Marvin Fires Back

[HairOnFire]

I have to disagree, there are plenty of high profile NFL players who don't have every aspect of their lives reported on the evening news.

Except when, like Henry, they screw up or are suspected of screwing up, right? Right. Comes with the territory. If you don't believe me, go to PFT's Turdwatch page and start clicking links.

Why would anyone bother going to the PFT website? The rumors they report are mostly unfounded, the original articles they write are laughable, and as for Turdwatch, well....it seems to be the only reason the website exists. I find that approprite.

BTW, I was just cruising Go-Bengals and stumbled upon PFT's response to Marvin's interview. Predictably, PFT got it dead wrong by claiming that when mentioning profiling Marvin was guilty of playing the race card. In fact, as we've already discussed, Marvin never mentioned race and made it clear that any profiling was rooted in fame and economic issues.

PFT is a joke.

[J24]

I am not saying that the Bengals are not being profiled I have heard that before by other people on other boards but comon people when you do stupid things you tend to get in trouble. for example Henry should not have been driving on suspending license he did and he did an ilegal turn signal witch is still breaking a law(a minor one)so he got what he had comming to him.

[Kazkal]

Why would anyone bother going to the PFT website

Because it's funny sometimes? nfl.com is boring >_<

[HairOnFire]

Where did I say anything about him having no rights? I said that viewing this incident as a problem with its roots in the local police force misses the point. Thre are plenty of people outside Kenton County who would be more than happy to enrich themselves at Chris Henry's expense.

You stated flatly that focusing on the actions of the local police force, and presumably the local prosecutors, is missing the point. But those are the authority figures most likely to impact Chris Henry's future precisely because he lives and works amongst them. And again, we're only talking about Chris Henry today because the abuse of power was so blatant. Other players are likely to be involved. In fact, Lewis said that the behavior of Kenton County prosecutors in the Chris Henry fiasco was..."consistent with the way they've treated all of our players."

Again, I'm still looking for the place I said Henry (or Askew or any other football player, celebrity, politican, etc.) didn't have rights. Henry is free to sue the jokers in Kenton County. He may even win. But even if he does, that still won't turn off the spotlight he's under.

And I've never argued that the spotlight he's living under will ever be lifted. But focusing on how he's treated by the police or the prosecutors office isn't missing the point.

[DesperateDerelict]

Took PFT awhile.

POSTED 3:24 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 4:16 p.m. EDT, May 24, 2007

MARVIN SAYS BENGALS ARE BEING PROFILED

Perfect timing. Marvin now says the Bengals are not being profiled...

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6066

So instead of "profiling", try "scutinized" (or, in some cases, "screw-tinized" ). How much opportunity does someone have to screw up if you are hounded by paparozzi? Although not quite in the Brittany Spears - Paris Hilton stratosphere, but it seems ML is saying the circumstances (small city, rampant republic-ism, etc.)create a closer scrutiny of players . . .

I happen to think the coach backed off due to outside pressures or political correctness, and is FULL OF s**t. HOF is absolutely right - profiling occurs daily in our local law enforcement community. Not only is Greater Cincinnati one of the most conservative as well as segregated metro areas in the country, buit just about ALL of the local polizia are undertrained and over zealous. I know FOR A PROVABLE FACT that my local PD in Loveland pulls over high school kids for the sole reason that they are displaying a high school parking pass.

To Bengal players - if you want to party, spit on the sidewalk, tell insensitive jokes, or anything else, PLEASE either stay indoors or go out of town - Big Brother is Screw-tinizing you!

[HoosierCat]

You stated flatly that focusing on the actions of the local police force, and presumably the local prosecutors, is missing the point.

It is. Even if Henry pursues and wins some kind of legal judgment against the local constabulary -- which he's free to pursue -- he still remains a person subject to elevated interest, because he's an NFL player. Marvin made this very point today:

Also Wednesday, Lewis told Bengals.com that his players have to realize that they are profiled in the community, and he doesn't mean racially.

