Bob Ryan suspended for a month?

[Dublin Mike]

Now before you guys rip me a new one, let me start off by saying that in no way shape or form condone what Bob Ryan said about J Kidd's wife. But for him to be suspended a month without pay for something he said? What happened to freedom of speech? I know everyone is supposed to be politically correct now, but isn't this a little extreme?

[buckeyefan78]

I can only think of it this way Mike. He may have a clause in his contract that he violated. Something along the lines of " moral" highground, with penalties highlighted if infractions occur. That's all I can think of to make it legit, and I'm leaning towards that being fact. If Ryan did nothing outside his contract, he could contact the union and file a grievance.

I really don't think it was a big deal at all. People vent like that all the time, just he had a microphone on him. I do get kind of sick of seeing Kidd's wife and child on tv, but wouldn't result to such behavior as Ryan did. I got bigger fish to fry on Kidd. Everytime I hear the name Magic Johnson muttered in the same sentence with him, I cringe, then laugh hysterically, and cringe some more.

[jonnyboone71923]

Some things should be kept to yourself. Freedom of speech is our national freedom, but in today's time that right is to be tempered with wisdom. Maybe in another instance what he said is not that serious, but in this one, it is. Fans feed off of what the media says. Baseball is having a problem with fans getting involved with athletes(throwing cell phones, running on the field attacking officials). Football has had it share of problems with fans throwing beer bottles. Last season the Kidds and the Boston fans had an altercation. Let's just not go there again this year. Somebody could get seriously hurt. That is why he got suspended.

[Dublin Mike]

Now my next question. Was it said in a serious tone? I have heard Ryan several times, but i don't think he would ever come out and say he would like to smack a woman and be serious about it. I say i wanna smack people all the time, even my best friend, but nothing is meant by it.

[buckeyefan78]

We all know Ryan pretty well from radio, Around The Horn, and the SportsReporters and I think he proably wasn't serious. I haven't heard the actual audio footage of it, but would venture to say that due to the fact that Kidd and his wife have a history of spousal abuse and the Nets and Celts are developing a rivalry that Ryan's boss let the hammer down on him on it, calling out a clause in his contract, that is pretty vague and objective, if that is indeed the basis for his punishment, which I believe it proably is.

Ryan is from the Boston Globe and could go on for hours about John Havlicek's dribbling, so the Globe proably looked at it as a possible inflamatory remark to ignite the fans at the Fleet Center tonight and wanted to cover their butts if people start getting carried out on stretchers in the arena. And last year's taunting from the Celtic fans ( who have historically been the toughest, yet smartest and respectful fans who never crossed the line) proably added fuel to the Globe's fire on their decision.

[HibachiDG]

As a graduating journalism student about to start working in the field, it just disapoints me to see the newspaper take this action. I just hate seeing papers not sticking up for their writers. What he said wasn't that bad, hell, it isn't any worse then Kidd's wife actually using the kid to get on TV.

[Marc]

He ought to be punished, but maybe one or two weeks, not a month. I am shocked someone can be that offended and irritated by a wife and small kid ... it's so trivial.

[trayhezy]

I find it funny that the media types who generally blast coaches and players when they do something stupid always take up for their own. I heard the footage of what Ryan said and he was given a chance on the spot to retract that statement and he was more vehement about it the second time. Where I come from saying what Ryan said is a good way to get your skull cracked. He has no business bringing the man's wife and small child into this discussion at all especially after what happened last year, it should have been left alone. But if any man said something of that nature about my wife even in joking we would have to step outside, you just can't disrespect a man like that, that is just too much.

[I OWN THIS]

Ryan more than overstepped his line....how did that topic of discussion come about anyways? Talk about basketball Ryan, talk about the Celtics and the Nets series, bash players and coaches for their actions on the court, bash players/coaches when their actions outside of the court directly affect the team. I still have no idea why he even got on this subject....what the hell does Kidd's wife have to do with what he is doing on the court?

Those damn writers have always thought they were bigger than their britches...yeah I said britches, and yeah I am from the South. I mean they act like they can say anything or push anyone's buttons and get away with it....I am surprised Kidd was as restrained and non emotional about the situation as he has been.

