussing his story so young guys entering the league can be aware of what could happen if they don't manage their money, careers and the people around them properly. But there have been plenty of examples before him. While Walker was partying with Jordan, he could have looked up the stories of athletes like Evander Holyfield, who reportedly has fathered 11 children and blown an estimated $250 million in career earnings.

Owens recently won a petition to have child support payments to four women reduced to reflect his reduced income

At the end of the day, what these guys, and others like them, need to understand is, you can change a financial advisor who risks your money in bad investments. You can develop another career after your playing days (many athletes end up as analysts, others take up coaching or become authors,) but you can never change the mother of your children. And what some of these women have shown is they don't care if they fall to number 10 on the depth chart, they expect to get paid like they are No. 1.

If the billionaire team owners who pay your salaries won't pay the fourth or fifth guy on the depth chart what the franchise player earns, what makes you think you can afford to do just that?

My advice: stop trusting these women to recognize that your money may not always be there for the taking and start making better decisions on the people you choose to establish a lifetime bond or commitment with.

Why soccer isn't popular among blacks in the U.S.

This documentary was my graduate project, the final piece to completing my master's in science at Florida A&M University. It was challenging shooting, interviewing, writing and editing–in a nutshell producing the entire documentary–on my own. But I believe I met my goal,which was to create a thought-provoking documentary that raises awareness and sparks a discussion on the issue.

I'd love to get your thoughts or opinions on the documentary, while keeping in mind that the experiences are localized to the Miami and Tallahassee, Fla., areas. In other words, a lot can still be done to expand the scope of research on a national level.

Thanks to all who supported me through my difficult moments, I finally did it!

Iverson the soccer player?

His NBA career is all but over and his basketball playing days are quickly approaching the end of the tunnel, but former NBA star Allen Iverson may have another shot in a different sport—as a soccer player.

Iverson was a two sport star in basketball and football in high school, but do you really see Iverson as the next soccer sensation? Yeah, me neither. But this is what happens when athletes blow through millions of dollars and become broke way before they near the retirement age.

Though he's denied it, Iverson is reportedly in debt after earning $154 million in salary earnings and at least another $50 million from a lifetime endorsement from Reebok. These may very well be rumors, but considering his inability to cough up a $375,000 debt to a jewelry store, which forced a Georgia judge to freeze his bank account until the debt, now more than $850,000 after interest and legal fees, is paid, it seems Iverson has now joined the continuous stream of major athletes who are broke after earning hundreds of millions. That club includes the likes of Antoine Walker, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Terrell Owens.

Nicknamed The Answer in the NBA, Allen Iverson is still seeking answers to why no NBA team is interested in him

 So to help pay down his bills, the Rochester Lancers of the Major Indoor Soccer League, is offering Iverson a spot on its roster for its last two home games. In exchange, Iverson would earn $20,000 per game with the possibility of earning another $5,000 for each goal he scores.

It's nothing close to what stars of the 11-time NBA all-star's caliber are making in the sport, but the MISL is a far cry from Major League Soccer and even further from the more attention-grabbing and better paying English and Spanish soccer leagues. Still, it's obvious the Lancers are more interested in the potential publicity they would get if he actually suits up. And considering no one's really sure of Iverson's soccer skills, this is more than a generous offer.

It's unlikely Iverson will accept the offer especially since he has received another offer to play in the Puerto Rican basketball league and is more interested in any offer that would draw him closer to an NBA return. But it's hard not to let curiosity seep in, wondering what kind of soccer player he would be. He was once a very speedy athlete and probably has some of that speed left in him at 35. He was also considered one of the NBA's toughest athletes, despite his 6-foot frame. These are two key elements of a good soccer player.

Wondering aside, it's sad to see Iverson go the route of many other athletes with major earning potential. Somehow these athletes never heed the advice to cut down on frivolous spending on women, bling and exotic cars and just save their money. With a divorce underway and no visible substantial income coming in, Iverson is a long way from financial freedom. But if he's lucky he may be able to find a team who will look past his off-court problems and give him another shot to earn some money back.

Third time a charm, fate for Zambia

On their third trip to the African Nations Cup final the Zambian Chipolopolos won their first African title, defeating Cote d'Ivoire 8-7 on sudden death in the penalty shoot out.

