Whitlock Resurfaces Just in Time for the Ball State/John Thompson Mess
Jason Whitlock, Media Gossip/Musings August 16th. 2007, 12:56pm
And … he’s back. Jason Whitlock, the firebrand columnist who left ESPN.com last summer with guns blazing after an interview with us, only to resurface at AOL Sports, made his latest move today: to Fox Sports. His debut column? You guessed it – the mayhem that is Ball State vs. Ronny Thompson/John Thompson/Mike Wilbon. A sampling:
Wilbon is one of the most skilled sports journalists in America. He’s extremely fair-minded. And I have a great deal of respect for him as a friend and a man. However, his column on Ronny Thompson was irresponsible, filled with blatant inaccuracies told to him by Thompson and an embarrassment to The Post. The column painted Muncie, Ind. and Ball State as a hotbed of seething racial animosity where no black coach could hope to survive.
During my meeting last week with the Thompsons, guess who Ronny referenced several times as a confidant? Vivian Stringer.
Yes, you’ll want to read the rest. As you can imagine, John Thompson’s quest to revive his son’s coaching career has hit a bit of a speed bump. Although Wilbon tried to help Ronny Thompson out by allowing him to tell his side of the story to a national audience, it seems to have backfired.
Wilbon’s largely one-sided story has now been torn to shreds by Whitlock, the Sporting News and something called the Star Press. There’s also audio of Whitlock’s comments from the Jim Rome show earlier this week. The Indianapolis Star has now picked up the story as well.
We’re back … and just in Time (Fox Sports)
Ex-Ball State coach isn’t helping his cause
(Sporting News)
31 Responses to “Whitlock Resurfaces Just in Time for the Ball State/John Thompson Mess”
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August 16th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Damn, JW went after Ronny Thompson and family on that one. While I don’t always agree with everything he says, he’s dead-on when speaking about personal accountability in general (in this case Ronny Thompson’s unwillingness to take responsibility for the mess he helped make).
August 16th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
TBL —- thanks for bringing this whole ordeal into plain view — you gave substance and framing to the entire Ronny Thompson issue. You rock!
August 16th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
I think I have to agree with Whitlock on this one. He is as neutral a voice as you will find over racial issues, be the voice black or white. The truth is Ronny Thompson was ill prepared and ill equipped to handle his position, especially in the state of turmoil that the franchise was in. In an effort to mask this lack of fundamental skills, after the fact, he played the race card. I mean I’m sure their were racial tensions at times but I highly doubt they were the main contributor to his downfall.
August 16th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Like him or not, it is great to have Whitlock back writing on a national basis, at the very least he gets conversations that need to happen out in the open.
August 16th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Whitlock certainly has quite a bit of self-importance about him, doesn’t he?
August 16th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Brandon – Whitlock is perhaps the most biased sports writer on racial issues of all time, just on the other side. I can’t recall a time where he acknowledged something was racist, as he’s always trying to prove that it’s not, right or wrong.
On the topic of bias, think he doesn’t have enough allegiance to Ball State to discredit Ronny’s allegations? Unprepared, short, and inappropriate don’t mean discriminate against the man, but it certainly means don’t hire the man.
Wilbon has been in this game long enough to have 1) dealt with genuine and and fabricated stories from athletes, coaches and the like. 2) use his platform to expose potential wrong doing, not create it.
The only reason Whitlock has any national name for himself, is because he has devoted the majority of his talent to discrediting the actions, thoughts and reasonings of a significant portion of black America. As if years of proven and blatant racism disappear and don’t occur anymore.
August 16th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
I don’t think Whitlock can consider himself unbiased and objective when he is so busy riding his own d*ck… but it was an extremely well-articulated piece. I will say that Real Talk will be a must-visit for me as I always find his pieces thought-provoking at minimum.
August 16th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
here’s a sample of the beloverd mr. whitlock,
Whitlock says he’ll keep writing for the homeboys in the ‘hood, the rebels, and the seventy-year-old widows “who seem to love me for reasons I can’t explain.”
Meanwhile, he says, “Some people are trying to talk me out of applying for membership at the Kansas City Country Club. They say the KC Country Club caters to an uptight crowd. I say I’ll have that crowd dancing to Snoop Dogg by the Christmas party.”
personal accountability huh. he’s listening to rap music right now. this is a guy who use to cover rap and hiphop music at the the paper he worked at. now all of a sudden he has become the most beloved black journalist because of his social views. i get it now, go against al and jesse and have whites pat you on the back and tell you how great you are. he has been hated at every where he’s worked. he’s an opportunistic backstabber, people on this board really are gullible. He doesnt believe in anything but being heard.
