In Memoriam: Chris Henry

Any time someone passes on before their time, you take notice. Whenever its a 26-year-old star athlete in the nation's most popular sport, you have to pause and come to grips with the reality of it all.

Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Chris Henry was often more known for his mistakes than his successes. A superior athlete in college at West Virginia, Henry's draft stock dropped due to off the field incidents. The Bengals took a chance and drafted the enigmatic wideout in the 5th round and for his first couple seasons, Henry's skeletons continued to chase him as a pro. Henry's legal problems became more of a unwanted distraction than a cry for help.

But those in his corner, like Coach Marvin Lewis and teammate Chad OchoCinco knew that he would turn the corner soon. This year, there hopes were seemed to be vindicated by Henry's change in demeanor and new found dedication to his sport. If not for a season-ending injury suffered this year, Henry would no doubt still be an integral part of a Bengals team primed for the playoffs.

However, this is so much more about Chris Henry the man than it is about the athlete. We often sit back in judgment of superstar athletes, seemingly given the golden ticket to success, only for them to squander it by making bad decisions and surrounding themselves with bad people. There's no doubt Henry's detractors made this same assessment of him as he battled his personal demons for the world to see. Those closest to him, like family, obviously gained much joy from watching him achieve his dreams, and when all of the eulogies given by ESPN and sports fans are over with, it will be his family that will be left to grieve.

And he was only 26.

The Down Low....Real, Imagined or Both?

Sometimes, all it takes is Oprah. An appearance on the nation's most popular talk show is a sure-fire route to many things; wealth and notoriety being the two most coveted.

Controversy is also a bi-product as well. It was one appearance by noted author Terry McMillan that changed perceptions of Black male-female relationships forever. McMillan, author of such works as Disappearing Acts and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, (both of which were made into films), brought an issue to the fore that had previously only been a whisper in the past.

The 'Down-Low' Brother.

Black men who are on the down-low maintain a heterosexual lifestyle on the surface, sometimes through marriage, but also engage in homosexual acts in private. When McMillan spoke on Oprah that she had been the victim of this betrayal, Black women across the country began to wonder privately (sometimes out loud), 'could this be me'? What came next was something that resembled half-phenomenon, half-urban legend.

There is no question that this issue, while important, came at the wrong time (or right time depending on your perspective), for Black women. Faced with the decreasing number of eligible Black men in their communities due to the increasing number of Black men being incarcerated, pursuing women outside their race, etc., this was fuel added to the fire of Black womens' frustrations with their brothers. They were now faced with something they couldn't as readily identify as Black men being in jail or dating 'other' women. Their men could be loving them one night, then in the arms of another brotha the next. I understand the fear.

But when does fear become fact and caution become paranoia? I often heard my female friends speak about the down low as if anyone could fall victim. Granted, there are real and dangerous consequences to these acts. The cases of HIV and AIDS amongst Black women are rising like no other. This in itself is enough to give anyone pause. There is no cause to believe that this has nothing to do with Black men playing both sides of the fence. But is every man a possibility. Most definitely not.

When it comes down to communication between Black men and women, this is the least likely to succeed. The majority of Black men have no time for it and are offended if its even brought up. Their reasoning is that their woman should know already. Whereas women, often with facts but more often with hearsay, do not know.

The truth is, there are some men who are down low, but I would venture an educated guess and say the majority are not. But if nothing else, the hope is that this issue will be talked about more freely in the communities that need to the most.

We can always hope....

Why Michael Vick Will Always Divide Atlanta

It ended up being much like we expected. Last Sunday, Michael Vick, now quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles returned to the Georgia Dome, a stadium he used to electrify nearly every week with his quarterback play as a member of the Atlanta Falcons.

Vick's introduction into the game brought a mixture of reaction: boos with a smattering of cheers here and there. Vick's return to Atlanta was almost as divisive as his reign there as a player and most of that has to do with what Vick represented to the fans of the Atlanta Falcons.

To understand the Vick issue more in depth, you'd have to know a bit about Atlanta the city and their franchise the Falcons. Historically not the winningest franchise in the NFL, the Falcons began to turn the corner in the mid to late 90s thanks, in part, to their star player Deion Sanders. That brief flirtation with success carried on and off through the years and made Falcons games something else to do in the growing southern city.

The drafting of Michael Vick in 2001 as the Number 1 pick overall was supposed to represent a new era for the franchise and the city. Conspicuously absent in prior years, African Americans started to flock to Falcon games more regularly to root on their beloved #7 whose pure athletic skills took the league by storm. He was one of their own, a southern-bred boy and to their delight playing quarterback and winning.

We all know what happened next and it was in the aftermath of Vick's trial, sentencing and release that the two sides of Atlanta really started to emerge. As one of the fastest growing cities in the South, Atlanta has become home to many African Americans and has given it the name "the Black Mecca". While many of the Falcons fan base were incensed at Vick's crimes (as they should), many of his Black fans remained loyal.

It was these fans who wore their #7 jerseys to the game last Sunday while the mostly white attendance at the Georgia Dome expressed their rejection of Vick throughout the game. Even though the team remains successful under new quarterback Matt Ryan, the Vick issue continues to divide the city in ways that most outsiders fail to understand.

Who says race and sports don't mix?

Who Gives a F*** About A Grammy

"We don't give a fuck about a god damn Grammy", were the words uttered by Public Enemy on their seminal album It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back in 1989 and the words were far from subtle.

Truthfully, there has always been an uneasy relationship between Hip Hop and the most prestigious of award shows when it comes to music. An artist-led boycott of the Grammys led by Public Enemy during the early days of the Best Hip Hop Album award, led by Public Enemy was in response to the Grammys not televising this part of the award ceremony (that year DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince were the recipients of the award, yet also took part in the boycott).

To their credit, the Grammy committee has made some strides in the past 20 years, obviously due to the popularity of the genre and the fact that the early generalizations about the genre (about rap "not" being music) were unfounded, have led to the award show having slightly more credibility in the hip hop community. This is not to say brothers in L.A. or Brooklyn are tuning in to watch the ceremony; most don't care. With the numerous amount of "Black" award shows that abound to muddy the waters, there's no emphasis on the Grammys amongst the hip hop underground. But for established artists, I would argue that the awards still are held in a greater light to them. In short its the validation of mainstream success.

And for the most part, it is.