LeBron James Calls Out ‘Slave Mentality’ of ‘Old, White Men’ NFL Owners
”This is my team, and you do what the f— I tell you all to do, or we get rid of y’all,“ NBA star says about pro football bigwigs on his show ”The Shop“
LeBron James thinks that NFL owners need to drop what he called their “slave mentality” regarding athletes on their teams and how they express themselves politically, on or off the field.
“In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men on teams, and they’ve got that slave mentality,” James said on the latest episode of his HBO show “The Shop,” which aired Friday. “This is my team, and you do what the f— I tell you all to do, or we get rid of y’all.”
James then contrasted that stance with the NBA, applauding commissioner Adam Silver for giving athletes more autonomy and feels the NFL should do the same in regards to the debate over kneeling players during the national anthem.
“Every Sunday, without Todd Gurley, without Odell Beckham Jr., and without those players, there’s no football,” James said. “You’re not disrespecting the Rams or the Lakers or whatever the case may be. I’m very educated in what I believe in, and I’m not doing it in a violent way. I’m not knocking on your door saying, listen, I’m kneeling today, and if you don’t kneel with me I’m knocking you the f— out, but you know people go crazy when things are done outside the box.”
James’s “The Shop” is a roundtable talk show set inside a barbershop. For the latest episode, he invited Los Angeles Rams player Todd Gurley, who sparked a frank discussion about the health of players and how they often struggle t0 both push themselves during games and sustain the longevity of their career.
“As I say, your best ability is availability,” Gurley said.
James also contrasted the differences between the NBA and the NFL in this regard, saying that owners look at basketball players as having “potential” and long-term contributions, whereas the NFL is focused on what you as an athlete can do on the field today. The NBA also provides players long-term, guaranteed contracts, while the NFL does not, further exerting the control owners have over players.
James has previously been critical of the NFL’s stance on kneeling and of President Trump, supporting the national anthem protests and participating in some of his own in the NBA.
Below is a full transcript of James’s remarks about NFL owners.
“Control. In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men on teams, and they’ve got that slave mentality. This is my team, and you do what the f— I tell you all to do, or we get rid of y’all. I’m so appreciative in our league, of our commissioner. He doesn’t mind us having the feeling, to be able to actually have a real feeling and be able to express that. It doesn’t even matter if Adam agrees with what we’re saying, he at least wants to hear us out. As long as we’re doing it in a very educational non-violent way, then he’s absolutely okay, because at the end of the day, the players are the people who make the ship go.
Every Sunday, without Todd Gurley, without Odell Beckham Jr., and without those players, there’s no football. It’s the same in the NBA, certain players and certain teams. You’re not disrespecting the Rams or the Lakers or whatever the case may be. I’m very educated in what I believe in, and I’m not doing it in a violent way. I’m not knocking on your door saying, listen, I’m kneeling today, and if you don’t kneel with me I’m knocking you the f— out, but you know people go crazy when things are done outside the box. People go crazy and don’t know how to react.”
The third episode of the HBO series “The Shop,” from HBO Sports and “Uninterrupted,” starring James and Maverick Carter, is available on HBO Go and HBO Now. The episode also features appearances by Mary J. Blige, Lena Waite, Jimmy Kimmel, Todd Gurley, Chris Bosh, Ice Cube and Nas.
Laura Ingraham's 8 Biggest Feuds, from David Hogg to LeBron James (Photos)
Laura Ingraham lost eight sponsors from her Fox News show this week after criticizing Parkland shooting survivor and activist David Hogg. And it's not even the first time she's been at the center of a public feud this year. Here are several recent instances where Ingraham has taken to Twitter or to the air and stirred national attention.
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David Hogg
On March 28, Ingraham tweeted, "David Hogg by Rejected Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it." Hogg then called for a boycott of 12 companies that advertise on Ingraham's show. Eight sponsors in all, Hulu, TripAdvisor, Wayfair, Nutrish, Expedia, Stitch Fix, Johnson & Johnson and Nestle pulled their ads from “The Ingraham Angle.” Ingraham issued an apology, but didn't address the topic on her show and hasn't yet deleted her original tweet. Hogg then told CNN that he plans to put even more pressure on Ingraham and others. “The fact that they’re going after us personally shows that what we’re doing is working. We have them scared and now we have to go even harder,” Hogg said.