This win comes nearly 20 years after the Zambians lost all but two members of the national team in a 1993 plane crash in Libreville, capital of Gabon. The final was played just 10 minutes away from that crash site, obviously a source of motivation for the Zambians based on how well they played.

The chipolopolos celebrate their first Nations Cup win after a dramatic penalty shootout

For a little bit of history lesson, the Chipolopolos were headed to Senegal for a World Cup qualifier in April '93, when the plane crashed, killing 20 players, 12 coaches and staff, as well as the flight's cabin crew. Less than a year later, the newly formed team made it to the final of the '94 Nations Cup before bowing out to Nigeria.

The Zambians were hardly the favorite coming into this year's Cup. They lost a pre-tournament warm-up match to Nigeria 2-0, who failed to qualify. And with the Black Stars of Ghana and the Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire expected to meet in the final, very few people predicted the Zambians could pull off an upset. But it's exactly what they did. Zambia took out Ghana in the semifinal, setting up the epic final on Sunday.

Cote d'Ivoire boasts an impressive lineup up made of stars on English Premiership teams— Didier Drogba, Gervinho and the Toure brothers, to name a few. So I expected Zambia to put up a decent fight worthy of justifying their place in the final. I didn't expect the Elephants to be flustered by their lesser known opponents, so much that Drogba, Cote d'Ivoire's best player, missed a penalty late in the second half. By then I was rooting for the underdogs, while hoping for a penalty shootout that would separate the men from the boys.

You can never underestimate the heart of a champion or interfere with destiny. The kind of destiny that helped unheralded American wrestler Rulon Gardner earn an upset win over Russia's Alexander Karelin in the gold medal match at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Karelin, a three-time Olympic gold medal winner, was considered the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler in history and was riding a 13-year winning streak, which ended with a 1-0 loss to Gardner.

Rulon Gardner's upset win over Alexander Karelin was a shocking moment at the 2000 Olympics

That's the kind of destiny train the Zambians were riding. You could argue that the spirits of the '93 squad were on that field playing alongside their compatriots because the Zambians played like it. With each climatic penalty attempt the Zambians made to tie the Ivoiriens, they silenced their critics. Yet it wasn't until Stophira Sunzu clinched the win on the ninth penalty kick, after Gervinho's missed attempt, that destiny was fulfilled.

I'd say third time wasn't a charm for the Zambians, it was fate.

Suarez deserves more punishment over racist act

The racial saga involving Liverpool's Luis Suarez and Manchester United's Patrice Evra didn't end upon Suarez's return from suspension.

Suarez recently served an eight-game suspension for racially taunting Evra with a word expressed in Spanish. At first Suarez, a Latino Uruguayan national, denied the allegation. But he later said the word he directed at Evra, a black player, wasn't a racially offensive word in his country, so it wasn't intended to be conveyed as a racist statement.

Nevertheless, after an investigation was concluded, the English Football Association suspended Suarez. During his suspension, many Liverpool fans donned shirts in support of Suarez. Two weeks ago, when both teams met in an FA Cup match, one fan was arrested on suspicion of making racist taunts aimed at Evra. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish also vocally supported Suarez, even defying orders to not speak about the issue while investigation was ongoing.

Liverpool's Luis Suarez was accused of racism by Manchester United's Patrice Evra

It's no surprise then that Dalglish continued to sing his forward's praise after Saturday's offensive act. Just before the start of the match, players exchanged the obligatory handshakes symbolizing fair play. But when it came to Suarez's turn to shake his opponents, the Liverpool forward ignored Evra. Not appreciating the diss, Evra grabbed Suarez's arm in a bid to stop him, but was separated by match officials.

It appears that despite the time off, Suarez remains unapologetic and hasn't learned his lesson. Neither has Dalglish. Suarez had the chance to show his previous action was out of character, and to really prove he wasn't a racist player. He knew the cameras would be anticipating the moment he would meet with Evra; perhaps hoping that Suarez might linger a bit longer to embrace the Man U captain or even exchange a few words. Instead, his act of defiance confirmed his immaturity. It proved he had learned nothing from the experience.

