For the past 12 seasons, he has grabbed his lunch pal and has gone to work. Silently. Statistically it would be hard to find somebody better. In a league filled with players that worry more about themselves, he was the ultimate teammate. Just doing his job, and doing it well I might add. No negative headlines, just production between the lines.
Purity.
Suddenly overnight, Marvin Harrison’s purity and 12 years of dominance on the football field and doing it the right way has been put in jeopardy due to an incident in his native Philadelphia. A firearm belonging to Harrison was used in a shooting incident, where thankfully nobody perished.
Were we fooled, or did this silent warrior reveal the truth to the Indianapolis Colts, proclaiming his innocence?
It is becoming next to impossible for us to believe him. Our public courtroom in society has tried, convicted, and closed the case on him without the need of a trial. In society’s courtroom, we are the judge, jury, and the executioner. No matter what the offense, you are guilty until proven innocent. If you prove your innocence, your image will still be tarnished.
Whatever happened to a fair trial?
Unfortunately in our me, me, me society of overpaid athletes with lowered standards of ethics, we have developed a negative stereotype towards professional athletes that become synonymous with the police blotter. We open the newspaper or click onto the internet and seemingly every day, and see another player involved in something negative. We have grown to expect it. Despite all the athletes that volunteer their spare time to various charities around the country, negative news sells. We hear about the negative and ignore the positive.
We have built up a zero-tolerance attitude towards it. When the World witnessed one of the best players ever to touch a football get off for a double homicide, society was outraged. As they should be. As the white Bronco famously evaded police on television for the World to see during the 1994 NBA Finals, our view of professional athletes changed for eternity.
Unfortunately for athletes thereafter, they must suffer the consequences for the actions of one. When we hear of Harrison’s denial, we roll our eyes. When we hear Cedric Benson’s agent deny any wrongdoing for Benson’s alcohol related incident on water, we shake our heads. Why? Because we don’t believe them.
The steroid mess has made our courtroom more strict. We are even quicker to judge than ever before. We want to lock them them up and throw away the key. We ask our questions later. No chance of parole. No bail. 25 to life of hard time in the society of sports fans.
Harrison has been as squeaky clean as they come in his first 12 years in the league. You are talking about a player that caught 143 passes in 2002, and we barely heard a peep about it. Other than an injury-ravaged 2007, Harrison hauled in double digits in touchdown receptions for eight straight seasons.
There are 1,042 reasons to love Harrison if you are a Colts fan. That is the amount of receptions he has snagged between the numbers 8 and 8 in his career. 13,944 yards and 123 touchdowns. Legendary numbers of Hall of Fame caliber, yet he goes about his business so quietly. It is pleasant to see.
1 negative incident, potentially years of attempting to prove his innocence ahead. Suddenly his gaudy statistics have taken a back seat. Harrison has earned better and deserves better.
This might be a case where society needs to give him the benefit of the doubt. Find another negative incident in his life. Is it really beyond belief that a member of Harrison’s entourage had an incident, grabbed Harrison’s gun, and pulled the trigger? Seems quite reasonable to me.
Maybe I’m lying to myself. He probably had something to do with it, right? At least I am taking the wait and see approach on this one.
Kind of nice to have an open mind every so often, isn’t it?
Scottsradamus
Call me naive call me stupid but isn't this what we've come to expect when an athlete gets into a situation like this ?
Far be it for me to suggest anything to the opposite. But it's looking somewhat dicey for Harrison at this juncture. His gun is allegedly used by an employee or associate in the shooting of two victims. So where do we go from there ?
I've a soccer post up within this forum titled Two Up Two Down More Of The Same.....Ordinarily The Same Game !
Let me know what you think as to the merits of the piece as and when you're ready ? I'll definitely be looking forward to reading your comments. Chimin' out.
