Don Imus, Now Meet the Real Women of Rutgers
______________________________________________________________
By Scott Soshnick
April 11 (Bloomberg) -- This isn't about punishments fitting crimes.
Don Imus turned on his microphone, which reaches millions of ears, hearts and minds, and said something hateful and hurtful.
Imus was suspended two weeks after referring to the women's basketball team at Rutgers University as ``nappy-headed hos.''
He reached that conclusion by watching a snippet of a game on television.
One game. Zero context.
``What hurts the most is that Mr. Imus knows not one of us personally,'' sophomore forward Heather Zurich said. ``He doesn't know that Matee (Ajavon) is the funniest person you'll ever meet; Kia (Vaughn) is the big sister you never had but always wanted; and Pif (Epiphanny Prince) would make an unbelievable lawyer one day.''
I won't waste anyone's time trying to convince you that a two-week hiatus is or isn't enough. I'll leave that bit of lobbying to those who wanted Imus canned.
Imus's bosses have spoken.
More importantly, we've heard from the players and their coach, C. Vivian Stringer, who yesterday held a press conference at the university's athletic center in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The coach's staccato delivery resonated with class and dignity. The message was loud and clear. And crisp. And forceful. And loving. And supportive.
This wasn't just an ESPN affair, either. Cameras from CNN and Fox were rolling, too.
Everyone Knows
Now the world knows.
They know that Stringer, flashing equal parts Martin Luther King Jr., Pat Riley and George Patton, can mesmerize an audience with lessons of self-worth. She made it personal. She showed hurt.
The coach told of being left off her high-school cheerleading team because she was black. She told of being asked to speak before the school board and not wanting to do it. She spoke the words of her coal miner father.
``If you don't stand up for something,'' she remembered him saying, ``you'll fall for anything.''
Maybe WFAN Radio, which employs Imus, could clear a spot in its lineup for Stringer. She's got a knack for storytelling.
First Introductions
Mr. Imus, meet junior guard/forward Essence Carson.
She's a straight-A student who plays piano, bass guitar, drums and saxophone. She's majoring in music and, as university President Dick McCormick let us know, can play Beethoven's ``Moonlight Sonata'' anytime, anywhere, without sheet music.
Carson graduated from Rosa Parks School for Fine and Performing Arts in Paterson, New Jersey. She competed athletically at nearby Paterson Eastside High School, which inspired the movie ``Lean on Me,'' where a no-nonsense principal teaches kids to believe in themselves.
That, Mr. Imus, is where Carson comes from.
But, as Stringer reminded us, ``It doesn't matter where you come from but where you're going.''
Mr. Imus, meet sophomore center Kia Vaughn.
All she's managed to do is help raise seven little brothers.
Mr. Imus, meet junior guard Matee Ajavon.
She came to the U.S. from Liberia as a terrified 6-year-old girl. Oh, and by the way, she had a rod surgically placed in the middle of her injured leg just before the start of the season. She wants to be a teacher.
Mr. Imus, meet the team's five freshmen: Dee Dee Jernigan, Rashidat Junaid, Myia McCurdy, Epiphanny Prince and Judith Brittany Ray. They have a combined grade-point-average of better than 3.0.
Need to Know
Chances are you might have heard a little something about Prince, who made headlines when she scored a record 113 points in a high-school game.
``Before you are a valedictorian, future doctors, musical prodigies and yes, even girl scouts,'' Stringer said, pointing toward her players. ``These young ladies are the best this nation has to offer. These are young ladies of class and distinction. They are articulate and brilliant.''
Mr. Imus, you should know that the Rutgers women's basketball team began the season with two wins and four losses. It ended with an appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship game.
You should know that the players press their pants and wear nice shoes on road trips because they want to show themselves and their university in a positive light.
One-by-One
One-by-one the players stood before the microphone and introduced themselves.
Carson, the team leader, was last.
``We are full of bright-eyed athletes that aspire to be great,'' she said. ``Not only great on the basketball court, but great in the fields of medicine, music and psychology.''
Carson then said the team had accepted Mr. Imus's request for a face-to-face chat. She didn't say when. She didn't say where.
``We hope to come to some kind of understanding of what the remarks really entailed,'' she said. ``We'd like to express our great hurt.''
Mr. Imus, meet the Rutgers women's basketball team.
_______________________________________________________
(Scott Soshnick is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)
To contact the writer of this column: Scott Soshnick in New York at ssoshnick@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: April 11, 2007 00:12 EDT |
