ROBERT LITTAL PRESENTS THE INFAMOUS BLACKSPORTSONLINE

This classic line from Mike Epps in the movie How High illustrates the current trend amongst student athletes, the NCAA, and the sports agencies.

In a development that has shocked the sports world, OJ Mayo has been accused of accepting money and gifts, thus violating NCAA rules.

According to an Outside the Lines report, former Mayo "associate" Louis Johnson has blew the whistle (snitched, if you will), on the "alleged" operation between BDA Sports Management (who's roster includes Melo, Steve Nash, and Yao) and a person "representing" Mayo by the name of Rodney Guillory.

Yes, Louis Johnson was guilty of some of this too. He had a falling out with Guillory (i.e. Guillory was getting too greedy with the money he was getting and not wanting to share), which led him to be ESPN's source for most of the investigation.

If this is true (my warning for those crabs who always say BSO is quick to place guilt upon people) , it is not fair to blame Mayo for everything that has happened.

When the playoffs started I stated that they could be the best NBA playoffs ever. So far besides the individual brilliance of Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul they have been a disappointment. Mainly because it doesn't appear that anyone can when on the road. Adding to the fact that when teams are not just losing road games they are getting blown out. Championship teams win on the road and until one of these teams show that they are compatible of beating a quality team on the road the Championship is still up in the air for anyone.

Why does it seem like whenever a professional athlete's wife talks that the only outcome can be bad? A-Rod's wife during an interview let out the fact that during the birth of their first child that A-Rod fainted. She added that the nurses were paying more attention to him than they were of to her. She also points out that she thinks her husband is a wimp about a lot of things.

While it is nothing to be ashamed of getting a little lightheaded during childbirth, the last thing A-Rod needs is his wife yapping that he is a wimp. He has enough perception problems as it is. Next thing you know, she will be talking about how his personal trainer shot her in the ass with HGH or she might just misremember that.

Maybe now we can all stop talking about spygate. Matt Walsh turned over tapes to the NFL which, in essence, confirmed, what we already knew, that the Patriots are cheaters. That was established a long time ago. So this isn't news.

He didn't have the tape of the infamous Super Bowl walk through that the Boston Herald claims to exist. So in reality, this is much to do about nothing. The football gods have already punished the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick more than Roger Goddell ever could. How else could you explain an 18-0 team getting beat in the Super Bowl? If you don't believe in fate and karma you should now. So please no more spygate talk. It is a dead issue.

This is why no one takes the Eastern Conference seriously. The days of 76-74 games should be over. That was an ugly display of basketball. For those who say it was great defense (yeah I am talking to you Amber Fox), I say Lebron James had more turnovers in one game than Chris Paul has had in the entire playoffs. Unless that was the 76 Steelers playing against Lebron, it was just a garbage performance. This isn't the Knicks vs. the Heat circa 1995

I never ever want to see a brick fest like that again. I took out valuable time from playing Grand Theft Auto 4 to watch Game 1 and now I wish I would have spent more time with Nikko and Roman at the strip club. I am giving you one more chance before I tune out the series completely.

Now just which league is the Thug League?

After all of these arrests, allegations, and God knows what else, how is it that the NFL hasn't gotten the Thug label that the NBA has? The NFL has a rap sheet at least twice as long as the NBA's, maybe three times longer, and they get away with it while the NBA suffers and gets labeled the Thug League that mainstream America just couldn't bring itself to support in large numbers anymore. How does that happen? Chris Henry alone has more arrests than we've had from NBA players over the past several years, and yet the NBA is the criminal league. Pac Man Jones is the only pro athlete facing charges for what happened at the NBA All Star Weekend, and yet the NBA gets tarnished for it as much as the NFL? I know I've been down this road before, but everytime I see an NFL player get arrested and the way the media handles it, I get upset. This Marvin Harrison thing is no different in that it's being treated as an individual incident and not being symbolic of a league run amok.

