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Shameful or Not?
August 26, 2007
New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury has recently made a statement defending Michael Vick and his dog fighting charge. Marbury said, “I think, you know, we don’t say anything about people who shoot deer or shoot other animals. You know, from what I hear, dog fighting is a sport. It’s just behind closed doors. There is no list for which animals should be killed and which shouldn’t. I love animals and none of them should be harmed. However, we don’t react the same when other animals are being killed for sport or the sake of human pleasure.”
Marbury apparently didn’t think too hard about what he was going to say next. He’s also apparently never heard of the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which is entirely against hunting, fishing, bullfighting, etc. This is one of the main groups up in arms over the whole Vick ordeal speaking out against what he’s done.
Three days after making those statements, Marbury came out again and said that he despises dog fighting. “I don’t think [Vick’s] right,” Marbury said. “But this dude is trying to ask for forgiveness…The way it’s going about in the newspapers and tv, it’s ridiculous.” Marbury also claimed that he never actually called dog fighting a sport. “I said, ‘From what I hear, dog fighting was a sport.’ They’re editing me on tv.”
There’s no problem with trying to defend a fellow athlete and friend. But for crying out loud, think about what you’re going to say before you say it. Marbury only made things worse. The worst thing about it was that he was promoting his line of shoes, Starbury. It’s hard to think about shoes when you hear what he said about dog fighting.
It’s no question that Marbury took a lot of flak for what he said. Maybe not as much as Vick has for the dog fighting, but Marbury’s had his share. Was he justified in what he said or was he speaking out of ignorance? Give us your comments. E-mail us at shamefulornot@athletehos.com