Ryan try on a new pair of pants buddy, cause yours aren't fitting anymore. Ryan deserves this punishment, and no it is not too harsh from where I see it.

Joey

[MountaineerDave]

Okay, I have unusually strong opinions about this matter. I was actually watching the show Ryan's unfortunate comment was made during at the time that it aired originally. I thought the host of the show went overboard, and his begging Ryan to take back what he said really made it more than it really was.

Here's some context, and then let's all be a bit reasonable as we proceed:

1. During last season's Eastern Conference Finals, the Fleet Center crowd broke into the chant "Wifebeater" when Jason Kidd possessed the ball on several occasions.

2. Joumana Kidd complained to the NY press that she "felt threatened" while attending games in the Fleet Center. Later, she went on to note that she'd been the object of some verbal ribbing, but was generally treated well by surrounding fans and Fleet Center officials.

3. Several of the Celts-Nets games took place at a late hour. Joumana brought the youngest Kidd to each game of the first 2 in Boston. Joumana and child did NOT attend game six in Boston, supposedly at Jason's request.

As this all occurred, there was a local debate as to whether the chants of "wifebeater" was a legitimate way of expressing disdain for a player. As the Kidd abuse case is well documented, the fans were certainly NOT speaking in falsehoods regarding the player. A more general debate ensued on the local scene regarding what was reasonable behavior by the paying consumer of sporting events.

It was a widely accepted local opinion that Joumana and Jason used their child as a prop suggesting that the worst was behind them, and that Joumana (not bad on the eyes, to be sure) wished to have a career in entertainment, specificially, television. Some local pundits suggested that she used her choice of seating (down amongst the fans, only about four to eight rows back from the benches) as a way to open herself to public abuse (which didn't materialize by all accounts) as a way to gain some television time.

On Sunday nights, local sports anchor Bob Lobell hosts a show after the 11 o'clock news. It became obvious Sunday night that the Celtics were faced with a rematch with the Nets. Lobell opened the show with Ryan, asking him the following question:

"Does the price paid for a ticket to a sporting event permit a fan to verbally abuse the players?"

Ryan took Lobell to be referring to the Kidd "wifebeater" chant, and went off on his own rant regarding it. He accused Joumana of using the kid "as a prop," and said, in his emotional, hair-moving way, that her, in his mind, questionable parenting, and what he viewed as an "exhibitionist" tendency to want to be the center of the spotlight "makes me want to smack her."

Lobell nearly had a stroke on the spot, begging him to take it back, giving him "a mulligan." Ryan wasn't vehement, to use trayhezy's word, in his refusal to take it back. He looked surprised that Lobell was taken aback by his statement. In the end, he said, "I don't think I should say anything differently than I said last year." He was visibly confused that there was any reaction to what he said at all. In the moment, he didn't understand that what he'd said was controversial.

The story went mostly unnoticed on Monday.

On Tuesday, the New York Post (aka mockery of responsible reporting) and the Boston Herald (super-opponent of the Boston Globe, for whom Ryan works), reported on the story, with some reaction from Joumana, who responded with class.

The stories in these papers prompted the Globe to detemine how to respond to the story.

They responded as Mike noted in the thread opener: 30 days suspension without pay, 30 days no television or radio appearances.

I would like to debunk a number of arguments that I keep hearing about this thing:

1. Bob Ryan was NOT trying to make himself the story. He was responding extemporaneously to a question, something he does for a living, really. He's on the radio everywhere all the time. He's on TV everywhere all the time. And he's doing so as a respondent to questions most of the time. Respect his opinions or don't. He's already his own story. He was merely doing his TV job, and made a comment in questionable taste.

2. Jason Kidd's on-the-court behavior has nothing to do with his off-the-court behavior, so why is this guy even talking about it? I hope to hell that I've sufficiently explained where he was coming from on this. He has opinions, he was prompted for an opinion. He shared it. Jason Kidd has the unfortunate history of being a wifebeater. That off-the-court behavior VERY MUCH affects his on-court activity. If it didn't, he'd still play in Phoenix. Arizona at large ran him out of town for the event that has been highly publicized. HIS TRADE TO NJ WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF HIS OFF-COURT ACTIVITIES.