Dalglish also missed an opportunity to instil some discipline as a manager.

"People are already speculating on the pre-match ceremony, but from Luis’s point of view we have spoken to him and I know he will shake the hand of Patrice Evra and the other Manchester United players before the game," said Dalglish, in anticipation of the match.

Yet, Dalglish did not publicly chastise Suarez's behavior. In fact, he did the opposite. He continued to back his star player, urging everyone to move past the incident.

How can a major issue such as racial discrimination be ignored? Several European football leagues have struggled with this problem. The Italian league and German Bundesliga have had their share of racial incidents. The English Premiership hasn't been exempt from its own racial discrimination allegations either. Previous English team captain and Chelsea defender John Terry, who's white, was recently stripped of his title amid allegations he directed a racist comment at Queens Park Ranger's Anton Ferdinand, a black English player. English national team manager Fabio Capello resigned in protest of Terry being stripped of his role while the investigation is ongoing.

Anton Ferdinand and John Terry argue over allegations of racist remarks. The investigation is ongoing.

Dalglish could have exercised his authoritative right by pulling Suarez from the match. Yet he chose the cowardly way, like Capello's resignation, to let Suarez play. The Terry-Ferdinand incident is still under investigation, so Capello may get a pass, but Dalglish' poor handling of Suarez' behavior sends the message that he condones the actions.

Several black players in the EPL have voiced their disdain and lack of respect for Suarez. Manchester United's manager Alex Ferguson has publicly decried both Suarez' behavior and the team's handling of it, but there needs to be more outcry, backlash and penalty involved. The EPL has already shown it is more of a reactive league than an active one. But now is the time to take control of this situation once and for all, and send the message to players and fans that racial discrimination will be treated with zero tolerance.

The pressure of National Signing Day

In a little more than 24 hours, the New England Patriots and New York Giants will face off for the Super Bowl title. Thousands of high school football players will be watching, envisioning the day they could play on the same stage.

For these young teens, the chances of playing on the biggest stage in football could increase, depending on what college football program they play for. That's what National Signing Day is all about: where the best and brightest are headed.

Many under-privileged kids, especially blacks, have gotten opportunities to go to college through athletic scholarships. In exchange for an education (not everyone earns a free ride,) these guys put their bodies on the line to earn thousands of dollars for the university. In football, the top programs earn millions of dollars for the university. Not bad huh?

That's why the competition to land the most prized recruits has intensified over the years, increasing interest in what I now see as the outrageous National Signing Day with high school seniors signing letters of intent that they may or may not honor. While the intent (pun intended) can be good, such as this story of linebacker Jeremiah Allison signing a letter of intent without the cameras, next to his comatose mother in a hospital bed, the spectacle it has become is troubling.

Check out the video in my previous post about Richard (Ala.) Vigor High defensive lineman Darius Philon struggling through his decision to go to Alabama or Arkansas. Or this video of the nation's top safety prospect Landon Collins choosing Alabama over LSU, to the disappointment of his mom. April Justin said she was unhappy about Alabama coach Nick Saban's recruitment approach, which she felt did not emphasize education. But she also alleged that her son chose Alabama because Saban offered Collins' girlfriend a job in his office. This allegation has not been confirmed.

When Miami Heat star LeBron James announced his decision to "take his talents to South Beach," leaving Cleveland, he caught a lot of flak for it. But as self-centered as it may have appeared, it raised $3 million for a Boys and Girls Club. ESPN aired "The Decision" special and is also responsible for coverage of signing day. No money from advertising or ratings is donated to charity, yet there isn't any backlash about exploiting these kids or the situation for profit.

There's no need for these kids to face this much pressure before they have officially donned their college uniforms.Very few of them eventually graduate, and even fewer will ever suit up for an NFL team. But who cares? At the end of the day, what matters is the promise they are sold by the college recruits, pretending to care about the kids' future while mentally calculating their dollar-earning potential for the university.

And if a national TV camera happens to be there to capture the moment these young'ns sign away their lives, sometimes petrified or heavily burdened, then so be it.

High school senior struggles to commit to a college program

Watching this high school football player struggle through signing his letter of intent is exactly why National Signing Day should no longer be televised.

