Marcus Mariota and the Heisman Moment

I want to say some things about a night of Oregon history.

I consider myself fortunate and blessed to have been afforded the opportunity to spend time covering the Oregon Ducks for Duck Sports Authority. I have had many roles within sports and been affored many, many great opportunities. I am blessed in so many ways.

Watching the announcement this evening, even though it was something I expected, took me back. In 2010, when the Ducks beat Oregon State and were guaranteed the spot in the National Championship Game, emotions were strong for me. That night was special and I celebrated with a bottle of cognac.

As a kid, I moved to Oregon in 1972. I remember the year because it was a year of considerable turmoil nationally. Richard Nixon. Vietnam War on television every night. We drove from New Jersey to Oregon and it was a long trip; sleeping in our car. The most memorable part of that trip was our dog Winston (coincidentally, the Pekingese was officially named “Sir Winston Churchill” but we called him “Winnie” as in “Winnie the Pooh”) freaked out one night just outside of Chicago. Turns out he saw a field mouse – something he had never before encountered. Well, when you have three young boys and their mother sleeping in a station wagon, that was enough to pretty much scare the bejeezus out of anyone!

We lived in Oakridge that year. It was not long after that I discovered Oregon football on a scratchy radio station. I was hooked. When we moved to the Eugene area in seventh grade, Saturdays were cheap and easy. My brother Craig and I went to countless games. I used to keep those old cups from Autzen with the final scores of the games. I kept the programs. I remember going down on the field and playing catch with guys like Reggie Ogburn and Reggie Brown.

In those days, just being in the stadium, watching those guys play, that was enough. I loved football then and have never really lost touch with that feeling. I was within feet of where the USC receiver did (not) catch the touchdown in the 7-7 tie. I sat in countless miserable games, including the toilet bowl.

When I went off to boot camp, I did what I could to catch whatever information I could about Oregon football. When I wore my Duck sweatshirt, no one even knew where Oregon was at that time.

To think back now about all those Saturdays, when we would be at the 50 yard line by half time; it seems like a dream to think about what has transpired over the past 20 years.

In 1994, when the Ducks were making their first improbable run, I had just separated from my first wife. My mom and I took a trip down to Susanville together with my two sons Layne and Braden to visit my older brother Ed. While the kids were outside playing, we had joined them most of the day. Then the Husky game came on. Ed and I were glued to the set. I remember my mom asking why we were watching the game. She said “they aren’t going to beat Washington.” Within moments of that statement, a young freshman cornerback stepped in front of a Damon Huard pass and the rest was history. Ed and I jumped almost in unison arms raised.

At that moment, it was hard to imagine anything better. Oregon had beaten the Huskies. Later that season they would go on to the Rose Bowl. Penn State was simply the best team that season despite the rankings. It seemed like the difference between the two was a mile wide gulf.

Now? The Ducks have been to a National Championship Game. Won a Rose Bowl. Those are fleeting moments, though, compared to tonight. Heisman. Trophy. Winner. Those are words that had not even been considered for an Oregon player prior to 2007. And it seemed like fate would step in the path of that possibility every time it seemed a reality.

There is only one thing left to achieve. For the moment, though, nothing else matters. To be able to cover the Ducks during this time of brilliance has been a pleasure. I have been around many great athletes in my life. I went to high school with some tremendous athletes. I worked for the Eugene Ems for two seasons, one of our players there would go on to lead the American League in hitting one year. I met so many track stars I cannot even count.

All of those athletes had class and dignity. And yet there is something about Marcus Mariota that is above and beyond simple class and dignity. His humility is transcendent – it makes you want to be a better person. To see his speech take the commentators to tears is telling.

I congratulate Marcus Mariota on his accomplishment. But the real congratulations belong to Toa Mariota and his wife Allana. It is their skill which has brought this man to the pinnacle of college football.

Hiding in the minutiae of specifics

So I am only going to say this... both sides of this debate are oversimplifying the complicated issues that this case exposed.

Yes, the facts are pretty clear; Mike Brown committed a crime; he stole five dollars worth of cigarillos. When confronted, he was disrespectful and then attempted to engage in a scuffle with Officer Wilson and he was shot with a graze wound to his hand in the struggle. After that struggle, he took off running and the officer gave chase continuing to fire. I have little issue with this as it is standard protocol; a suspect attempted to steal the officers gun, and I am pretty sure his intent was not to diffuse the situation by stealing the gun.