3. He didn't say he was going to smack Joumana. He said his actions made him want to smack her. Had Lobell pursued it as he could have but didn't, he would have expressed a similar desire towards Dusty Baker (little Darrin's near-death at home plate during the World Series) and likely the entirety of the Giants team who had their kids in the dugout during the playoffs. "I am really do down on people using their kids as props." He went on to expound on the Joumana thing, because a)basketball is his expertise and b)the question raised, while it didn't specify the Kidd debate from last year, intended to get there. He did Lobell's work for him.

I think we've all said we'd like to smack someone when we didn't mean it, or worse. How many times have you found yourself saying, "Oh, I could just kill that guy!!" You don't mean it, at least not in sports. If you do, you need help.

Ryan was expressing a disdain and distaste for the Kidds that arises from a) Jason Kidd's abusive history, b) Joumana Kidd's willingness to put herself in the spotlight at the expense of her child's well-being, as well as not leaving Jason, and c) the fact that Jason Kidd has been given a free pass for his off-court behavior since coming to the East Coast.

Did he use a bad choice of words? Maybe. In some way, I find the phrase ironic, and almost amusing. I assume he has no real desire to abuse Joumana Kidd, instead of assuming otherwise, as nearly every news outlet has assumed. I assume that Ryan has no truly violent streak. He has no violent history, to anyone's knowledge. He's an emotional speaker, and often shoots from the hip. That he would express himself thusly is neither shocking nor offensive to me.

That it's the story that it has become is both, to me.

I keep hearing people say it was a dumb thing to say, without explaining why that is. I have yet to hear an explanation that makes sense. I truly believe that this is only an issue because Joumana is a victim of Jason's abuse.

Is it wrong to say that people make you angry? Is it wrong to suggest that the behavior of some people make you feel physically violent? Is it really? Of course it sucks that some people's behavior makes someone feel violent, or to harbor resentment towards the same, but is it wrong to express this?

What he said is the same as if he'd said, "She makes me sick," or "She makes me want to throw something." He made her the object of his violent phrase, but there's no real violence behind it. He didn't threaten her. He didn't say, "I'm going to smack her if I see her."

Much ado about nothing. A tempest in a teapot.

I heard many more public verbally violent assaults on the previous president (against whom such verbal phrases are ACTUALLY CRIMINAL) without any hubbub whatsoever.

I'm pretty sure Joumana is unworthy of the attention that she inadvertantly fell into with this statement. It will be interesting to see if she and the youngest Kidd attend tomorrow's Celts-Nets game.

Dave

[I OWN THIS]

Well, if it was Joumana's intent to get publicity by showing up to games with their child, then Ryan has certainly given her that publicity.

Ok, no I didn't watch the show, and Dave seems to have a very good grasp of the events that took place. After reading Dave's post, I can see the argument behind saying that Ryan's punishment may have been too harsh given the circumstances.

I just tend to get frustrated with these guys(writers) saying what they do. That is why I don't pay attention to their rambling and babble on television, radio, or in the newspaper.

Basically, I don't like hearing or reading the opinions of this ALL Mighty sports writers. I never read anything Ryan wrote, nor have I ever really paid attention to anything he has said on television. Looks like he is getting a little bit of the bashing that he dishes out on a regular basis.

Everyone is given second chances, and many are given many chances beyond that. Ryan will continue to write and so forth, and I have no problem with that because I won't be paying attention to his work, for I never did in the first place.

Joey

[trayhezy]

I can respect with the points Dave made but I just don't agree with that perspective. I saw the show as well and I think it was just tasteless and classless. This woman's claim to fame is that she was abused by her husband. If not for that we would not know her on sight even though she looks quite well. Do we know Shaq's wife on sight? What about Iverson's? Most wives of the NBA stars could stand right in front of most of us and we would not know them. The only reason that we know her is because she is a high profile victim of domestic violence and instead of letting her go on about her way people like Bob Ryan keep her in public view with stupid things like this. Ryan should have been fired and the only reason that he hasn't been is because of the double standard in the media. The same people that will say any and everything about Mike Price or Larry Eustachy defend Ryan. It is not the slightest bit funny to joke about smacking a woman who is a documented victim of domestic violence in a time where it is one of the most prevalent crimes in our society. It irks my when these a--holes hide behind the first amendment to justify there offensive and unprofessional mindsets. What Ryan said had nothing to do with journalism or sports, he just decided to spout off about an innocent woman and child who should be viewed as non-issues. Say what you want about the players or coaches or whomever but leave these guys wives and children out of it.

