Our hip-hop team discusses some high-profile legal problems, in Off the Dome.
By Shaheem Reid
50 Cent
Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images
On Thursday (August 20), former Super Bowl hero and New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress pleaded guilty to weapons-possession charges. When he’s sentenced September 22, it looks like he’ll be given two years in prison as part of his plea bargain.
And that’s not the end of his problems. There is still no word on how long the free agent will be suspended from the NFL when he gets out of jail or even if a team will want to invest money into a contract with him once he’s free. Being a huge New York Giants fan, I’ve been sick over the situation ever since Plaxico accidentally shot himself in the leg last year while concealing his weapon in his pants. Yes, Plax showed poor judgment, which he’s paid for dearly, losing his $30 million-plus contract with one of the best franchises in the NFL, and now he has to go to jail and his career is in jeopardy.
However, one thing myself and my partner Rahman Dukes spoke about when assessing this plain sad situation is how the general public and some mainstream news outlets are quick to vilify and pass judgment on high-profile stars such as Burress or even T.I.
The professional athlete and the MC are intertwined in so many ways, from the way they can bring an arena full of people to their feet on command, to the similar environments they grew up in. Unfortunately, they also share well-publicized problems with the law. We don’t know exactly why Plax was armed that night. Maybe he was concerned for his personal safety like T.I. was. We just feel like, in the end, people shouldn’t assume that all athletes or rappers from certain backgrounds are going to be in some type of legal trouble at a certain point in their careers.
50 Cent — who the New York Post referred to as a “bullet magnet” three days ago — has caught so much flak in the press lately because of his planned “40 Day” gathering in his old neighborhood on August 30. Fif and the G-Unit have been talking about the positivity they are striving for while offering free food, music, big-name stars and even some professional companies coming out to the community. For all his troubles, 50 gets bashed in the press and will not even be allowed to perform for his home crowd. The situation is deep. This is definitely a conversation you will want to see.
What do you think? Have Plax, Fif and T.I. gotten a fair shake, or have they been unnecessarily vilified? Weigh in below, or make your voice heard on Your.MTV.com!
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