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LeBron James
When NBA stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant made some anti-Trump remarks during an interview with ESPN's Cari Champion, Ingraham called James's comments "ignorant" and said, "You’re great players; no one voted for you. Millions elected Trump to be their coach. So keep the political commentary to yourself, or as someone once said, ‘shut up and dribble.'” Her statement earned a strong response from James, even though he said he didn't even know Ingraham's name. “I will not just shut up and dribble,” the Cleveland Cavaliers player said. “So, thank you, whatever her name is … I get to sit up here and talk about what’s really important and how I can help change kids." Ingraham issued a statement that there was no racial intent behind her words and that she has used the expression telling entertainers to "Shut Up" frequently in the past.
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Hillary Clinton
While speaking at the Republican National Convention, Ingraham was criticized for appearing to give the Nazi salute after her speech. She then dragged Hillary Clinton into the controversy, tweeting a collage of photos of Clinton also extending her hand in a similar fashion. "It's Hillary ... hands down!" "Duh … it’s a satiric response to the left-wing criticism of Laura’s wave last night. Desperate liberals,” Ingraham tweeted.
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Paul Ryan
Back in 2015 when Paul Ryan was being considered to be Speaker of the House, he said he would accept the job on the condition that "family comes first." "I cannot and I will not give up my family time," Ryan said. Ingraham tweeted, but later deleted, a criticism saying, "like no one has ever sacrificed family time to serve the country?" "Our country is in a crisis and we need Republican leaders willing to unconditionally offer their service to the country," she added in a separate tweet.
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Mika Brzezinski
Engaged hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough have a habit of getting flirty on "Morning Joe," and Ingraham finds it hilarious. On Feb. 8, Sean Hannity prepared to hand off the time Ingraham when she started twirling her hair, lilting her voice and doing her best flirty Brzenzski impression. “What, what Sean, you’re always right. No you’re always right. You. Are. Always. Right. I mean, really,” Ingraham said.
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Ed Schultz
Ingraham didn't start this fight. The MSNBC personality called Ingraham a "right-wing slut" on his radio show, a comment that earned him a week-long suspension from MSNBC. He apologized and called his comments "vile and inappropriate," and Ingraham accepted his apology. She even joked that Schultz used to be conservative. "We'll welcome you back with open arms," she said.
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Donald Trump
In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Ingraham critiqued the president for leaving much of his executive branch understaffed. “We can all look at these horrific pictures, and we can conclude that a federal government does need staff," Ingraham said. Trump, a frequent viewer of "Fox & Friends," heard Ingraham's criticism of his administration loud and clear and responded to her directly on Twitter. "We are not looking to fill all of those positions. Don't need many of them — reduce size of government,” Trump tweeted.
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Shepard Smith
Fox News anchor Shepard Smith gave some pointed criticism to his colleagues, telling Time that he knows some of Fox's opinion shows are "strictly to be entertaining." "I don’t work there. I wouldn’t work there. I don’t want to sit around and yell at each other and talk about your philosophy and my philosophy. That sounds horrible to me.” Both Sean Hannity and Ingraham took issue with Smith's comments. "Always liked Shep, but his comments were inconsiderate & inaccurate. The hard working team at the Ingraham Angle does real reporting, develops impt sources and scores big interviews. Very proud of them," she tweeted.
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Host of ”The Ingraham Angle“ has also critiqued Paul Ryan, Donald Trump and Shepard Smith
Laura Ingraham lost eight sponsors from her Fox News show this week after criticizing Parkland shooting survivor and activist David Hogg. And it's not even the first time she's been at the center of a public feud this year. Here are several recent instances where Ingraham has taken to Twitter or to the air and stirred national attention.
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