"They have to realize at all times that they stand out because they're NFL players," Lewis said. "If one guy is with four other guys and they're all playing the fool, the NFL player is the guy that's going to get singled out."

Which is what I've been saying all day. Changing the behavior of the cops in Kenton won't change that. That doesn't mean Henry and/or the Bengals shouldn't pursue legal remedies if they think they have a case. But it does mean that even winning doesn't solve your problem.

[HairOnFire]

Which is what I've been saying all day. Changing the behavior of the cops in Kenton won't change that. That doesn't mean Henry and/or the Bengals shouldn't pursue legal remedies if they think they have a case. But it does mean that even winning doesn't solve your problem.

"It is what it is. You are what you it. There are no mistakes." --- Tom Robbins

Here's the thing. I think we agree on nearly every aspect of this rant but one or two, but as usual we're getting lost in the swirl of semantics. So let me try one last time to clear things up on my end.

I'm not arguing that ALL of Chris Henry's problems are solved if you change the behavior of Cincy cops or Kentucky prosecutors. All I'm arguing is that it would be an important step in the right direction. Because like him or hate him he's got the right to attempt turning his life around, and no matter how poor you think his chances might be you have to agree that it will never happen if he's not given a fair opportunity.

Moving on, I've never argued that all of the things said about the Bengals are unfair. But many of them have been, including the idea that the Bengals are somehow unusual in their habit of taking chances on players who may not be great people. It happens everywhere, in every sport, and as a result I resent the attempts to make the Bengals the poster child of lawless behavior....especially when so many of their so-called crimes are so minor that they're almost laughable.

To put it bluntly, I think the hand-wringers amongst us can take their blood-splattered cell phones and tickets for turn-signal violations and shove 'em right up their sanctimonious azzholes with much gusto. Because if we've learned anything from the Kentucky prosecutors it's that self-righteous morally challenged fugtards are more dangerous to society than football playing wannabe thugs.

But I digress.

Then again, perhaps not.

In closing, let me repeat how thrilled I was to hear Marvin answer some fairly hard questions directly and without a hint of shame, and if I'm upset about anything it's that he doesn't seem willing to fire another broadside today.

[HoosierCat]

I'm not arguing that ALL of Chris Henry's problems are solved if you change the behavior of Cincy cops or Kentucky prosecutors. All I'm arguing is that it would be an important step in the right direction. Because like him or hate him he's got the right to attempt turning his life around, and no matter how poor you think his chances might be you have to agree that it will never happen if he's not given a fair opportunity.

Oh, there's no doubt about that. And the Ky cops deserve to be throughly lambasted, if not sued, for giving out false and derogatory information. And on a subject, a drug test, that is supposed to be protected by all sorts of legal privacy shields. You'd think someone's head would roll, and I'm not talking about Henry's.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Which is what I've been saying all day. Changing the behavior of the cops in Kenton won't change that. That doesn't mean Henry and/or the Bengals shouldn't pursue legal remedies if they think they have a case. But it does mean that even winning doesn't solve your problem.

Because like him or hate him he's got the right to attempt turning his life around, and no matter how poor you think his chances might be you have to agree that it will never happen if he's not given a fair opportunity.

So do you think Chris was just passing out Bibles in OTR that day? Looking for his lost dog?

Poor Chris.

I don't think having a vanity plate with your name on it, helps either, when you're the most famous petty criminal in the state.

Let's stop excusing Henry for stupidity, doing something like that is doing the wrong thing. I hope he figures it out soon, love to watch the guy on the field.

[HairOnFire]

And the Ky cops deserve to be throughly lambasted, if not sued, for giving out false and derogatory information. And on a subject, a drug test, that is supposed to be protected by all sorts of legal privacy shields. You'd think someone's head would roll, and I'm not talking about Henry's.

