It has been reported that NBA star Gilbert Arenas has been indefinitely suspended from the NBA without pay. Commissioner David Stern has stated that Arenas is "not fit to take the court" for a game:
"The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us. I initially thought it prudent to refrain from taking immediate action because of the pendency of a criminal investigation involving the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department, and the consideration of this matter by a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia. For the same reason, I directed the Wizards to refrain from taking any action.
...
"Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game. Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA."
Stern mentioned that although the criminal investigation by Washington D.C., police is still ongoing, Arenas violated league policy by bringing a gun in to the stadium.
The Rev. Al Sharpton and I spoke about the Gilbert Arenas situation for several hours on Monday, and I cannot help but back Rev. Sharpton's push for substantial penalties to be imposed on Arenas. This incident should never have occurred.
As I mentioned in an earlier article, this kind of behavior should not be tolerated in the black community, primarily because gun violence is so pervasive. Our children are dying in the streets on a regular basis by guns that are made by someone else. The last thing we need or should ever tolerate is the idea that role models for our children are bringing guns in to the workplace.
While David Stern takes action on this matter, (I have also mentioned clearly that Stern's treatment of African-American athletes does not always sit well with me), I am hopeful that he will use his skills as an attorney to fully investigate all of the facts before engaging in harsh action. Additionally, Gilbert Arenas is a man who deserves fairness as well as an opportunity for redemption should he learn a lesson from his mistake. The only thing better than getting rid of a bad role model is to turn a bad role model into a good one. Perhaps a redeemed Gilbert Arenas can help curb some of the gun violence in our communities.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (12)
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By: neckbonez on 1/06/2010 4:39PM
Gilbert, you picked a bad time to get kicked out of the NBA, because Wal Mart and Home Depot ain't hiring!!!
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By: JMH on 1/06/2010 5:07PM
Why FedEx needs a UNION!!!
FedEx's Inhumane Treatment!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YnbcCV2KI4
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By: Tellthetruth on 1/07/2010 8:41AM
Neckbonez Walmart and Home Depot are always hiring maybe not at the stores you split your part-time work hours at,LOL.
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By: sharkchops on 1/07/2010 10:34AM
They get millions of dollars to play a schoolyard game and they still can't behave like adults. This is the only way these "children" will learn. Hit them where it hurts. It's unfortunate they have to be treated like children but since they think this is all just a game anyway, ya gotta kick them out of the sandbox. GO GET 'EM, STERN!! Why is it always the black athletes?
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By: Sekou on 1/07/2010 11:23AM
Isn't that funny that there is always an uproar over a black man having a weapon. But good old white boys are running around buying gun and ammunition in record numbers and hardly a mumbling word is said about it. The right to carry a weapon is in the U.S. constitution. Gun laws were first instituted against the freed slave. Then after the civil war gun law were enacted against the newly freed slave. The problems was not in Gilbert having the weapon the problem is the way he irresponsibly displayed the weapon.
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By: Harold Willis on 1/07/2010 4:58PM
It just pains me on how our black men are behaving out here in society. Is it too much to ask for us to behave like law abiding citizens and represent our race with some class. We are always trying to pass the buck and we do not see that we are the ones who are dragging outselves down in the gutter.
Maybe one day we will get it, but it does not look like it will be soon.
God help us.
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By: dre on 1/07/2010 5:01PM
Since when did it become illegal for a black man to brandish a weapon? Aren't black men supposed to carry guns to protect themselves from other blacks? When did it become taboo for a black man to misrepresent himself and the young men who look up to him? Isn't that the best way to train the young black ego? When was the law passed for athletes to receive special treatment or exemptions for following the law? What does an very highly paid athlete brandishing a weapon have to do with being a slave? I say severely punish him - no more professional basketball! Suppose he were a white player and called a black player the "n-word" and said "I was just playing?" Brandishing a gun is just as offensive and threatening, whether "just playing" or not. It reeks of self and professional disrespect and shows a lack of maturity. I don't care who it is, we need to hold people accountable for their actions, especially the buffoons who hawk the distorted image of black maleness. We do not find our identity in a gun, a rap lyric, disrespecting women and children, or shunning education. If these gentlemen cannot carry the torch of responsibility, then we should not allow them to entertain us or hold any position of great visibility.
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By: Willie Davis on 1/08/2010 4:44PM
Lets be clear, this problem with the use of firearms is not and has never been a terminal problem in only the African-American community. The fact that this young man is from that community makes it ten times worse, the children look to athletes as a hero that made it out and give a beacon of hope to do the same. When someone defies rules and regulations that are imposed on them as an adult they should be punished. Maybe, Mr. Arenas will reflect on his actions.
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By: Martin Muhammad on 1/09/2010 2:33AM
You can tell when white men get together and share their opinions. It’s like listing to white school girls under the bleachers gossiping about everyone else. That’s what it was like when I came across this article and the only comments were these and it’s bad when you can tell their from white men probably around 40ish or something. Their comments sound bitter and they all feel that their comments are justified in a white-worldish kind of way. They all seem happy commented on black topics from safe lap-tops; you all know the type, smile when they see black people or avoid us when they are not in their safety-zone. Their happiest the most when their talking about non-white issues and giggling, But dare them to talk about solutions and you’ll probably get ridiculous rhetoric of guys like Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck. Who all dream of the good old days when their parents and grand-parents finished up church and went to go hang a Blackman and then threw a picnic afterwards for their off-springs. I know that this may seem a little harsh for some, but just take a look at your history, start from around 1555 until now, but not the Star Spangled Banner you tell visitors and guest, but the one you stuffed in a closet under the stairs. The brutality of slavery and the genocide of the American Indians and we still manage to set records and over-come your father’s hatred of us to achieve and contribute vastly to America and that brings to mind the line from the movie Be Cool (2005) from Cedric the Entertainer who played Sin LaSalle.
Gilbert Arenas situation is bad and should have never have occurred, we all know that, what’s new fellows? Would you perhaps like to publicly hang him and sip off his genitals? I certainly hope not. Look, stop being the stooges of the stage and seek ideals that’ll heal and help and stead of driving by and yelling “You have a flat tire” and driving away.
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By: mike on 1/10/2010 10:31AM
Yeah Marty Muhammad, we can tell when white peoples be writen funny and what not, but when they see us brothers they be shying away and what not. What the hell are you talking about Mart? stick to the issue. A black athlete pointed a gun at another in the locker room during a disputed card game. You may think whats wrong with that, but please focus on what you are writing about thank you.
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