Burke's death costs family hefty medical bill

Sarah Burke died while practicing at an unsanctioned event in Utah. Why did it matter what kind of event it was? Because her insurance coverage in the U.S. did not cover unsanctioned events.

This meant that upon her death, her family was left with a medical bill in the hundreds of thousands of dollars—early reports put it at $550,000, but latter reports suggest it was in the neighborhood of $200,000. If Burke had suffered the accident at any kind of event in her native country of Canada, her medical bill would have cost her family nothing.

Burke's death is the latest incident raising the viability of President Barack Obama's healthcare plan, which has called for a universal healthcare insurance available for all at affordable costs, but which has been opposed by the majority of the Republican Party. Republicans now control the House, but long before the swing, several states had filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the government's ability to mandate states health laws.

What many opposers to the plan are saying is that Obama is introducing socialism to the U.S. by allowing the wealthy minority pay for the poor majority, but what Burke's death shows is that the mounting cost of paying for health care can affect anyone.

Fortunately for the charismatic athlete, her fans have shouldered the burden of paying her bills through donations. A reported $285,000 has been raised and her family has vowed to use any extra money to start a foundation in her name.

It would have been a worthy gesture if the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association had picked up the tab on Burke's bill considering how big an ambassador she has been to not just the sport, but for Canada as well. Still it's good to know that after all her family has been through since she first slipped into a coma, they won't be crippled by a financial setback.

Now, if only the rest of America can have the luxury of walking into a hospital for a medical procedure or check up without the fear of becoming bankrupt by the time they walk out.

Robin Thicke concert review

It's long overdue, but since I teased about it in an earlier blog entry, I have no choice but to share my pictures and videos from the Dec. 7 concert I attended featuring my favorite soul singer Robin Thicke.

It was a pretty cold night in Atlanta and I was a bit sick, but it was an early birthday gift to myself (my birthday is Dec. 8) and there was no way I was missing it for the world. I had been dying to see him perform in concert, but never had the chance to as I was never in town when he performed in Miami or Atlanta. I finally got my opportunity and took advantage of it.

Robin Thicke took the stage for a promo concert at The Loft in Atlanta Dec. 7, 2011

Despite the heat, Robin Thicke kept the crowd hype all night

It was an intimate setting at the Loft, a small bar/club above the Center Stage in Atlanta, to boost publicity for Thicke's newest album "Love After War." It was extremely hot in the room (partly because of his gyrating moves,) but it was a lot of fun.

Thicke performed his current single, which shares the same title as the album title, as well as future single (in my opinion) "Pretty Lil' Heart." But he belted out other crowd favorites like "Love you girl," sans Pharrell Williams and "It's in the Morning," from his previous album "Sex Therapy." He also covered some of his less notable songs like "Shooter" and "Shakin' it 4 daddy."

If you are well versed on Robin Thicke's background, you'd know he's well known for his soulful ballads. He couldn't get all of them in, but he performed "Can U Believe," "Sweetest Love," "Sex Therapy," and closed with his most popular tune "Lost Without U."

When I say closed, I don't quite mean done. Finito! He remained on stage for a surprise song, which judging by how many times he teased the surprise during his set, I don't think he expected anyone to guess he would sing a song like that. I certainly didn't. So instead of spoiling it, I'll just play it.

Overall, Robin Thicke covered songs on all his albums save for his first: "A Beautiful World." I understand many fans hardly know about that album, but I would have loved to hear either "When I get you Alone" or "I'm A' Be Alright." Still, for a small promo concert held a day after his album had dropped, it was worth every minute in the hot air balloon called the Loft.

I am looking forward to when he goes on tour (he announced he would begin in March) so I can see him perform on a bigger platform. Just as I predicted correctly that he would tour with Alicia Keys about two years ago, I'm predicting he would tour with Mary J. Blige this year. What do you think? Who do you think would make the perfect touring partner this year?

Freeskier Sarah Burke dies

The skiing world lost a champion earlier today when Canadian freeskier Sarah Burke passed away from complications resulting from injuries she sustained while training in Utah.