The evidence also points out, however, that the fatal bullet entered Brown from the top of the head in a downward trajectory. We know this was not at close range, but it is still a fact that Brown’s head was lower than the gun when he was shot with the fatal bullet.

But the truth is that these are simply the facts of an individual case and, while media pundits on both sides of the argument want to make this a single case issue, it is not. Oh, sure, those that are interviewed and willing to talk are the ones who do so in a manner that does not do justice to what the true issue is: long term institutional racism that DOES exist whether we want to accept it or not.

Last week I did a little article about this case and pointed out that the media is a main culprit in our interpretation of events. There are approximately 37,500 arrests every single day in America. My point then was that every day in America there are 37,125 arrests made without incident or police abuse. And where is the news reporting this very good number? Non existent. However, if FBI statistics are to be believed approximately one percent of arrests contain excessive force and police brutality that is criminal in nature. One percent sounds small… but of 37,500 that means that every single day 375 people have excessive force/brutality used against them. That is unacceptable.

The vast majority of people who have this excessive force or brutality used against them are minorities. That is just a fact that we can no longer ignore; except right now the media is creating its own racial divide to keep us on the same path that we say we want to get away from. Any instance of police abuse is unacceptable… 375 is beyond intolerable.

The Rams players are American citizens, as such, they have every right to raise their arms in protest of a system they feel is broken. Their employer, if they so choose, can punish them for doing so in the fashion they did, but the NFL has decided not to… who are we to question their choice of the right to free speech? That is part of the problem. We look at the evidence from our own perspective and tell others that they do not have a right to their feelings? I do not know what it is like to grow up black in America. I was raised in one of the whitest states in the nation. I have no clue what it feels like to feel as if no one cares about what happens to us in my community. But I do know that “DWB” is real. I have seen it in action and it is abominable that in 2014 we still condone this with arguments.

The media does not actually want to talk about the true issues. They have advertisers to please and their programs are produced to appeal to specific demographics to keep those advertising dollars flowing. The community of Ferguson is one we will never be able to understand as we do not live there.

Last week was a ridiculous version of manufactured consent gone wild. Rioting and looting simply to take advantage of what COULD have been a real game changer. Instead, all we did was watch as two groups of people further distanced themselves from each other and further entrenched the racial divide that exists in this nation.

We need to stop arguing about this one case and create a dialogue about the REAL problems. As long as we allow ourselves to be consumed by the minutiae of this individual case, there will be no growth in the dialogue that needs to happen.

Fear mongering is alive and well in this case. We are kept in fear to avoid an ugliness just under the surface. There is an ugliness few want to accept or face, so they change the conversation.

Let The Sunshine In

November 24, 2014, was a tragic day in history; not just American history, but world history. And I say this for reasons other than what most want to paint as the tragedy. First of all, a young man lost his life far too soon and that is always a tragedy regardless of the circumstances. I have known young men that died in car wrecks, of cancer, in battle and due to senseless violence. All loss of life is tragic, but that is only the beginning of my sadness.

We all heard the announcement and some chose to single out one or two pieces of information that supported our pre-conceived notions as to the truth.

As a writer, I felt compelled to share my feelings today regarding this tragic moment.

I wish that this day did not have to happen, but maybe, just maybe it can bring a bit of change. Unfortunately, change does not happen through destruction and violence, especially senseless violence. Lost in the mass confusion last November is that many of the looters in Ferguson were out of towners. Ferguson residents should be furious that their town was destroyed by people who came looking for an excuse to steal and destroy. We hear from many of our neighbors that there is justified anger at the centuries of institutional racism that stacks the deck against minorities.

And you know, there should be anger at institutional racism. It exists and it is deplorable. But to tear down your own community does not combat racism, it intensifies racism. Wait? What? On that tragic night, members of racist groups across America were watching television and laughing because the actions of a few are tainting the image of a whole. Racist groups were sitting around saying “see, what did I tell you.” When you react in a way that engenders stereotypes, you give the power of your voice away forever.

There are real problems that can be dealt with, but violence will only beget more violence.

I have a Facebook friend who posed the question should we start with how the Grand Jury was selected. After all, there were nine white people and just three black people on a grand jury? This problem would seem simple, but there are many layers to why a jury might not be proportionate to the population. In St. Louis County, though, this is actually a representative jury. According to the U.S. Census data from 2013, St. Louis County is a population that is 70.3 percent white and 23.7 percent black with the other six percent comprised of other ethnicities. That means a two-thirds white jury is fairly representative in that county.

