A couple months after a man named Warren Brathwaite got arrested in June as part of a drug bust involving a large-scale marijuana distribution ring, he was linked to several well-known people. Among them, former ABC analyst and new Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson. While the ties Jackson had to Brathwaite were about as wholesome as possible – Jackson and his wife operate a ministry at which Brathwaite was the head usher – they were still ties. Close ties, at that – Brathwaite accompanied Jackson to that latter’s introductory press conference with the Warriors.
Jackson initially did not believe his friend could be association with drug crimes, but in a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Jackson somewhat echoed those comments, though he sounded a little more accepting of the idea that Brathwaite might be that person:
“I know him. I love him. I hope all of this is wrong. That’s all I can go with until it works itself out.”
Jackson also went into a little more detail about the nature of his relationship with Brathwaite:
“At the end of the day, Brother Warren doesn’t have a relationship with Mark Jackson, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. He wouldn’t say, ‘Mark Jackson, my friend’ or ‘Mark Jackson, my coach.’ He would say, ‘Pastor Mark, my spiritual father.’”
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“In fairness to me, as a pastor, I’m going to be linked to drug dealers, drug addicts, liars and fornicators. The church is a place for sick people to be healed. I’m going to help them, but I’m not going to co-sign on their troubles.”
It must not be easy for Mark Jackson to come to the realization that his good friend was involved in criminal activity. One thign about criminals are they are good at what they do, just take a look at the recent college and professional coaches have been duped by criminals in ponzi schemes as an example. It would be unfair to judge Mark Jackson, and with the NBA lockout in a stalemate, stories like this will continue to linger until we get the players and coaches back to work.