I agree that he has, or should have earned the benefit of the doubt far more than, say, a Pacman Jones. And, insofar as the police STILL aren't calling him a suspect, it seems more and more likely that the "evidence" supplied by an "unnamed source" that seemed so damning might not be that credible after all. Maybe I am entirely wrong, and he will be arrested. But until that happens, I believe Marvin has earned the right to not be considered just another thug athlete.
Also, we don't mention this often enough: the man who was shot, who was previously in a fistfight with Marvin (which has been admitted to), and who I can only assume isn't Marvin's best pal, did NOT name Marvin as the person who shot him.
I will say that if Marvin makes it out of this without serious charges, he would be wise to sell any businesses he owns in the Philadelphia inner city....
Scott, it appears to me that it is the "zero tolerance" attitude. You know, a 12th grade girl has a MIDOL and she gets kicked out of school for a year. Or, a 3rd grader holds up a french fry and says "####" to another student. He gets put out of school for a week. My guess is that the general public is taking the same attitude toward professional athletes. (Okay, uses the french fry like a gun. Gosh!)
I say fry him!!!! Everyone saying that he deserves better, or is being tried in public opinion is laughable. Why should his career stats have anything to do with this situation. Are some suggesting that if you have stellar NFL numbers that you should be treated differently then lets say Pacman? If it was his gun, was registered to him and he did not report it stolen before the incident, then he is just as liable as the person that pulled the trigger. Life is about accountability not your career recieving numbers. He might be a great team mate and have a wonderful work ethic, but that doesn't give him a pass on laws, or punishment.
His Gun, his problem. Who cares if he caught X number of passes in 12 years, or what he did for 12 years on the field. This is an off field incident, so leave it to only off field stuff. I would hate to see a potential jury pool tainted by a bunch of sniveling stat ####.
Last edited by Packers4ever on May 14th at 1:08 PM.
I have been a huge fan of Marvin's and Peyton's for years (my favorite team has and will always be the Cowboys). I think he needs to have the benefit of the doubt, but correct me if I have my facts wrong.
(1)The guy who got shot had been involved in a fist fight with Marvin.
(2) Marvin owns the gun that has been positively id'd as the one used in the shooting.
(3) Marvin turned the gun over to police after the shooting
Am I missing something here??? How did he have possesion of the gun after the shooting unless he was in some way involved? At least with the facts that are public knowledge, it appears that he should either be a suspect or at the very least a material witness. How can you claim the gun was stolen, used in a shooting and then somehow ends up back in your possesion??? I'm not that gullible...
Well, "fry him" is a bit extreme even if he is guilty. Nobody is dead, nor was anybody seriously injured. (I would classify "serious injury" as having to spend any amount of time in an ICU, in case anyone wants to challenge me on that statement.)
And to whomever who thinks this is about stats, yes, YOU, 'Packers4ever,' I would say you have entirely missed the point. All we, who defend Marvin, are asking for is that the legal process be allowed to work. The man is not even a suspect at this point, according to police. That should be good enough for everybody at this point. If he is arrested, we can all judge the evidence against him then, particularly evidence coming from credible, named sources, as opposed to the sensationalist, conjecture-ridden, tabloid journalism that we recieved when the story broke.
It's a pretty cut-and-dry case of "innocent until proven guilty," an AMERICAN LEGAL PRINCIPLE that we should all value. It protects Marvin Harrison, and it protects you too.
Good article. I'm a Cowboys fan as well, but I live in Indy and know all about athletes getting in trouble (thank you very much Pacers).
I don't think the blog was saying his stats matter for guilt or innocence, it was merly pointing out the fact that most with such stats are all over the press (good or bad) and with Marvin you get superstar stats with a blue collar mind set. If you can't see the difference in this and a free pass because he has great stats you probably should not be commenting.
