Arenas Suspended Indefinitely

Wizards Guard Gilbert Arenas

This is a sad story. Wednesday Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas was suspended indefinitely by the NBA. Arenas, of course, is the player who reportedly pulled a gun on his teammate Javaris Crittenton because of a gambling dispute. I say this story is sad... but it is sad on so many levels. Disclaimer: this is my opinion, not the opinion of "The Huddle" or its management team at WPIX. Firstly the culture in sports right now is becoming outright disgusting. These guys are all millionaires and are acting as if they are common street thugs. You can take the guy out of the streets but you can't take the streets out of the guy. Devin Harris of the Nets was quoted as saying that 60-75% of the players in the NBA have guns. WHY?

Now there is a legitimate danger that athletes face because of their wealth. There are people out there who will target them and do them harm. We saw that with Steve Smith of the Giants. It's thought that Plaxico Burress started carrying a gun when he heard about the crime against Smith. But you see where it got Burress... in jail. I have a solution: Hire security! These athletes have these millions of dollars that they earn. They can definitely spare the cost for a good security team. Whether its for their home or possesions or themselves. Some guys do hire security. They are the smart ones. Just the same way you can hire a maid to clean your house, a chef to cook your meals, or a chauffeur to drive you around, you can hire security to protect you. Why do you have to be Marshall Dillon to protect Dodge City? Makes no sense.

But the huge reason why this story is so sad, in my opinion, is the non-chalant manner that Arenas has been treating this situation. From flippant tweets on Twitter, comments about David Stern being mean, and this:

Courtesy: Getty Images

This picture was from Tuesday night in Philadelphia. Arenas pointing his fingers like a gun in the starting lineups. Making light of a situation that is far more serious than he obviously understands. That is why David Stern suspended him. In a statement Stern said "Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game." His NBA troubles might not be his only troubles... From what I understand, the guns laws in Washington D.C. are pretty strict. Arenas should call Plaxico for a chat. This is serious and Arenas needs to wake up!