When the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals, the first thing I did was send a taunting message to my long-time friend and colleague Barbara.
Barbara was a huge Lakers fan, and she let the world know that when Shaquille O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to three straight NBA titles from 2000 through 2002. The otherwise very pleasant woman was incredibly boastful every June when her Lakers were rolling to championships.
So, I could not wait to see Barbara’s reaction to my message to rub in what I assumed was a painful six-game loss for her beloved team to its biggest rival. I was going to tease her about that title until the Celtics were no longer reigning NBA champs.
Barbara, though, cut me off after my first message. She told me she was no longer a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. In fact, she said she was glad the Lakers lost.
The reason for that was Bryant.
In July of 2003, Bryant was arrested and charged with felony sexual assault of a 19-year-old hotel employee in Edwards, Colorado. Those charges were dismissed in September of 2004 when the accuser decided not to testify against Bryant, who paid her an undisclosed sum as part of a resolution to a civil lawsuit in March of 2005.
It was not just that Bryant was accused of the crime that made Barbara think twice about her allegiance to the Lakers. Seeing Bryant’s legal team launch a scorched-earth campaign against the accuser to try to get their client an acquittal was just a bridge too far for Barbara.
Barbara was already one of my favorite people, and her decision to leave the Lakers behind made think even more highly of her. That had nothing to do with the fact that I cheer for the Celtics, either.
Unfortunately, Barbara was in the minority. Bryant is still celebrated after his tragic death in January of 2000. The charges and his defense tactics did not really have much of an effect on his legacy.
Today, he is revered as one of the all-time great NBA players and as a great man.
And more than two decades after his arrest, it seems that fans of the NBA are still angrier at his accuser than they are of the guy who had to pay that accuser.
Unfortunately, we are seeing similar responses in the case of Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs, who plead no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property Sept. 10 in Brown County Circuit Court in Wisconsin.
He was originally charged with felony strangulation and suffocation when he was arrested following an altercation with his ex-girlfriend in May. After six weeks on the commissioner’s exempt list, Jacobs returned to play for the Packers.
That return is likely short lived after it was revealed late last week that three other women called Hobart-Lawrence police to say that Jacobs attacked them, too, after they saw he was arrested.
Those details were released even though Jacobs sued to try to have them sealed. His suit includes an attempt to stop the release of surveillance video from his garage that allegedly shows him shove the woman down, causing her to hit her head.
When that video surfaces, and it will, Jacobs might see his career disappear as fast as he can say Ray Rice. For now, the Packers are standing by him.
The reaction to that news of the new accusations, which broke a day after Jacobs scored two touchdowns in Green Bay’s 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football, basically fell into three camps.
The first wanted Jacobs banned from the NFL for life for his pattern of abuse of women. The second accused the additional accusers of chasing a paycheck. The third just remained silent.
Those reactions pretty much come down to how people feel about the Packers, and that is just sad. What color of a jersey a person accused of abusing women is wearing should have no bearing on our opinions. Likewise, political affiliation should not matter when talking about those accused of mistreating women and children.
And attacking the victims should never be acceptable.
Predictably, that is what so many did because they are worried about the status of their NFL team or their fantasy football lineup.
Many accused the women of lying because they came forward with allegations long after the fact, forgetting that they did not go to the media or lawyers. They called the police where Jacobs was charged to support his latest accuser.
That also does not mean that Jacobs is guilty of those additional allegations. As of now, he is only guilty of the crime he plead no contest to.
That should be enough.
It should not even have to be said that hitting a woman even once is not OK. It should also not have to be said that attacking victims should never be acceptable, and political or sports affiliation should not affect that.
It pains me to see Aroldis Chapman pitch for the Red Sox. I do not care how many saves he has picked up while pitching in Boston, I want him off my team. I did not like the guy accused of pushing and choking his girlfriend in 2015 when he played for the Yankees. His new uniform does not change that.
That is a big part of the reason why I did not watch one full Red Sox game over the past two seasons.
I spoke out against Ben Roethlisberger when he was accused of sexual assault while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I spoke out against accused abusers Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt when they led the Kansas City Chiefs to Super Bowls.
I shouted from the mountain tops when Ray Lewis did not have to miss a single game after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in a double murder.
If Josh Jacobs was a running back for the Chicago Bears, I would want him cut from my team because I do not like to play the whataboutism game.
For the same reason, I want any politician who broke the law while hanging out with Jeffery Epstein to go to jail. It does not matter if that politician’s tie is red or blue. It does not matter if I voted for him or against him before the allegations surfaced.
Believing and supporting women should never be dependent on our previous allegiances. It does not matter if the accused is a Packer, Bear, Democrat or Republican. It should not matter if he is a politician, athlete or landscaper.
We need to have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes abusing women and children. That should be something that never has to be said. Unfortunately, here we are.
You do not have to give up on your team completely like Barbara did after Bryant’s shameful defense at his rape trial. Jacobs’ arrest does not mean you have to cheer against the Packers. You can still be happy that your team won last week.
But the accusations should at least give you pause. You should want to learn more about them before you dismiss any allegation based on team loyalty.
Otherwise, your reaction says almost as much about you as it does about Jacobs.
— Bill Foley can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him on twitter.com/Foles74 or on Bluesky at @foles74.bsky.social. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
