I haven't seen the doc yet, but I've heard that Jalen makes it clear that he felt this way as an immature 18 year old athlete, was jealous of guys like Hill who grew up with 2 parents, and has since changed his mind. If that's the case, then I'm not sure all the hype is warranted. I'll reserve judgment until after I see it. Nonetheless, the rebuttal was very well written and made me respect Grant Hill even more.
When one opts to get underneath Rose's reflection as an 18 year old kid, it might be possible to examine his view of "uncle toms" and Duke's targeted recruitment of black BB players more objectively.
but did Rose, or any others, say "back then?" I dont recall that, nor do I recall them saying that they had changed their views--maybe that is why Grant Hill wrote his response...
I'm not sure if they qualified the statement or not, that's just something I heard today. I'll post back after I watch the doc.
Congratulations to Calvin and Janet Hill for the accomplishments and character of their son Grant. 16,000 pts in the NBA (17.5 for 16 years), about 6000 rebounds, $134mill in earnings. Not just a guy who won 2 of 3 NCAA championship games he played in. (Jalen Rose, amazing career, too)
Great statement. Too bad it wasn't necessary. What's next? Christian Laetner's press release on why he isn't a "*****." Rose made it clear that this was the thought process of an 18-year old kid. Grant Hill is tilting at windmills.
Not well thought out, if you ask me. Jimmy King went to high school in Plano, not exactly the inner city. Ray Jackson? Here in Austin. Chris Webber went to Country Day High in Detroit. Not exactly inner city either, and the same high school Shane Battier went to, ironically. Comedian Robin Williams and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer went there as well. Sorry if I have a hard time buying this "Uncle Tom" theme. His generalizations reek of ignorance to me. He was young, though. I'd lean toward cutting him some slack.
I dont recall the exact words but I came away with the clear impression that Rose was talking about how he felt as a young kid and the role jealousy played in those feelings as he saw Grant Hill have parents who clearly gave him the solid home life Rose never had. I do recall Rose talking about how he never knew his professional athlete dad in comparison to Hill. It seemed less about the actual "uncle tom" then jealousy and acting out by calling him an "uncle tom". I took away that he realized that was the anger of youth in those feelings and not a true reflection of how he feels today, but who knows.
A nice commentary by Hill, but I am with the other posters that Jalen made it clear he was talking about his feelings when he was an 18-year old punk kid that felt he got slighted by Duke. I think Hill used this as an opportunity to turn this into a social commentary as his little diatribe gets more general toward the middle as he is talking about society, in general.
This was not racism at all. IF anything, it is "class-ism"- put into context by Jalen. All races here in the US have poor and better off classes- and that is what this was about.
and Im tired of the Politically Correct people screaming racism and wanting Rose to take his comments back. Lets be real honest with ourselves. For those of you that hate Duke....why do you hate the Blue Devils? Besides the fact they win all the time, I root for Duke to lose because Ive never liked the preppyness of the program.....and just like Jalen Rose Im not gonna retract that statement.
Michael Wilbon wrote a great piece on this matter. He goes to great lengths to praise Jalen Rose's character and accomplishments, while still condemning the misguided and unfair stereotype of the "Uncle Tom" remark. LInk
And as for Christain being "a *****", in concescutive seasons, with the season, the program and the entire tournament on the line, EVERYONE on the Duke sideline wanted the ball in his hands. They didn't care where his hands had been. And both times, he took them to the promised land.
While Rose says that was the way he felt back then, I don't think he has changed his opinion much. Now let me get this straight a Kid going to Michigan, is calling another kid an Uncle Tom? I wonder what the kids going to Grambling think about the black kids at Michigan? The hate that exists is unbelievable.