Burke, 29, was regarded as the most famous freeskier, earning the respect of peers such as Grete Eliassen, who confessed to watching Burke for inspiration in this article I wrote after interviewing the two at the Women Sports Foundation's Annual Salute to Women in Sports. In the article, both women discussed injuries while competing in a dangerous sport. Unfortunately Burke wasn't able to recover from a Jan. 10 accident in Utah.

Freeskier Sarah Burke died after injuries sustained while training in Utah

Burke tore her vertebral artery, leading to severe bleeding of the brain, according to a statement from her publicist Nicole Wool. Burke suffered a cardiac arrest and went into a coma. Wool said Burke sustained irreversible damage to her brain due to a lack of oxygen and blood, and was unable to recover.

When I interviewed Burke in 2007, it was difficult to keep it professional because she cracked up everyone in the room with every word. Burke was interviewing Eliassen for a video feature on the Foundation's sister website GoGirlGo! Besides using information from that interview for my article, I was allowed to interview the both of them for about 10 minutes after. Those 10 minutes resulted in one of my most interesting interviews ever.

Sarah Burke was known for her smile as much as she was for her incredible twists and tricks

 The two biggest stars of their sport were not only each other's biggest rivals, but also best friends. Not too many sports can boast of such a dynamic relationship. But their free-spirited characters, so alike, were a big reason they developed such a unique relationship.

Not too many celebrities take the time to reach out to the people who interview them. But Burke did. I was pleasantly surprised to get a Facebook message from her, thanking me for capturing the essence of her relationship with Eliassen in the article, and we exchanged a few messages on the social network.

Now, as her family privately mourns her passing, I think about that effervescent smile, always planted on her face no matter what. I remember her for her campaign to get more women competing in her sport and for contributions toward encouraging more girls to become active and participate in sports, which earned her the Yolanda L. Jackson Give Back Award at the 2007 Annual Salute.

That's who she was, a fighter. She fought until the very end; until she could fight no more. For that, her legacy should reflect her fighting spirit just as much as it reflects her incredible records and wins as an athlete.

FAMU hazing death declared homicide

The medical examiner has ruled the death of Florida A&M student Robert Champion a homicide, raising the punitive stakes for who is ultimately found responsible for his death.

Champion, a drum major for the FAMU Marching 100 band, died shortly after the band's performance at the Orlando Classic football game between the Rattlers and Bethune Cookman University. The medical examiner said Champion, 26, suffered multiple blunt trauma blows, resulting in his death. It wasn't long before his death was linked to a hazing incident, setting the stage for a blame game that has put the university in the national spotlight.

As a recent graduate of FAMU's School of Journalism & Graphic Communication, it's sad to see the university thrust in the limelight for negative reasons. But more importantly, it's worse to observe how poorly FAMU has handled the aftermath of Champion's death.

That the actions leading to his death even happened is condemnable, which is exactly what just about everyone who's weighed in on the issue has done. Hazing has never been the right thing to do, but it has remained the unspoken rite of passage in many organizations.

Four drum majors were dismissed by the university for their alleged involvement in Champion's death. The Famuan, the school newspaper has identified three of the four. Band director Julian White was also fired, although his termination was scheduled to become effective at the end of the band's season. Following Florida governor Rick Scott's announcement of a task force to investigate the death, White's termination and the students dismissal were rescinded.

Last year, I covered the Marching 100 for a package story that ran in FAMU's Homecoming Special. I met, though never interviewed or talked directly with, two of the drum majors dismissed: Jonathan Boyce, now the head drum major, and Shawn Turner. I don't recall seeing Ricki Willis, the third identified student. Neither Boyce, nor Turner, struck me as killers, which is exactly what whoever's found guilty could be branded.

Amid the PR circus enveloping this case– the students and White's dismissal, the revelation of more hazing incidents within the band, alleged financial misappropriation of band-related funds, Gov. Scott's call for FAMU President James Ammons resignation, students' protests in front of Scott's residence and the Board of Trustees division over Ammons future as president– very little has been done to address this problem of hazing.

Hazing has been a cultural staple in organizations for decades, and despite a Florida law making it a felony, fraternities continue to engage in the act. That is the scary part. That Champion, who as a drum major was one of the band's leaders, submitted to the physical torture speaks volumes on how deep-rooted the culture is. The fact that the Marching 100, and I suspect other organizations on the campus, continued this tradition after a similar incident involving a fraternity pledge garnered national attention and led to the conviction and expulsion of several students in 2005, is a testament that it will take more than the loss of lives to end this practice.