Forget the idea of lawsuits or much deserved firings for a moment? Has anyone in the Kenton County prosecutors office bothered to apologize? To anyone?

I don't think I understand accountability in politics anymore. How did we get to a point where if, in your private life, you happen to put your bumpy bits in the wrong hole you usually have to resign from your job the same day the news leaks. But if you demonstrate gross incompetence in the performance of your duties all you have to do to keep your job is say nothing at all, or repeat over and over again how little you know.

And why is Marvin Lewis now defending himself before a group of people who insist he must have meant something that he didn't actually say?

So do you think Chris was just passing out Bibles in OTR that day? Looking for his lost dog?

Perhaps he was teaching reading comprehension to really stupid? After all, you did say you lived pretty close to the area in question.

I don't think having a vanity plate with your name on it, helps either, when you're the most famous petty criminal in the state.

What's your license plate number? Wait, let me guess.

FUGTARD1

[buck3y3d]

I was glad that MLewis took the stand that he did...I don't live in Cincy, but I have heard alot in/on the news about your cops , and it's not good they say your cops are very racist, with that being said...I believe that the players must be doing something to attract attention to themeselves, because the cops don't usually bother you for nothing even if your are prejudice...The cops know the drug dealers from a hard working person...I have worked at Kodak for 17 years before I retired to go to Nursing school, I have had 2 Lexus GS 400 and currently drive an Impala SS 07, I have NEVER had any problem with the cops what so ever, And we have our share of profiling here...These player should be able to buy what they want with no problem, but if you are drinking, smoking pot while driving and you get arrested that's your fault and not because you are black...

Well, the national government just released their 5 year findings that there is no statistical evidence to indicate that there is racial profiling in cincinnati. Can we end the Cincinnati is racist stuff now.

Also, I believe only 2 or 3 of ALL of the arrests have come in Cincinnati. Clearly it is not the "small city" Cincinnati police that are profiling his players.

Has Chris been profiled? Probably, but that is what happens when you are arrested frequently.

[GapControl]

i have read all of the previous posts and I still think there is one clear issue here in the profiling. It is not race or wealth that is being profiled. It is fame, status, prestige, being-coolness.

Pro Athletes and Gangsta pretending business men who ride the latest pop culture fad will tend to buy tricked out automobiles.

Look, let me give an example. Let`s say I pull in 150 grand a year and I pimp out my ride because in my free time I like to go to clubs and hit on hoes, take em out to my pimped out mode and do the dirty with em. Now, that is perfectly fine. And I recommend anyone do that.

The problem comes, when lets say, Chris Henry, doing the same thing I might be doing, also gets f**ked up in the club... well next thing you know, the car is pulled over for a routine blinker problem and Chris is puking out the window. Now the authorities become suspicious.

Here is the catch. If you make x amount of thousands a year or millions a year... wouldn`t it make since to avoid such circumstances? If your employer enforced strict rules against "playing pimp with your car" then none of this would occur.

So, I guess people are worried about their hoes. But let me say, hoes are everywhere. You don`t only need a pimped out ride. You can pay the driver hired by your pro football team to take you around and go back to your place with 2 or 3.

There is a level of common sense responsiblity that needs to be taken in these cases. Don`t become a pop culture fad victim. Don`t knowingly associate your self with things which are bad or threatening in society like drug dealers and other law breakers.

[Kazkal]

MARVIN APOLOGIZES FOR "PROFILING" REMARKS

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has apologized (via a statement released by the team) for comments from Wednesday suggesting that police in the Cincinnati area are profiling Bengals players.

"Yesterday, I gave a radio interview and made some comments that did not illustrate the high regard I have for the Cincinnati Police Department," Lewis said. "I apologize that what I said did not reflect my true feelings."

Our guess? Marvin realized that accusing the cops of profiling Bengals players was the most effective way to ensure that they will.

Marvin also realized, we believe, that he was stoking racial tensions in a city that has a history of fragile relations in this regard. Of course, he's now trying to say that he wasn't.

