Jerome Bettis sold crack...

[kmoose]

Wow! Not sure yet how I feel about this. As an ND fan, and a Steelers fan, Bettis has always been a big favorite. This is kind of like a punch in the gut. I guess I understand his logic, but wow!

Jerome Bettis Says He Sold Drugs and Shot at People While Growing Up in Detroit | Bleacher Report

 

[Crazy Balki]

Wow! Not sure yet how I feel about this. As an ND fan, and a Steelers fan, Bettis has always been a big favorite. This is kind of like a punch in the gut. I guess I understand his logic, but wow!

Jerome Bettis Says He Sold Drugs and Shot at People While Growing Up in Detroit | Bleacher Report

Not really that big of a deal. From what I remember, this was in his book. He clearly grew up and grew out of that lifestyle. I for one think this is a great thing for him and for ND. It showed what UND was able to do for Jerome. It helped him turn into a man and a stellar member of society, that has shown to be nothing but a class act.

 

[woolybug25]

Wow! Not sure yet how I feel about this. As an ND fan, and a Steelers fan, Bettis has always been a big favorite. This is kind of like a punch in the gut. I guess I understand his logic, but wow!

Jerome Bettis Says He Sold Drugs and Shot at People While Growing Up in Detroit | Bleacher Report

It's a grim reminder of the social elements a lot of these kids grow up in. Football is the way out for a lot of these guys, and it certainly was for Bettis. He has always done a ton for the city of Detroit and has done his best to repent for the sins of his past. You live a lot of lives during your time on this earth.

 

[Buster Bluth]

It's almost like people in desperate situations do desperate things but if given opportunity often better themselves.

Good thing he never got caught, or he'd be branded a lazy moocher or sent to prison to learn how to be a serious criminal in no time.

 

[Irish YJ]

He's been pretty honest about having done bad things before he went to ND. Said ND saved his life.

Not all people embrace the opportunities given to them. Bus did. How many guys doe we see screwing up their scholarships.

This does not bother me at all. Bad turned good. Can't get any better than that.

 

[Irish YJ]

It's almost like people in desperate situations do desperate things but if given opportunity often better themselves.

Good thing he never got caught, or he'd be branded a lazy moocher or sent to prison to learn how to be a serious criminal in no time.

people that aren't desperate do stupid things too. and all desperate people don't do stupid things... I guess only the folks that aren't desperate should get caught and sent to jail? let's not totally remove freedom of choice and individual responsibility just because people are poor, grow up in a bad neighborhood, or are raised in a single parent home.

there's enough people who don't get caught that are doing fine learning how to be serious criminals.

 

[GoldenDomer]

Need more of these rough customers.

 

[NCND]

Need more of these rough customers.

Totally agree.

 

[Irishnuke]

It's almost like people in desperate situations do desperate things but if given opportunity often better themselves.

Good thing he never got caught, or he'd be branded a lazy moocher or sent to prison to learn how to be a serious criminal in no time.

If he indeed shot at people, then he was a serious criminal. Or does that not qualify as serious to you?

 

[IrishLax]

Insert RKG joke here...

In all seriousness, this isn't a new revelation. He talked about his childhood in his book. But now that he is going into the HOF, there's a new round of interviews and such.

He has said repeatedly that ND changed his life. Crazy to think of the life he has had and all the good he has done when were it not for football/ND he would've been a gangster.

 

[Bluto]

Glad he got an opportunity to escape that reality. The primary reason I root for ND is success storys like this. That is to say, more often than not ND can take a kid from a situation like that and provide them with the opportunity and life skills necessary to become someone like the Jerome Bettis we know today.

 

[NDdomer2]

Insert RKG joke here...

In all seriousness, this isn't a new revelation. He talked about his childhood in his book. But now that he is going into the HOF, there's a new round of interviews and such.

He has said repeatedly that ND changed his life. Crazy to think of the life he has had and all the good he has done when were it not for football/ND he would've been a gangster.