Let the facts play out, my guess is Marvin did not fire a gun and if his gun was used it was not a decision he would have endorsed. There are lots of theories, one being the gun was at the bar for personal protection and used by someone other than Marvin. I owned a business (in Indy) and while I didn't have a gun, I did leave a stun gun and alarm clicker for the high school age staff as the best protection I could offer them. You never know what's going to happen (especially in a bar) when dealing with the general public. Afterall there's always going to be the "Packers4ever" type coming in. (let me just say I doubt all Packers fan share such a view of Marvin)
Last edited by Dave_From_Indy on May 14th at 3:36 PM.
I ALSO LIVE IN INDIANA AND ITS FUNNY THAT ONE PERSON LIVES IN INDY AND IS A COWBOYS FAN AND THE OTHER IS A COWBOYS FAN THAT LOVES MANNING AND HARRISON....ALL MY FRIENDS HERE IN INDIANA ARE BANDWAGON JUMPING COLTS FANS, BUT THEY STILL CONSIDER THE COWBOYS THEIR 2ND FAVORITE TEAM EVER SINCE THE COLTS BECAME GOOD. COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION; definition-...media grabbing hold of a story with their claws and running with it adding their own personal speculation to make the story sexier. I think the sports media has an incredibly strong influence on fans and even teams.....In my own personal opinion I think they have so much that they have even swayed coaches and organizations on their opinion of players....maybe they should just report facts?!?!?!
Last edited by derekvikings on May 14th at 4:08 PM.
Like your article and thoughts - with one exception. You say that his reputation is potentially scarred by "one negative incident"..... Are you missing something??? This little incident is ATTEMPTED MURDER. One negative incident would be a speeding ticket, or having a too loud party. This is a serious felony in which a man's life was trying to be snuffed out. I will reserve my judgement until all the facts come to light, but I do find it very intersting that the first word from the Harrison camp was Marvin has nothing to do with this. Then it turned to....well, he did not fire the gun. Let's just all hope that the guilty party(s) get their due punishment - even if it happens to be Marvin.
"1 negative incident, potentially years of attempting to prove his innocence ahead. Suddenly his gaudy statistics have taken a back seat. Harrison has earned better and deserves better."
How the heck can you say this article is completely about Harrison getting a fair shake and not about how his stats and on-field history should play a major role in his defence. It's one thing to say that his character should count...but do you KNOW anything about his character? You just know that he's quiet, that he doesn't brag, that he's a hard worker. Those are important qualities, but they don't ultimately make you into a good person.
I'm not saying he did or didn't do it, but please don't act like you're any less biased than the people that want his head.
If you saw the same story about some guy you'd never heard of that had never had any legal trouble, I doubt you'd start talking about how he'd earned anybody noting his work history.
His gaudy statistics SHOULD take a backseat. There are more important things to worry about than how much yardage he racked up in a career.
"If you saw the same story about some guy you'd never heard of that had never had any legal trouble...."
I'd wonder just why in the hell any news organization bothered to run the story. When we get facts, when and if arrests are made, that is when it is appropriate to examine the evidence and judge.
And no one is suggesting football stats are of particular relevance here. What is being suggested is that a man of some stature who doesn't have any legal history is getting treated like a thug by certain elements of the media and the credulous fools who take everything in print as gospel before police have even acknowledged he is a suspect!
Some of you would love the justice system in China. I, for one, believe in ours, imperfect though it may be, and it's still INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY, and at this point no one is trying to prove Marvin Harrison did anything. All I am asking is that people WAIT, and allow the system to work.
And make no mistake, if you substituted the name "Peyton Manning" or "Tom Brady" for Marvin Harrison's I could guarantee everybody would be waiting for the facts to come out before proclaiming guilt or innocence. Would that be because of football stats? Maybe for a tiny minority, but for most it would be the fact that they are white men.
Most who are ready to convict Marvin are eager to do so because he is a black man, and therefore it is infinitely more likely that he is exhibiting a latent criminal streak than his white counterparts in the league. These are just the kinds of things black people get themselves into, right?
