Edgerrin James Is Quite the Man
September 2, 2009 by dwil
Want to know what’s wrong with ESPN? Want to know why we here at SOMM have such a problem with the self-named Worldwide Leader in Sports?
Because they lead first in disseminating negative news about athletes, in general, and Black athletes particularly. Because they don’t think news like the following will “push the needle.” In fact, they think so little of this man and his plight that they cannot even bother to mention this piece of deeply emotional news. Because they don’t bother with the good side of athletes (yes, I know the Magazine once carried an article on this running back – thank you Keith Clinkscales.). But over at the .com the editors can’t be bothered with so much as a mention. As soon as the news of this NFL player being picked up by the Seattle Seahawks was announced, we did make note of the news here at SOMM. And though it is extremely difficult for news to be broken by little old SOMM, thanks to intrepid readers who pass along links to stories like this one, at least we can do the right thing and report this news. This is from Nate Davis at USA Today:
After spending the summer looking for a job, it now appears Edgerrin James, who has more rushing yards than any active NFL player, will prolong his career as a Seattle Seahawk.
Not that it was that big a priority to James.
His longtime girlfriend Andia Wilson, the mother of his four children, lost her battle with leukemia in April. James has been so committed to looking after his kids, none older than 12, that he balked at joining the Seahawks until he’d taken them to their first day of school Monday, something Wilson had traditionally done.
“I had to be there,” James told Yahoo! “There was no leaving.”
After a tumultuous final year with the Cardinals — James termed it a ‘bad (expletive) dream’ as he dealt with Wilson’s illness and his own midseason benching even though he regained his starting role during Arizona’s Super Bowl run — he is now just looking to fit in with Seattle.
“The way I look at it is I’ve played 10 good years, and I’ve done everything a running back can do. I want to help. I think I want to be like Ginobili now — I want to come off the bench,” James said, referring to the San Antonio Spurs’ electric sixth man. “I’m the new Manu Ginobili! How about that?”
Seahawks coach Jim Mora thinks James could take over for released T.J. Duckett as Seattle’s best option near the goal line and in short-yardage situations.
“I think Edgerrin does that,” Mora told seahawks.com. “He rarely takes a negative run. He always falls forward. So he’ll be a good addition for this football team.”
James previously played for Mora’s father, Jim, early in his career with the Indianapolis Colts.
“I had my best seasons, statistically, under Jim Mora, so it’s tough not to see that as a positive. I played for the father; now I’m playing for the son. It’s cool,” James said.
“I told Coach Mora the other day, ‘Damn, why couldn’t I have been in this system three years ago?’” James said of running in Seattle’s new zone-blocking scheme.
But no matter how many yards the NFL’s 11th all-time leading rusher (12,121 yards) adds in the Pacific Northwest — he needs 619 to move up to seventh place and 1,139 to surpass Eric Dickerson for sixth — his children remain priority No. 1.
“As football players, we’re so programmed to do well in our job that sometimes we forget about our house,” he said. “I look at my mom, who’s helping with my kids, and then I look at them. My kids don’t have that mom. When you really think of it like that – damn, it’s heavy.
“If my daughter would’ve said, ‘Daddy, I don’t want you to go play,’ then 100% guaranteed I wouldn’t be playing. I’ve gotten to enjoy so many things, but right now it’s time to be a parent first, and I don’t want to blow it.”
But hey, it’s not just the Big Subliminal. Uou won’t find this at the number two sports gossip website around – AOL Fanhouse – either. Seems they’re too busy looking up dirt on yet another Black NFLer along with Mike Florio at NBC-cosigned, Pro Football Talk.com.
But hopefully this will push the needle at this website.
(thank you Miranda)
Thanks D and Miranda for putting this out because I didn’t know that was part of the reason Edge James was unsigned. My condolences to him and his children for their loss.
ESPN is right because stories like this one don’t move the needle. The reason why don’t don’t is because big media outlets like EPSN, CNNSI, and to a lesser extent Yahoo don’t bother to put these stories out about Black athletes to see if it can move the proverbial needle. Loss and hardship is a human emotion that we all share regardless of background because I as a Black man can feel empathy when I hear about the death of Brett Favre’s father, the loss of Trent Dilfer’s son, and the murder of the high school football coach in Iowa irregardless of race. I empathized with them just like I did when I found out about Tavaris Jackson’s son’s health problems, McNabb’s wife’s difficult pregnancy with their twins, and TO’s grandmother’s fight with Alzheimer’s. I found out about these difficulties in these Black athlete’s lives not on ESPN but through sites like these or obliquely after the fact.