August 16th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Scott- I’ll admit that not being from the States I’m probably not as familiar with Whitlock as most of you guys. However, from what I have read, the dozen or so articles, he does seem to genuinely unbiased towards racial issues. However, if I’m not properly informed I stand to be corrected.
August 16th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Ok, someone please correct me if I’m not seeing this correctly. He bags on Jesse, Al, and Vivian for exploiting the Rutgers situation yet what is the very first thing he writes about at his new gig? The Rutgers situation 4 months later. Who would need to exploit this more than him since it is his one claim to national fame? No Bonds; no Vick. Rutgers. Also it was quite lame to go at Stringer in print after she laid his ass out face to face with a verbal beating and he had no comeback. It was almost as lame as using Stringer’s name as validation for his feelings on Thompson’s son.
August 16th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
See, what Whitlock was doing was setting up the piece with the Rutgers thing.
It’s called writing an opinion piece…you might want to think your posts through more carefully.
Did you how he tied Thompson to Stringer?
Ronny Thompson is no more the victim of racism than Larry Johnson, two upper middle class black guys. If they’re reduced to digging ditches for 5 bucks an hour, maybe I’ll give a shit. This is ridiculous.
“actions, thoughts and reasonings”
This describes gangsta rap?
LMAO
August 16th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
I think the argument that Wilbon’s been a sportswriter for a long time and therefore is incapable of bias is pretty absurd. Everyone has an agenda nowdays.
The question for me is: why hasn’t been Big John helped any of his former black players get coaching positions?
August 16th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Also, as someone who knows how University politics play out…
There is a helluva lot more than just simple racism here, only an idiot would think otherwise.
August 16th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
“Whitlock certainly has quite a bit of self-importance about him, doesn’t he?” Signal
You have no idea. I’ve lived in KC or Lawrence for the past 14 years and Whitlock has been around for most of it. He used to be a really good writer. Now, his dog and pony show is to write only about what will get people riled up. He’s a black Skip Bayless.
August 16th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
See what Whitlock was doing was setting up the piece by using the issue that has been his meal ticket, which if you look at it is exactly what he has accused Stringer of when referencing her new contract. Ronny Thompson may or may not have been a victim of racism, but to state that he is middle class as some type of proof that he isn’t or couldn’t just goes to show that you really need to stay out of grown folk conversations.
August 16th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
robert you continue to say why hasn’t big john helped any of his former players get coaching positions.
first of have you ever heard of pat ewing, he has been a coach in the nba for about 3 years now. also and most importantly if you do a little research you will see while he was at g-twon, he graduated an extremely high number of his players. the only players who didnt graduate were the ones who went to the nba. his other players went to g-town (a great school) got their degree and went on with the life in some profession other than basketball, which is a good thing. His son who is the coach at g-town now, didnt play at g-town, he went- and played- and graduated from princeton. unlike most coaches, when big john preached education, he meant it.
does this answer your question robert-
August 16th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Wags – Jesse, Al, Stringer, and other folks whom Whitlock has bashed for even insinuating racism weren’t freestyling on Rap City the last time I checked, so don’t blanket the statement in such a way. This is the same guy who said Vince Young was
I agree that there’s more at work at Ball State than just racism, but if you think Whitlock’s opinions aren’t structured solely to incite disagreement and debate with his only premise of “it’s wrong if blackness even comes up,” you might want to be more careful in your own opinions.
But hey, don’t let me tell it: just check out one of his more accurate pieces from his tenure at Page2.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=whitlock/060309
August 16th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Wilbon has biases (JT and kids).
Whitlock has biases (his alma mater).
Like most things, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
August 16th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Why does Ronnie look to be about 150lbs lighter than JT Jr. and JT 3? Was his mom withholding food from him?
August 16th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
SVPS – this is the same Whitlock who said that Americans were “racist” for rooting “against” the Olympic basketball team that one year; the same Whitlock who said the Jaguars kept two black QBs on the roster so the “racist” fans wouldn’t be able to get on the coach for not benching Leftwich in favor a white back-up? That same Whitlock? You sure?
August 16th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
aland411 — I am aware of the assistant NBA postition Ewing had with the Rockets. This was given to him by Jeff Van Gundy. Moreover, I am also aware of Thomspon’s graduation rates — though I don’t remember referencing anything about that in my post.
What I was referencing was another article in the Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/24/AR2007032401177.html, where Thompson is accussed by former player Fred Brown of not helping other former players get jobs.
To quote the former player: “Why are Coach Thompson’s sons the only ones coaching, and the only other Georgetown player coaching is [Savannah State's] Horace Broadnax, who got the job himself? Tell me that. I know a whole lot of people who want to be in coaching. Charles Smith. Jaren Jackson, a former valedictorian, became an assistant at Georgetown and they let him go with Craig Esherick [the former Georgetown coach]. Why are your two children in coaching and a lot of other people want to be in coaching?”
