I am trying to be a kinder, gentler Legend these days. In all seriousness, the mindless bashing of players for their slip-ups and personal missteps -- serious or as often is the case more often minor -- is becoming less funny and more...regrettable...if not reprehensible? It doesn't particularly reward me (with anything but, sadly, traffic), my readers or the players themselves. They surely get more than enough heat from those "traditional" boys without the need for the blogging mobs to flippantlypile on.

So, I'm not going to take the cheap bait. It's why I refrained from coming up with some trite, juvenile play-on-words headline for this post in reference to the Cavs' Delonte West's recent arrest on weapons charges. I won't lie and say it didn't pop into my head. It did. And then, for whatever reason, my head went somewhere else. Far away from what would be the "wittiest" (and likely most callous) headline to the other end of the spectrum.

Namely, that Delonte West is clearly a troubled young (26) year-old man. He's had issues in the past, and it's this is not an individual who is at peace now either. Details continue to emerge that make one question how well West is or may ever be. Some will belittle him relentlessly. Folks will talk about how stupid these athletes are and how their 10s of millions of dollars shouldn't buy them any sympathy. Trust me, I get the sentiment. But I'm one of those who also tries to see the other side of the story.

Delonte West was pulled over on his motorcycle driving dangerously on the Beltway not too far from where he played high school ball. According to reports, he was carrying three loaded guns: "a Beretta 9mm in [his] waistband, a Ruger .357 magnum strapped to his leg and a shotgun in a guitar case slung over his back"(my emphasis added).

After reading that passage, one seemingly-similar athlete case immediately came to mind - Maurice Clarett. The former Ohio St. star (short-lived), Clarett was apprehended by police in August of 2006 after a high-speed chase that later revealed four loaded weapons including an AK-47 assault rifle. Maurice was fairly resistant to officers' attempts to subdue him via taser on account of the bulletproof vest he was wearing at the time.

Now, whether the cases are true parallels (or have any similarities beyond the erratic driving and seeming preparedness for a firefight) I cannot say. However, neither are instances, for example, of mere immaturity or stupidity a la a fairly well-adjusted veteran athletes trying to play gangsta. Each reeks of something deeper, more troubling and, frankly, much sadder. I'm not sure what Delonte was running from or heading after with that arsenal, but this 26 year-old appears in need of help. Hopefully, he can find it and whatever other peace he needs.

Out...

Original Story: http://www.legendofcecilioguante.com/...