Now we all know the double standard is more about imagery than actual criminality. Tattoos, jewelry, baggy pants, hip hop, and conspicuous entourages all conspire to inspire both fear and hostility in a large portion of the sports fanbase, and these things are all on display much more in the NBA than in the NFL. Some people see those things and jump to conclusions whereas you don't see any of that during a football game. The tats are covered up by jerseys and pads, as are the jewelry. The entourages, if they're even in the building, don't stand out among 50,000 plus people the way they do sitting courtside at an NBA game. You don't have postgame press conferences where star players go on rants about 'practice' and 'both teams playing hard', so the attitude isn't put on display like it is after NBA games. And finally, with football players you're dealing with a lot of guys who could easily fit amongst us regualr folk in that most of them are no taller or bigger than you and I. There's no mistaking Rahseed Wallace for a keyboard puncher like myself.

All that being said, how about some objectivity from the media? How about we treat everyone as an individual, no matter the sport they play, and judge them for what they do instead of their entire league. No sports league is full of noble gladiators or criminals; there are many of both in all of them. How about we tell the truth instead of playing up the usual narratives? How about we not act so shocked at Marvin Harrison, especially with his history, and then turn around and treat Josh Howard like he's the typical NBA player? That's all I'm asking; is it too much?

"If you have kids you want them to play like Marvin Harrison. He is a good guy. He gives the ball to the ref and does not act like a fool as opposed to his counter part Chad Johnson a bad guy". Scott Van Pelt ESPN Radio

No, no, no, no, no!!!! You know something, I am tired of this. If you only read one article from BlackSportsOnline, this is the one I want you to read. If you aren't an idiot, an imbecile, a fool, a numbskull, an ignoramus or just a flat out retard, you are going to read this statement. Repeat it twice and never forget it:

"YOU CAN NOT JUDGE SOMEONE' S CHARACTER BY HIS ACTIONS ON A COURT OR FIELD."

Honestly, do you know how stupid you sound when you judge how a person acts off the field from a few highlight clips on ESPN? Do you know how foolish you sound when you say a person is classy because he hands the ball to the ref and doesn't trash talk? It is just idiotic talk and it is time for that to stop. ESPN is not your moral compass. Chris Berman is influencing you by his commentary. Do a search on YouTube and you will see just how nice some of your prized athletes are in real life.

The simple fact is you don't know what is happening behind close doors. If I told you two weeks ago that an NFL Wide Receiver would be involved in a gun incident and asked you to pick the most likely and least likely receiver to be involved, I am 100% sure that the first two names that would be considered most likely would be:

1- Chad Johnson
2- T.O.

And the least likely would be:

1- Marvin Harrison

I am all for romance and what not, but you have to be a little smarter Rashard Mendenhall. You can't be walking around at 2am in a beautiful but not so safe part of Chicago. Mendenhall was robbed at gunpoint while taking a leisurely stroll with a lady friend. Luckily for him and his friend they weren't harmed. I was going to write about how Mendenhall, soon to be a multiple millionaire, needs to be aware that he is now a target of "Grand Theft Auto" proportions. But then my some of my friends in Chicago told me it wouldn't have mattered if he was Homie the Clown, he still would have gotten jacked. The lesson here is, millionaire or working class Joe, just be aware of your surroundings because you have enough to worry about than getting your life taken over a wallet and a chain.

I don't trust the police, so my initial reaction to the Cedric Benson boat incident is to believe Benson's version of events. Then again this is Cedric Benson. So it is quite possible he is making the whole thing up and the police were just doing their job.

Here is what we know. There were some alcholic beverages on Benson's boat and the police pulled it over. Benson says he wasn't drunk. He said he passed all the sobriety tests and corporated fully with the cops. The police say that Benson was drunk, didn't pass the tests and was resisting arrest. If it turns that Benson's version of events are true (the mug shot makes you wonder), then anyone who came to conclusions before all the facts came out should apologize. It is easier to assign guilt to a player who is considered a bust as opposed to a player everyone assumes was a great guy (see: Marvin Harrison, more on that later).

First let me say there isn't any excuse for the Celtics even have to deal with a Game 7 with the Hawks. They should have taken care of this team in five games or less. They should be embarrassed. With that being said, they did take care of business and, hopefully for them, they have learned their lesson or Lebron will send them packing.

The Hawks I assume figure six games were enough since they didn't even try to show up, but Marvin Williams was sure to leave the Celtics with a lasting memory of trying to kill Rajon Rando.