Isn't this the most rkg. The guy that sees the opportunity to better himself and seizes it?

 

[Buster Bluth]

If he indeed shot at people, then he was a serious criminal. Or does that not qualify as serious to you?

How about "more serious criminals," as in our prisons are little more than a time to hang out and be influenced by other criminals and become almost completely entrenched in that life?

 

[pumpdog20]

Isn't this the most rkg. The guy that sees the opportunity to better himself and seizes it?

Um no, it's not. It's awesome that he turned it around, but how exactly does selling crack and shooting at people translate to RKG?

 

[Bluto]

Um no, it's not. It's awesome that he turned it around, but how exactly does selling crack and shooting at people translate to RKG?

Because he seemed to grasp the fact that selling crack and shooting at people (who in all likelihood were shooting at him as well) was only going to lead to more shooting and crack selling. He decided to break that cycle and considering the situation that he grew up in that's one hell of a leap for a teenager. So yeah, RKG material for sure.

 

[Buster Bluth]

people that aren't desperate do stupid things too. and all desperate people don't do stupid things... I guess only the folks that aren't desperate should get caught and sent to jail? let's not totally remove freedom of choice and individual responsibility just because people are poor, grow up in a bad neighborhood, or are raised in a single parent home.

there's enough people who don't get caught that are doing fine learning how to be serious criminals.

Is that what I did, completely removed him from responsibility? Pretty sure what I did was say "well what did you expect?" to an OP who leans rather conservative and then broadly and briefly criticized the shortcomings of our criminal justice system.

But to your post, the personal responsibility card is easily the worst card in all of politics. You can play it at any time, it trumps anything, it's a license to stop giving a shit about people and context, and it demands your obedience unless you want to sound like some sort of bum-enabler. Beats things like the race card 10/10 times.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Um no, it's not. It's awesome that he turned it around, but how exactly does selling crack and shooting at people translate to RKG?

I don't think you're getting it. RKG's aren't always going to make the right decisions, but RKG's will find a way to make up for the bad decisions they made in order to better their life and leave those bad choices past them. I still firmly believe Russell is a RKG despite the fact that he cheated, because he's willing to make up and learn from his mistakes. I know it isn't as bad as selling crack on the streets, which sadly is a very real situation to be in on the cold streets of Detroit, but the message is all the same. Jerome found a way out of the life of crime so he could become a good person. We've all done things in the past that we're not proud of, and a lot of times we learn from them, so we don't make those mistakes again, and become better people because of it.

 

[Irish YJ]

Is that what I did, completely removed him from responsibility? Pretty sure what I did was say "well what did you expect?" to an OP who leans rather conservative and then broadly and briefly criticized the shortcomings of our criminal justice system.

But to your post, the personal responsibility card is easily the worst card in all of politics. You can play it at any time, it trumps anything, it's a license to stop giving a shit about people and context, and it demands your obedience unless you want to sound like some sort of bum-enabler. Beats things like the race card 10/10 times.

you're right. all criminals should go free. they just need a good talking to and lots of tax money.

 

[GoldenDome]

Trying to kill someone is unforgivable imo unless it was self defense. I hope this was the case. If not, shame on him.

 

[Buster Bluth]

you're right. all criminals should go free. they just need a good talking to and lots of tax money.

 

[no.1IrishFan]

you're right. all criminals should go free. they just need a good talking to and lots of tax money.

I believe he was making the point that our prison system is broken and in need of serious reform. If prisons were actually rehabilitating people we wouldn't see such high rates of reincarceration. 1 out of every 4 prisoners in the world are from the U.S. and we make up less than 5% of the worlds population. There's a very good chance that had the Bus been arrested and put in jail, it could have very well spiraled downward from there, leading to a much different man than we know today.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

This is one of those subjects that makes you really question moral rigidity.

I think it is interesting, the divide between those that want to immediately condemn, and those that say, "There but for the Grace of God go I!"