Ammons announced a zero tolerance for hazing in the wake of Champion's death, yet White said when he dismissed 26 students for hazing two weeks before the Orlando Classic, and supported a recommendation for their dismissal from the school, the university ignored it. Considering the 2005 hazing of Marcus Jones, a Kappa Alpha Psi pledge, which led to expulsion and conviction of several students within the fraternity, it's hard pressed to not point a finger at the FAMU administration for its terrible handling of White's decision, and even poorer handling of Champion's death.

It's not enough for Ammons and the BOT to fire everyone of authority within the band and suspend the band's activities. That means nothing to the Champion family and to the general public watching to see what the university would do to address the problem. FAMU needs to establish itself as a symbol of anti-hazing. And so far it's failing to do so. Students marching in support of Ammons when they should be marching against anti-hazing is disgraceful. But when you think about the fact that many of those students could likely be victims of hazing through their various organizations, it speaks volumes about the lack of sensitivity for the Champion family.

It could be months before this case is settled and charges are brought against anyone. Normal life will eventually resume on FAMU's campus, but not for the Champions. They entrusted their son to the care of FAMU and it's world renowned marching band. In return, they got his corpse and now have to contend with the fact that their son was bludgeoned to death by members of his other family: the FAMU community.

Back from hiatus

Judging from my last post, it's certainly been a while since I've been here. It wasn't intentional. I have been working on my graduate project, which is a documentary on the lack of blacks in soccer in the United States. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback about the subject matter and will share it with you once my defense is officially over.

Just because I haven't recorded an entry in a long time doesn't mean I haven't been keeping up with what's been going on in sports, and a lot has happened. Another major college sports program (Syracuse basketball) has been hit with sexual abuse allegations. The NBA player reshuffle is in major frenzy as teams hustle to lock up key players before the Christmas Day start of the shortened season.

But one major story that hits close to home is the ongoing investigation over the death of a Florida A&M University Marching 100 band player. Robert Champion III, a 26-year-old drum major died hours after the band had performed at the Orlando Classic. The apparent cause has been linked to hazing, which has set off a firestorm of who bears the responsibility for his death. In the next few days, I'll share my thoughts on the issue as a graduate of FAMU.

It was my birthday on Dec. 8, and as a gift to myself I finally got to attend a Robin Thicke concert on Dec. 7. I'll share some of the videos and pictures I shot at the concert. The end of the year is fast approaching, but I still have a few things to share before the end of the year.

Stay tuned.

**Update** on Penn State sexual abuse

Joe Paterno, longtime coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, was fired yesterday by the university's board of trustees for his role in covering up the alleged sexual abuse by his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. University President Graham Spanier tendered his resignation rather than face termination.

Mike McQueary, the graduate assistant who witnessed Sandusky performing anal sex on a boy of about 11 years, was not fired and was set to coach in Saturday's game. However, latest reports from the team say McQueary, the wide receivers coach, will not attend the game.

Click on, if you are interested in reading the Grand Jury report on eight victims stories involving sexual acts Sandusky performed or tried to perform on them.

**I should warn that some of the acts are of extremely graphic nature, however, I think people should be aware of some of the behavior sexual predators employ to lower their victims' defenses. So please read with caution.

Penn State continues to drop the ball in this sex scandal

Few days ago, I was blogging about a sexual harassment issue within the ESPN enterprise. Little did I know the U.S. would be rocked by a far worse sexual scandal involving the highly regarded Penn State University. Well, at least it used to be highly regarded until this mess officials at the school have created by turning a blind eye to an egregious crime.

I am enraged that such a thing was accommodated by the school for nearly a decade after it was first reported to officials. Penn State is losing more respect as a university with each hour that passes without the announcement of current coach Joe Paterno being fired. He should not even be allowed to retire, he should be fired effectively. However, the university's board of trustees are sitting on Paterno's decision to play out the season and retire at the end? They continue to empower Paterno even after the revelation that he was aware of the alleged sexual abuse between his defensive coordinator and several underaged boys? The school first announced that Paterno would give a press conference, but would only address football-related questions, not the scandal. When word of the backlash got back to the school, the press conference was canceled. Why on earth would anyone be interested in anything but the abuse allegations? Since then, there has been no public address from Paterno except to announce he plans on coaching the remainder of the season? Way to send the message that football continues to be your priority, instead of a moral obligation to the victims of these heinous crimes and their families.

