Hill fires back at Rose, Fab Five for calling Duke players 'Uncle Toms'

[Killakobe81]

A bit more ...

Rose was ignorant, but his honesty in the do entary regarding who he was is the important part. The fact that he expressed the jealousy and hurt he felt watching black players that he perceived to be “fitting in” with and profiting from a society that would not accept him is more important than his word choice. And Rose shouldn’t apologize for having those feelings.

A major reason many people deviate from (and innovate new) societal norms--ie- wear black socks, long shorts, ignore rules--is because following the paths laid out by the structure of mainstream society isn’t working. People who know there isn’t enough food don’t wait in line—the American Dream, simply put, doesn’t work for everyone. If Duke represented the white-dominated mainstream to Rose, we should be asking why he felt automatically excluded from such an ins ution.

But I’ve also got sympathy for the Blue Devil. Rose hasn’t gone out of his way to say “That’s how I felt in 1991. I don’t feel that way about black Duke players today.” And no one likes to be called "a " in front of millions of people. I can see how Hill could feel the need to defend himself and other black people who were a part of a culture that is a source of pride and love in his life.

[Killakobe81]

I dont have an issue if it is squared but many folks here and around the country crucified Jalen as ignorant and I thought these writers did the best job of explaining how Jalen was not wrong for expressing how many inner-city youth felt/feel about Duke. They also talked about how uncomfortable our country is with dealing with racial issues. I know this forum of all places is not a great place for social commentary ...but the reason I wanted it posted was not change anynone's mind, but maybe givethe folks that actually care about the issues acess to a different perspective ...

[Giuseppe]

ESPN tryin' mightily to whitewash this,,,so there is no "bad guy." [White man] isn't in the immediate vicinity to fit with the requisite hair shirt so it's gonna be a king sized challenge.

They're up to it though. Anything for a $ & a dime.

[duncan228]

Jalen Rose responds, says Duke comments taken out of context
Kurt Helin

When Jalen Rose was 17 and making one of the biggest decisions of his life — where to attend college — the inner city Detroit kid didn’t want to go to Duke because he didn’t see that as a place he fit in.

In ESPN’s 30 for 30 do entary on Rose and Michigan’s Fab Five, Rose was brutally honest about what he was thinking when he was recruited in 1990, saying he thought Duke only recruited players that were “Uncle Toms” and not guys like him.

But Grant Hill and others from Duke took offense, questioning how one should define both Duke and the black experience.

Today in the Wall Street Journal, Rose responded to his critics, saying everything was taken out of context, that who he was at 17 and who he is as an adult are different people.

Addressing the elephant in the room, comments from the do entary regarding Duke University were completely taken out of context. I respect the success of Duke’s program and stated this was my opinion as a teenager growing up in the inner city of Detroit. I also acknowledged that Grant Hill had something I wanted growing up – a successful family. It’s a bit disappointing some people insinuated I think black people from successful families are Uncle Toms. What made the do entary must-see TV is the fact we showed brutal honesty and addressed every topic head on and without reservation.

At the end of the day, some people will have their own opinions about the Fab Five and who we are as people. I am proud of what we achieved together from 1991-1993 and even more proud of the men we have become and how we all work in the community. For example, this past Friday, I had a groundbreaking ceremony with Dave Bing, the mayor of Detroit, for the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, my college prep charter school for inner city youth. I am proud to be one of the few athletes to open my own school. Legacies are defined by how people remember you when you are long gone. The Fab Five and the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy are two things I will now leave behind as my legacy.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...ut-of-context/

[Giuseppe]

ESPN never figured somebody would come back over the top like Hill has. It was a hit piece....they (ESPN) was hoping some cracker would take the bait and they could milk this for a good long while. Hill must have gotten some galley proofs of this television production. His return fire broadside was too quick, fast and comprehensive. Somebody tipped him off.

[senorglory]

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...ut-of-context/

Point of order: In this WSJ post, Rose still does not explicitly say that he was wrong at 17, nor does he explicitly state that he changed his mind as an adult.

[Kyle Orton]

Point of order: In this WSJ post, Rose still does not explicitly say that he was wrong at 17, nor does he explicitly state that he changed his mind as an adult.

He talked about his thoughts as a kid growing up in Detroit, he shouldn't have to blatantly say "But I don't feel that way anymore!"

[picc84]

Grant made himself look like the uncle tom the fab five thought he was all those years ago.

[dbreiden83080]

I just saw this do entary today. Jalen Rose was over the top arrogant about that team..

His final quote was

"Our legacy is that we were bigger than the score of the game. Did we wanna win 2 championships yes. But who won the championship 2 years ago (UNC) Tell me who won the le 5 years ago (Florida), Tell me who was the starting 5 of the UNC team that beat us (He's got me there)"

But basically he is all arrogant about the fact that they wore baggy shorts and black socks, acted like thugs, were insanely over-rated by the media and the fans and oh yeah

Choked their asses off in the big games, then got their records (Such as they were) deleted forever for rule violations

Whatever Jalen..

[senorglory]

He talked about his thoughts as a kid growing up in Detroit, he shouldn't have to blatantly say "But I don't feel that way anymore!"

Would make sense if he did make his current thoughts blatantly clear since this is his rebuttal/response.

[senorglory]

He talked about his thoughts as a kid growing up in Detroit, he shouldn't have to blatantly say "But I don't feel that way anymore!"

Also, I was responding to the summary in the linked article, which states that Rose has distanced himself from his prior state of mind: "Today in the Wall Street Journal, Rose responded to his critics, saying everything was taken out of context, that who he was at 17 and who he is as an adult are different people..." and yet, while the summary says he distinguished current from former perspective on the matter, the quotes included in the article do not contain any such statement. Still.

[picc84]

You're being deliberately obtuse.

[JoeTait75]

I just saw this do entary today. Jalen Rose was over the top arrogant about that team..

His final quote was

"Our legacy is that we were bigger than the score of the game. Did we wanna win 2 championships yes. But who won the championship 2 years ago (UNC) Tell me who won the le 5 years ago (Florida), Tell me who was the starting 5 of the UNC team that beat us (He's got me there)"

But basically he is all arrogant about the fact that they wore baggy shorts and black socks, acted like thugs, were insanely over-rated by the media and the fans and oh yeah

Choked their asses off in the big games, then got their records (Such as they were) deleted forever for rule violations

Whatever Jalen..

Fake-ass UNLV was all they were.