"At no point did I say or mean to imply that these issues had anything to do with race," Lewis said. "Broadcast comments to the contrary are simply not true. When I spoke of our players being perhaps more subject to scrutiny than others, I was referring to their standing as public figures."

Bull, we say. The word "profiling" implies that decision are made based on superficial characteristics. In a city that is far bigger than the "small place" that Lewis makes it out to be, players from the local professional football team can be "profiled" only if (as a reader pointed out this afternoon) they are wearing their helmets (or, in the case of Chris Henry, their jerseys) while driving around town.

Besides, "profiling" is one of those code words that imply racially-based motives, regardless of whether the word "racial" is plopped down in front of it.

So if Lewis is now falling all over himself to say that he didn't mean what he said, why did he say it? Does he say other things that he doesn't mean? Isn't the ability to control of the connection between his brain and his tongue part of the gig?

We think that Lewis meant what he said, and that we wouldn't have heard a peep about it if someone in the organization hadn't been reminded that a team that plays for free in a stadium fully funded by the public should not be criticizing the public servants who get paid far less to put their lives and limbs in jeopardy every day.

The end result? We think that Marvin is now officially on the hot seat, and he could be the former coach of the Bengals by January of 2008.

[HoosierCat]

Wow, this Kenton County guy is really a worthless sack of sh*t...

Prosecutor: Henry's a 'lowlife'

Edmondson won't apologize to Bengal

BY MARK CURNUTTE | MCURNUTTE@ENQUIRER.COM

Kenton County Attorney Garry Edmondson on Thursday called Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry a "lowlife" and said he doesn't think he owes anybody an apology.

Edmondson on Monday had told reporters that Henry had failed a drug test, then later said results were "inconclusive."

His office has yet to issue any statement about the test results.

Henry's lawyer said Wednesday that test results show Henry is clean, and that he is owed an apology.

On Thursday, Edmondson said he's "shocked" anybody would be sympathetic toward Henry.

"This is a lowlife not worth the attention," said Edmondson, who made the comments in an interview with David Wells, The Enquirer's editorial page editor.

When told of Edmondson's comments, Marvin Frazier, Henry's New Jersey-based agent, said he was disappointed.

"I'm very upset about everything he said," Frazier said. "This is America. You are innocent until proven guilty."

Henry did not return a message left on his cell phone. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis declined to comment.

Edmondson told reporters Monday morning that Henry failed a drug test and violated his probation in Kenton County.

Later that day, Edmondson said the results were "up in the air. Some say he did (fail), and some say he didn't. It's inconclusive at this point."

Henry is randomly drug-tested as part of his probation in Kentucky and Florida. The receiver is on two years' probation in Orange County, Fla., for a felony gun conviction. He is on probation in Kenton County for allowing a minor to drink alcohol in his hotel room.

Two recent Henry samples initially screened positive, so they were sent to state labs for further analysis.

On Wednesday, a Kentucky government agency announced that its analysis of a sample Henry provided for the state of Florida showed Henry is clean. Also Wednesday, Henry's lawyer, Robert Lotz, said the results of the test Henry took for Kenton County showed the same.

Edmondson said the attention devoted this week to the Henry story is "partly my fault, no doubt," but he also blamed Lotz.

Edmondson said it all started Monday morning, when a Channel 12 reporter approached him and said Lotz had "acted kind of hinky" when he was asked in passing how Henry was doing.

Edmondson then told the reporter that his office had received word the previous week that Henry had failed the two preliminary tests.

"So I told him that the rumor around the courthouse was that he (Henry) had failed a drug test," Edmondson said.

The story was posted, and Edmondson said by the time he got back from lunch on Monday, there were several television cameras waiting for him.

What a schmuck. Well, at least should Henry ever get busted again in Kenton he has irrefutable proof of a personal grudge by the county attorney's office.