LeBron James: A Fox Sports civil war started over Ahmaud Arbery tweet?
By Ronald Agers
The backstory of what happened on February 23, 2020.
Ahmaud Arbery was thrust in the news cycle this week being killed on Feb. 23 by a white father and son in Brunswick GA after being chased in a pickup truck. The release of the incident caught by cellphone footage has led to outrage, questions and passionate calls for justice in this controversial case.
Arbery’s family claims he was out jogging, while the McMichaels claim they thought he was a burglar according to the Glynn County police report. In that report, they also claim they armed themselves because they believed Arbery might have a gun.
In the video of the shooting released by Lee Merritt, an attorney for Arbery’s family, the footage shows these events.
- Arbery running down a road as a white pickup truck is stopped in front of him.
- Arbery runs around the vehicle, and a shot is fired.
- The video then shows Arbery and another man appearing to tussle as two more shots are fired.
Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, according to police records have already admitted to getting guns and pursuing Arbery as he jogged past them. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation made the announcement that the McMichaels were arrested and charged with felony murder and aggravated assault on Thursday.
This case cannot be prosecuted as a hate crime. According to the U.S. Justice Department website, Georgia is one of few states without a hate-crime law. South Carolina, Arkansas and Wyoming are the others.
Now what does this have to do with the LeBron James and Jason Whitlock situation? It’s actually simple. Attention. Right now the world is focused on these subjects.
- The constant spread of COVID-19 and the rising number of deaths.
- The loss of jobs because of the pandemic
- The financial collapse of many businesses and struggles of Americans.
- When will there be a cure or vaccine?
- When will social distancing restrictions be lifted and what are the guidelines going forward?
- How will this affect the upcoming election?
- The obvious question for a website like this. When will sports, particularly the NBA come back?
Ahmaud Arbery has now become the latest hashtag, as his murder recently gained national attention after the video of his lynching was released.
It’s amazing how one post on social media can stir up attention not only for himself, but his show and Fox Sports. Notice the answer when he answered a comment about Michael Jordan comparisons.
Why bring up Michael Jordan right now? Because ESPN is the sports content king right now with “The Last Dance”. This is bad timing for Fox Sports.