ONCE AGAIN I am not suggesting he didn't do anything, but that I refuse to formulate a baseless opinion. I will wait for the law enforcement community to do their job.
Scott, you say Marvin has been squeaky clean. Lets not forget the incidence a few years back at the pro bowl where he settled a case out of court. He was charged with assault on two boys, one he put in a head lock after they kept asking him for his autograph. That is not squeaky clean, it shows character.
Just because the guy can play football doesn't make him innocent. I love that people talk about his character like they know him. Quite frankly, the fact that the victim will not name the shooter, makes me think the shooter is high profile. And what is this "person of great character" doing walking around with a gun? What are we in the wild west? Also, he was in a fist fight. How old is he? He is out of high school right? Should'nt a man with great character have enough of it to walk away from trouble? Let's not forget their was a child present at this shooting.Whether he is guilty of the shooting, I do not know, but I doubt he is a man of great character. he is out there walking around with a gun, getting into fist fights in front of children, and at minimal allowing someone to use his gun in a shooting in which a child was present.
Wow, the "Court of Public Opinion". Lets look at some of the great historical uses of the great court:
1.)Killed thousands of women during witch trials in America and Europe. (COPO thought that if you were accused of being a witch then they could torture you until you admitted it, or died)
2.)Murdered Men in the old west. (COPO thought that it was OK to take the law into their own hands without proof or trial)
3.)Murdered Men of Color in the old South, and not that long ago. (COPO thought that Black people were inferior and that lynching was a way to keep them in their place.)
4.)Allowed the Japanese to bomb Pearl Harbor killing many brave men stationed there. (COPO thought that this was somebody elses war and that we should be out of this one and that the ocean would make them safe)
5.)9/11. (COPO thought that if we left them buggers alone they would leave us alone. Bin Laden had been proven to be a major threat to this country as far back as 1986, and yet we did nothing)
The court of public opinion has proven itself to be what it really is, a tool of the ignorant masses to empower themselves. Its way for the uninformed to feel that they have an opinion without having to learn the facts and know the real truth. People who tout this "Court" are lemmings ready to jump off the cliff, to which I say, have a nice flight, I wont be going with you fools.
GLLWolf6 (AKA ####): Nice comparison there man. Way to go. There is no happy medium with you, is there? With the examples you used, you have compared stealing $1 from a runaway dog to robbing a casino of a cool billion.
How Marvin Harrison's actions or lack of involvement has nothing to do with anything you mention is not remotely fathomable. Firing a gun in a car wash compared to 9/11? Are you serious? Pearl Harbor?
Comparing thousands of lives lost to absolutely zero? Harrison and Bin Laden in the same point?
Lock him up I guess. Next thing we know he will be hijacking people, bombing things to prove a point, and will be the star in Back to the Future IV, going back in time to murder innocent people in the Old West.
I have to go cast a spell on somebody, loser. Thanks for stopping by.
No-one knows what really happened and everyone is already speculating! Its the point the writer is trying to get across.
Some of the confusion with the story is that he has numerous businesses in the area. The shooting occured at the bar but the gun was found at his car wash in a bucket of water. (which removes prints) Earlier it had been reported it was found at a garage he owns.
Marvin found the gun or someone at his car wash did, Marvin turned the gun in himself to the police. The police are not considering him a suspect as the gun was supposedly taken/stolen from his bar where its used for defensive purposes...and I mean come on ya'll its Philly, you need protection!
No, it is "presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law". There is a big difference with that little word "presumed". It means you ASSUME his innocence, until proven otherwise, but it does not mean he's innocent til proven guilty.
WAS CHARLES MANSON INNOCENT AT ANY TIME? NO. HE WAS GUILTY OF COMMITTING A CRIME THE SECOND HE USED THE KNIFE...IT JUST HADN'T BEEN PROVEN YET IN COURT.
But the courts "presume" his innocence for purposes of jury selection in a court trial and preponderance of evidence standards. It doesn't mean he's innocent.