August 16th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Also, I am pretty sure Whitlock called out Notre Dame for giving a huge contract extension to Weiss even though he achieved the same record as Willingham.
I think it is pretty safe to say he will call out either side when they are in the wrong.
Personally, I think it is good that a top writer is willing to go against the grain and challenge the norm, better then 90% of writers who tow the company line.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
I enjoyed Whitlock’s piece. At least he quoted people and talked about experiences at Ball State and with the Thompson family, specifically Ronny. You didn’t get that from Wilbon. Instead you got a fluff piece. Wilbon wrote exactly what Ronny and Big John told him to. Wilbon didn’t even call Ball State people for rebuttal. He was solely one-sided and it was frankly, inaccurate. Read Doug Zaleski’s piece from the Muncie Star-Press. He solidifies some of Whitlock’s claims and shreds Wilbon’s piece. I’ll trust Zaleski over both of these guys, since he’s been doing Ball State sports for 15 years now.
http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070815/SPORTS/708150334/1006/NEWS17
As I’ve said before on here, I’m a Ball State student, so I’m blogging the hell out of this and still sleuthing around.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
robert- your link doesnt work, so i could not read the article, you bring up van gundy giving ewing a job, well van gundy was the head coach on the team, it was his decision. Do you think that thompson can just say “i want this guy or that guy to be a head coach at this college or pro team” and make it happen. he is not an a.d at a college or g.m or head coach of a nba team. the only thing he can do is give a refrence. i dont know his personal relationship with this former player but i’m sure if he (or any of his former players) asked for advise, he would give it to them. There is only so much he could do, i can see him having pull at g-town but why would he have pull anywhere else. the player in the quote saying that Horace Broadnax got himself a job, yeah thats what he needs to do to, get himself a job. i dont believe that just because his son is the head coach now he is obligated to hiring former g-town players, he’s from princeton, he probaly has people on his staff who no how to run that offense. if you are smart enough to get a degree from g-town and play for big john, then your smart enough and hard working enough to make your own opportunity. of course it was probaly easier for his kids to become coaches, their father is big john! i not to certain that the particular player you speak of has tried to help himself. i have never heard of any player say anything bad about big john. Makes me wonder. What does big john not “getting his former black players” coaching jobs have to do with what happened at ball st.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
wow, just read it and I must say, the fat man really doesn’t like Stringer. I enjoyed his perspective as a Ball State alum in the sense that he would know slightly more about the situation than the average writer.
August 16th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Thank you Mr. Whitlock. Well said.
August 16th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
If Whitlock sounds self important, its because HE IS important. He is the only nationally known journalist who writes the truth and is racially unbiased.
August 16th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Like I’ve said before, I’m a huge Wilbon fan, but he came off looking like Ahmad Rashad on this one. One of Thompson’s players states that Ronny told the players “not to trust white people”, but then Ronny turns around and cries racism? Good luck getting another head coaching job Ronny, famous last name or not.
Wilbon showed his ass on writing about this story without checking out all sides. Props to Whitlock for calling out the Thompson mafia on their strong armed tactics and holding them accountable for their bullshit.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:03 am
Whitlock has the one thing most sports writers don’t have.
Common sense.
Great article.
August 17th, 2007 at 8:33 am
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/24/AR2007032401177.html
I removed the comma at the end, that should fix the link. It’s relevant because if Big John was so concerned with plight of black coaches at universities, then perhaps he should be concerned with the lack of black head coaches. And if he was concerned about that, then you’d think he’d do what he can to get some hired — starting with his former players that have tried to reach out to him only to not have their phone calls returned as the article states. Instead, Big John is more concerned with his son than race relations. If it wasn’t he son, you wouldn’t see him throwing his weight around.
August 17th, 2007 at 9:31 am
I didn’t know it was that FRED BROWN, after what happen to him in the championship game i’m sure he feels he was blamed by g-town and their fans. As i said, this is a guy waiting for someone to hand him something. By the way, the article didnt say big john wont return calls to former players, FRED BROWN said that. 1 player, where are the rest of the players who feel this way. And since you want to talk about race relations and what big john has done and hasnt done, he put his players in position to earn degrees from g-town. unlike all the coaches now and back then who brought black kids to their campus and let them sit around and play video games all day and get used by the system, he made his players actually study and go to class. He brought in players who needed discipline and gave them that, i refuse to believe that this is nothing more than 1 player who has a bad relationship with him. Where are all the other players who feel this way.Find quotes of them and post the links.