Jerry Sandusky faces multiple sexual abuse charges on boys

If you've somehow missed the biggest news in American sports right now, and certainly one of the biggest news nationwide, former Penn State defensive coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested and charged with 40 counts of sexual misconduct including indecent assault of a minor under 16. The allegations occupy a 15-year period between 1994-2009. Some of the alleged victims are as young as 10. Sandusky is an adoptive father of six kids, who along with his wife, started The Second Mile foundation to help at-risk children. However, he's now accused of taking advantage of these children. Authorities allege there were likely much earlier instances of abuse and details, which went unreported. And now it makes me wonder if he preyed on his own adopted children.

Several grand jury reports have been released alleging many incidents including the following:

The first reported incident involved a boy of about 11 or 12, who revealed physical contact with Sandusky during overnight stays at Sandusky's home. The boy's mother reported the sexual assault allegations to his high school, and Sandusky was banned from the child's school district in Clinton County.

Another accuser, now 27, testified that Sandusky initiated contact with a "soap battle" in the shower that led to multiple instances of involuntary sexual intercourse and indecent assault at Sandusky's hands. The accuser said he traveled to charity functions and Penn State games with Sandusky. But when he resisted the coach's advances, Sandusky threatened to send him home from the 1999 Alamo Bowl.

Another child, a boy between ages 11 to 13, was seen by a janitor pinned against a wall while Sandusky performed oral sex on him in fall 2000.

And in 2002, then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary, now a wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, saw Sandusky sexually assault a naked boy, of about 10 years old, in a team locker room shower.

Now this is where the blame game begins. Prosecutors say McQueary reported what he saw to Paterno, who immediately told athletic director Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, the school's senior vice president for business and finance. By this time, Sandusky had retired as defensive coordinator (in 1999,) but was still allowed to use the Nittany Lions' facilities to host foundation events. Penn State's decision was to ban Sandusky from hosting youth camps on the campus, however reports are he continued to host events on Penn State's satellite campus in Erie, Pa. Curley and Schultz are now facing charges for lying to cover up the incident, instead of reporting to the authorities. If you're interested in what their responses to the charges are, you can read more here. McQueary and Paterno, despite being aware of the incident, never followed up on the outcome.

Tim Curley

Gary Schultz

As it stands, there are calls for even the university's president Graham Spanier to resign or face being fired.

Here's portions of Paterno's retirement statement, which he announced today.

"I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief. I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can. This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more. My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this university."

Penn State coach Joe Paterno

Your goal now is football? Really? In hindsight, you would do things differently, however, you currently choose to focus on coaching your team through the remainder of the season? Would he still take the same stance if one of those boys was his son? You accepted the university's decision to ban him from coming on the main campus, but it's OK to go somewhere else to sexually assault boys?

In 2009, I joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in Virginia. The organization focuses on pairing at-risk children with mentors, who could guide them to become responsible adults. That is essentially what Sandusky signed up for. These children are not necessarily poor kids who are desperate for monetary gifts. They are children who may be products of broken homes or who have been exposed to the kind of lifestyle that could lead to a life of crime. These children look to their mentors to give them the positive guidance that would lead to a productive future. My little sister wasn't my blood, yet I worried that at 11, she had a Myspace account. I repeatedly cautioned her against the dangers of falling prey to a sexual predator online. To hear that a man, who's a father of six, would take advantage of children under his care is appalling.

Which is why I'm disgusted that Paterno and McQueary, as of this moment, are still scheduled to coach Saturday's game; to continue to be representatives of Penn State. The university has already lost respect for not handling this case years ago and preventing the abuse of many more victims. But allowing Paterno to go out on his own terms sends the message that they care more about their legendary coach of 46 years than of the abused victims.