Does Big Media underestimate the humanity of their white consumers that much that it doubts those same consumers could only have sympathy if the face of the tragedy looks like their own?
Well, it’s pretty simple, folks. Edgerrin James is a black athlete that wears platinum fronts and braids in his hair, and therefore, is not worthy of that sort of media coverage.
Even Larry Fitzgerald’s great personal story (lost his mother in college to cancer and has earned his way to the top of the league’s elite players) was muted on E:60 by bringing up his strained relationship with the mother of his son (police involvement was required).
Let’s face it: even Marvin Harrison’s reputation was sullied. And this was after he was held up as some sort of Joe Dimaggio type of character by the media used as foil to T.O. or Keyshawn Johnson.
Thanks D and Miranda… The missed positive stories are very important.
This great human interest story is a no brainer to print. There is a subject the likes of ESPN and Sports Illustrated will rarely ever touch — Black fatherhood. They won’t do it. Dysfunctional fathers? Cue up the OTL specials and the sports illustrated cover stories. Shining stories? Gotta be white to get light.
HD, I’ve been coming around to Yahoo as the one mainstream website alternative the last year. they have been putting out both positive stories and some investigative ones that ESPN would never touch in a million years (criminal Bonds prosecution team; Jim Calhoun investigation). Most of their bad journalism is a result of accepting the AP stories verbatim.
True about Yahoo MODI… But what no Edge on PFT? Oh right, he didn’t get pulled over and “resist arrest.” No Edge on ESPN? Oh right, he’s not batting down passes thrown his way. And SI? Riiiiight. He’s not a “deadbeat dad.” AOL? What, no Michael David Smith story? Oops, he didn’t call out his quarterback for not handing him the ball (but watch for an AOL story tomorrow or later tonight after one of their lackeys reads this).
Thanks for this piece D-Wil and Miranda. I had no idea that the mother of his children passed on this offseason. I’m glad that he’s getting an opportunity in Seattle to close out his career. I also didn’t know he had over 12K yards running the rock. That’s quite impressive to say the least.
I know that i’ve been saying this for a few years now, but for the life of me I can’t understand why you guys continue to watch BSPN. Perhaps to fan the flames of all the negativity towards Black athletes? If that’s the case, I commend you guys and much respect to you all. But myself personally, I cannot and will not watch that garbage of a network. I’d rather get the scoop here and on other blogs (TSF, T3, Zirin, etc.).
@MODI
“This great human interest story is a no brainer to print. There is a subject the likes of ESPN and Sports Illustrated will rarely ever touch — Black fatherhood. They won’t do it. Dysfunctional fathers? Cue up the OTL specials and the sports illustrated cover stories. Shining stories? Gotta be white to get light.”
Dude, you nailed it. I couldn’t agree with you more.
It’s insane that this is the only place I have heard about this story. Not that I am surprised by the Edge-he has always been one of the more intelligent and independent minded players in the league-but rather by the fact that this ain’t running on ESPN or the like.
Grand Nubian,
They watch so we don’t have to. Seriously, my ESPN watching gone almost completely by the wayside and I don’t miss it at all. I do like the fact that MODI and Dwil have such a large, rich, and well documented catalogue of all the shenanigans ESPN and MSSM have been up to. It’s always handy when you have to verbally smack down some cat.
Yeah, sadly I hope DWil and MODI never stop watching ESPN because didn’t I wouldn’t know what was going on.
Cause I cut that crap from my life two years ago along with the NFL. Truthfully, it hasn’t been that hard. Just a matter of changing habits.
Big Man,
Embarrassing story: I called my DirecTV today to cancel my NFL ticket. They offered me the SuperFan package for free which means games in HD. I caved in about 2 seconds.
Don’t judge me. I have a problem.
Tell it DWIL, there are so many people out there doing great things, it’s a shame the losers at ESPN can only focus on the negative.
@awb
“They watch so we don’t have to. Seriously, my ESPN watching gone almost completely by the wayside and I don’t miss it at all. I do like the fact that MODI and Dwil have such a large, rich, and well documented catalogue of all the shenanigans ESPN and MSSM have been up to. It’s always handy when you have to verbally smack down some cat.”
Indeed…..I can’t argue with that. Like I said initially, I won’t watch it because I can get the REAL scoop from this site and a few others.
“Embarrassing story: I called my DirecTV today to cancel my NFL ticket. They offered me the SuperFan package for free which means games in HD. I caved in about 2 seconds.
Don’t judge me. I have a problem.”
LOL…..that’s hilarious.