There is a deeper underlying problem with juries, though, and that is one of self-selection. How many of us have dodged jury duty with excuses? That is part of the problem. How many of us cannot afford to perform this civic duty because our jobs will not pay for our time away? If we cannot afford to miss a day of work, we are missing the opportunity to make a difference. So, to my friend I said, yes, I think that the laws should be changed; the laws should make it feasible for everyone to serve on jury duty, not just those people who can afford it. And I think that jury duty should be a requirement of all citizens at some point in their lives.

More to think about is the manner in which media presented this story. From the very beginning, the media were playing us all. This story was manufactured to create more stories. Had the media told us everything, had they sought out witnesses rather than manipulating us with half facts and innuendo, maybe the reaction would have been different. All along the media had led us to believe that white witnesses were saying one thing and African American witnesses the opposite.

The truth? There were multiple African American witnesses who corroborated Officer Wilson’s story. This was never a tale of two races, it was a tale of differing agendas. Manufacturing consent is a powerful concept to which far too many of us turn a blind eye. We listen to whatever media outlet we like and we nod along like zombies; sheep. The media made us believe that multiple autopsies came to multiple different conclusions. Again, not true. The media made us believe that there were multiple shots fired into the back of the deceased. Not true. Those omitted facts skewed the story and they skewed the perception.

I was not there, I cannot say definitively what happened. But the witnesses that were there whose statements matched the actual physical evidence are a far better barometer of the truth than what media has portrayed. I can say that what I have read paints a far different picture than what the media presented.

Stop listening blindly to the media. Contrary to popular opinion, they are not there to present facts. Their purpose is to make money. They are a business. They make money from advertising. They get more advertisers when we watch their broadcasts. And those broadcasts are intentionally created in a specific manner to generate profits. It is not news; it is entertainment. Let the anger subside for a moment and read the facts before jumping to a conclusion.

I have often heard it said that teachers have the most difficult job. I disagree. Theirs may be the most unappreciated job, but it is not the most difficult. Every day, police officers put on their uniform with the knowledge that they may die. They may get shot in the line of duty. Police officers like Chris Kilkullen in Eugene, Oregon, shot for no reason. Every day someone commits “suicide by cop” somewhere. It happened last November here in Beaverton. Every day, police have to make life and death decisions. And, once again, also contrary to popular opinion, they are human beings. When a situation becomes life and death, they still have the same physiological response as the rest of humanity. No matter how much training they receive, their adrenaline gets moving just as ours does.

When being attacked by a 300 pound man, the adrenaline is sure to be pumping. Do I think that there could have been a better response? Yes. But I also know some basics about life:

1.  Don’t steal
2. When approached by a police officer, do not reach in through his car window and start punching him
3. Do not run away when told to stop
4. Do not turn back around and start charging the officer again.

Doing these things puts you at risk of a police officer making that choice. Take the choice away. Does this mean I am saying that Mike Brown deserved to die? Of course not. It means that every choice we make can have a major effect on our lives. Take accountability for our mistakes without making it a battle.

There are plenty of opportunities in today’s world to make situations such as this easier to understand.

1. GoPro cameras are an incredible tool that should be used in all contacts with suspects and the community.
2. Stop making up statistics. I have seen people try to bandy about numbers that simply are not accurate. There are bad cops, but it is considerably less than the 10 percent number people seem to love. Statistics show that the rate of “bad” cops is less than 1 percent. And that is somewhat accurate.
3. Recognize how the media is manipulating you. When is the last time the news anchor came on and said that “there were 37,500 arrests today where the officers acted appropriately."
4. That’s right, in America there are 37,500 arrests every single day. And the vast majority of them do NOT involve police brutality and even fewer involve shootings. There is no acceptable level of police abuse of power. But that does not mean that “all cops are bad” and it does not mean that we cannot get better in America.

Anger and rhetoric will only advance our society if we use it properly. There is racism and that should anger every single American. We SHOULD be angry. But destroying property? Killing cops? How in the world does that get us anywhere?

Calling each other names because our conclusions are different? How does that get us anywhere? This is not dialogue.

This nation was formed on a basic philosophical premise of liberty. Liberty means that we have the freedom to choose our actions, but, and this is important, we only have that right as long as the use of that right does not deprive another person of his rights.

Stop yelling at each other. Start listening. When everyone is yelling, no one is speaking and no one is listening.

In the immortal words of Pebbles and Bamm Bamm:

Mommy told me something a little kid should know.
It's all about the devil and I've learned to hate him so.
She said he causes trouble when you let him in the room.
He will never ever leave you if your heart is filled with gloom.