Thrilla in Manila revisited

If you haven't seen the documentary Thrilla in Manila, you have to. HBO's 90-minute documentation of the historic final fight between two of the greatest boxers in history, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, is worth the watch. Released in 2008, the documentary is presented from Frazier's perspective, and doesn't include any direct interviews from Ali beyond archival footage from 1969-1975, when the trilogy of fights were hosted after Ali's boxing license had been restored. Still, with commentary from the Ali camp, including his ringside doctor and Manila liaison, this is a pretty good account of their series of fights.

What everyone should easily remember is that Ali won that fight and has since been referred to as the "greatest boxer of all time." What many may have forgotten is how Ali's hunger for maximum publicity, beginning with the first fight, drove a wedge between the one-time friends. Frazier would never get the kind of fame or money that Ali was awarded, and at the time of the documentary was living in a shabby apartment on top of his boxing gym located in one of Philadelphia's poorest neighborhoods. To get a more in-depth or accurate synopsis of the documentary, you can go here.

Joe Frazier's only win against Muhammad Ali came in the first of their three fights.

I'm more enthralled by the courage and resolve of the two fighters on that day. When you watch highlights from the fight, it's clear why boxing was the biggest sport during that period. It was a period when the best wanted to go against each other. Frazier not only lobbied emphatically for Ali's license to be restored, he assisted Ali financially and helped stage some of the earlier publicized friction between the two (before Ali's 'Uncle Tom' and 'gorilla' taunts resulted in a broken friendship.) It's a far cry from today when the two biggest fighters currently in the sport, Manny Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather, cannot come to terms to stage arguably the biggest fight since Thrilla. I was captivated by Ali and Frazier's ability to go toe-to-toe for 15 rounds of pure boxing; each taking explosive jabs and combos at each other unlike today's style of dancing around the ring for two of the three minutes allotted for a maximum 12 rounds.

By the time Frazier's corner threw in the towel at the start of the 15th round of the Thrilla fight, both fighters were barely standing upright. I feel like Ali's body had taken more beating of the two by the end; just as some–and I mean just some–of the analysts who called that fight had suggested. But Frazier's face, notably his right eye, had suffered the most external damage. We'll come to find out later that Frazier had been fighting with a partially blinded left eye for most of his major fights, and could barely see once his right eye was shut from swelling. It explains why though he appeared to be the more agile of the two, Frazier couldn't evade Ali's punches. He couldn't see. That alone was the reason his camp threw in the towel on the final round.

Ali won the brutal final fight between the two, sealing his place as boxing's greatest

"Would you have been willing to risk your life for that final round?" documentarian John Dower asked Frazier in an on-camera interview for the film. "Yes!" was Frazier's response, which he gave even before Dower was done asking. And I don't doubt that for a second. Frazier's trainer Eddie Futch was quoted as saying years after the fight that he had watched eight fighters die in a ring in his lifetime and didn't want to watch a ninth. Many have said Ali was set to win the fight based on punches landed regardless, unless he was knocked out. Some even speculated that Ali was also considering throwing in the towel, especially since he fell to the mat after the fight was ended. We may never know what Ali's strategy for the last round of his greatest fight would have been. Not that it matters now.

Sadly, both boxers continued to fight instead of ending their career on that iconic fight. Ali now struggles with Parkinson's disease. Both fighters endured years of friction, particularly from Frazier toward Ali because the former felt he never got a real apology. In 2001, Ali apologized in a story published in the New York Times, saying he regretted many of the words he called Frazier and had done it merely for publicity. Sadly, Frazier never did leave down some of those words. Being called an Uncle Tom, even though of the two, he was actually the one who had worked since he was a kid. And even though Ali had associated himself with the white supremacist group known as the Ku Klux Klan.

I assume HBO is re-airing the documentary now in light of the news that Frazier, 67, is battling liver cancer. BBC has reported that Ali, 69, has offered his prayer and support to his old friend. Many Frazier fans have offered their livers for a possible transplant to keep him alive, which I only hope will happen. But thanks to documentaries like this, sports fans like me get to relive historical matches, games and fights that we never could have witnessed.

**Update**

Unfortunately, Frazier passed away late Monday night from complications from his battle with liver cancer. R.I.P. Smokin' Joe!