Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Dahntay Jones might be public enemy #1 in the Lakers universe these days but his dirty act committed against Kobe Bryant is but a drop in bucket compared to what Jalen Rose had to say about the situation. With that patented smug smile plastered across his face Rose almost laughingly explained his logic behind trying to takeout Kobe Bryant during their battle in the NBA Finals over a decade ago.
Of course this isn’t the first time Rose has openly admitted to his intentional act. Last year he offered his initial confession to Bill Simmons. So it’s nothing new under the sun that Kobe went to the “he Jalen Rose’d me” card.
What is truly shocking is that ESPN has now twice allowed one of its talking heads to openly discuss intentionally injuring an opponent without any repercussions. Whatever happened to preserving the integrity of the game Disney has paid handsomely to broadcast?
At what point did it become perfectly acceptable to admit to committing an act that could endanger the career of another?
Rose might have escaped the long arm of David Stern during his playing days but that doesn’t mean ESPN has to sit silently while their broadcasters stir up controversy for the sake of ratings. Eventually this type of blind eye could cause a very unwanted swarm of controversy for the evil four letter network. Just think of what happens if/when another former player makes a similar admission on ESPN’s airwaves only to find a lawsuit waiting once the comments go viral.
Imagine if Jones’ selfish act had actually ended Bryant’s career. Flash forward some years later when Jones is playing the role of Rose and he admits to his intentional act. I’d find it hard to believe Bryant and his legal council would sit back without taking action.
Is that a farfetched scenario? Perhaps, but so too was the thought of an entire nation being catfished by a Facebook girlfriend or deer antler spray being the headline of the Super Bowl hype week.
In short Rose and ESPN owe it to the game to keep such dirty admissions out of the public. Comments of this sort are self-serving and do nothing more than to encourage future bad behavior by players and commentators alike.