 

[kmoose]

Is that what I did, completely removed him from responsibility? Pretty sure what I did was say "well what did you expect?" to an OP who leans rather conservative and then broadly and briefly criticized the shortcomings of our criminal justice system.

Maybe stick to the topic instead of the poster? Honestly, these revelations are new to me. I knew that he had a rough childhood, but I had not heard that he was a drug dealer and borderline gang-banger. I'm not sure how I "criticized the shortcomings of our criminal justice system"? I thought that my OP was simply a comment on the dilemma of finding out that one of your heroes has a VERY checkered past.

 

[Irish YJ]

I believe he was making the point that our prison system is broken and in need of serious reform. If prisons were actually rehabilitating people we wouldn't see such high rates of reincarceration. 1 out of every 4 prisoners in the world are from the U.S. and we make up less than 5% of the worlds population. There's a very good chance that had the Bus been arrested and put in jail, it could have very well spiraled downward from there, leading to a much different man than we know today.

I know what point he was trying to make.
Just wish he would stick to the topic instead of taking this down a political or liberal back road.

 

[LoveThee]

People may disagree, but I find theres normally two types of drug dealers:

1) The stereotypical gangster
2) The preppy, wealthy kid who spends their parents money on a large amount of drugs then sell it in smaller amounts to profit

The second group is mostly marijuana, probably some other things like molly.

But thats probably based on the environment they are in. Drug dealers are risk takers. The preppy kid is someone nobody thinks of as a hardened criminal because he sells pot and goes to private school. In Jerome's case, he sold crack because thats what was in demand in his area. He sold crack and played football.

It doesn't make him inherently a worse person IMO. It just means he's the personality type to take a risk and sell drugs. It just so happens in his environment the drug of choice was crack, so society at large brands him a "thug" when a drug dealer in a nicer area would be seen as someone who needs guidance.

Regardless, I could see it looking good and bad for Notre Dame. Bad because people will say "see!! Notre Dame takes thugs!!!" And others will say "Wow ND turned this kid around"

 

[ARALOU]

I recall, when he started at ND, hearing that he was on thin ice and borderline being accepted. I think Lou had to battle big time to get him in. I am older now and my memory isn't what it used to be. I don't recall anything about crack and guns.

 

[IrishLax]

This thread epitomizes why I said "insert RKG joke"... you've got like a half dozen posts where no one can even agree on what a "RKG" even is.

It's why the term was dumb from the start, and BK stopped using it. Truth is that is people come in all kinds of different shades. A kid with a good GPA from a good two-parent middle class+ background might end up having work ethic issues or be "soft"... or he might be a fantastic ambassador for the the program and uber successful. A kid from a very rough background and scrapes with the law might cause scandal at ND and have authority problems... or he might be incredibly driven to succeed.

When you look at how Holtz recruited, he didn't give a crap about this mythical "RKG"... he simply targeted the best prospects who he thought could be the best football players. Tony Rice, Jerome Bettis, etc. would never get past ND admissions today. Randy Moss, etc. would never even get recruited.

 

[kmoose]

When you look at how Holtz recruited, he didn't give a crap about this mythical "RKG"... he simply targeted the best prospects who he thought could be the best football players. Tony Rice, Jerome Bettis, etc. would never get past ND admissions today.

I don't think it's fair to say that Holtz didn't care about character. If I recall correctly, the only reason that Rice and Zorich got in to ND, was because Holtz personally guaranteed that he would keep them on track and out of trouble. And he did just that with both of them.

 

[EddytoNow]

The Bus overcame an environment that destroyed the lives of many others in the same situation. Notre Dame gave him the opportunity to be something much greater. He grasped the opportunity and put in the work to make his life better. There's nothing to criticize in that. He openly admits his mistakes and doesn't try to hide from his past.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

The Bus overcame an environment that destroyed the lives of many others in the same situation. Notre Dame gave him the opportunity to be something much greater. He grasped the opportunity and put in the work to make his life better. There's nothing to criticize in that. He openly admits his mistakes and doesn't try to hide from his past.

Triple reps!