[MountaineerDave]

I'm gonna have to disagree with you a bit, here, trayhezy. We know what Joumana looks like because she willingly puts herself in front of the camera. That's part of the reason Ryan has the disdain for her that he does. She made herself the issue a year ago. And I think there are several examples of folks making an issue of themselves once usually are opening themselves up to a lifetime of public viewing. (I'm referring here to her complaints about Fleet Center fans--East Coasters didn't know what she looked like till they moved here two years ago.) I'll also just go ahead and note that Joumana isn't likely to be the only victim of spousal abuse in the NBA Wives' Circles. She happens to be the one who stood in front of cameras outside their house, doing interviews for TV, newspaper, anyone who came calling... This is precisely WHY Ryan expressed the disdain for her that he has. This, and the Kidd family insistence that the child attend late night games, which ultimately drags the kid into the fray, whether you or anyone like it or not.

Again, trayhezy, let me point out, in case you didn't read my fairly comprehensive outline of the interview, that Joumana and son were VERY MUCH the issue, in his mind. The topic was fan abuse of players, with Jason Kidd, Joumana Kidd and child VERY MUCH the center of the discussion. Had Ryan not brought it up himself, it's exceedingly likely that Lobell would have done so himself. Your foolish blindness to the topic at hand predisposes you to the failure to grasp the concept.

I understand and can appreciate having something against making wiseass remarks about smacking women who've been in Joumana's position. No one but you has mentioned the first amendment, so your argument there is a non-starter. Ryan was very much on-topic. You have failed to grasp that to this point.

I would tend to disagree with your regarding who defends Ryan. I think I'm the only person, Doug above aside, I've heard defend him in any reasonable way. One of the things that frustrates me about the whole incident is the very thing you're doing, tray, in that you aren't at all in context. The nation has had no context on this thing. As a soundbite, it sounds bad. It sounds worse when you have Lobell going looney on him. IF YOU WATCH IT, YOU CAN SEE RYAN BECOME VERY VISIBLY CONFUSED, THEN DEFENSIVE. He didn't understand what he'd said could or would be construed the way it was. IN CONTEXT, HE SAID NOTHING THAT FOLKS WEREN'T SAYING A YEAR AGO.

Dave

[trayhezy]

Dave.....

As far as who is defending Ryan I was not necessarily referring to you or anyone else on this board but I was referring to the media in general, print, radio and TV. I saw a couple of guys on The Best Damn Sports Show defending the position of Ryan and implementing that first amendment thing regularly. I am fully aware of the context of what Ryan said yet that does not lessen what he said. There are a million examples of things being taken out of context that sounded worse than they should have but that does not make them all right. Also it is presumptious for anyone who does not know the Kidds personally to assume that they are using their child and bring him to games as a means of garnering camera time. It never seems to occur to anyone that maybe they are a family who after going through some hard times are making an effort to grow closer.
Also Dave there is a big difference in fan abuse of players and members of the media making comments about players wives. She has every right to be at every game that Jason plays in, no one forces the television producers to put her face on the cameras, and no one forces people to interview her. How can there be a problem with her for being on the camera and not for those who continue to put her on the camera. Also I am tired of everyone being so concerned about Ryan and defending him why has no one thought about how this may affect an innocent child. What will he feel when he hears his friends talk about the things that this man has said about his mother? In all the analyzing of this I have yet to hear any member of the media make a mention of that.
I have attended several Celtic game in the Garden and a couple in the Fleet Center so I am not unaware of how things can be at a Celtic game I know that there are a lot of tasteless, racist a--holes who attend these games maybe more so than in any other sporting venue I have been in. I even had an altercation myself once in the Garden with someone so I know first hand how it can get there with the fans abusing the players. However there is a drastic difference between a drunk fan giving a player a hard time and a veteran journalist saying what he said about a players wife in ANY context.

[trayhezy]

Also Dave.........

We can agree to disagree on this particular issue But as a Celtic fan I would much rather worry about trying to stop Jason Kidd from kicking the crap out of my team than worry about Joumana or Bob Ryan.