Cool Will Get You Dead: Darrent Williams

by user Josh Q. Public

Josh Q. Public: Down in the part of town where when you hit a red light, you don’t stop. Johnny’s wavin’ his gun around, and threatenin’ to blow his top.

Public Service Announcement:

OK, here we go! I was going to write about the NFL today. I was going to write about the play-offs today. I was going to write about fun and games today. And then this happens today.

What the hell is going on? Like my main man, Mister Senor Love Daddy always says: “Whoa. Y’all take a chill. You got to cool that shit off. And that’s the double-truth, Ruth.” Denver Broncos right cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed this morning after leaving a nightclub in a limousine. It just never ends. A couple of weeks ago, police, backed by several armored vehicles, converged on Tank Johnson’s home, battered down the door and rushed inside to confiscate six guns, two of which, were military-style assault weapons. Before that Chris Henry got caught with a handgun while out clubbing in Orlando. Before that, it was Stephen Jackson firing five shots in the air during an early-morning fight outside an Indianapolis strip club. Before that, Muhsin Muhammad was carrying two concealed weapons and drugs. Before that, Jayson Williams accidentally killed his driver. Before that, Brian Blades accidentally killed his cousin. I’m sure I left out a slew of before thats, but you get the point. I know this subject has been covered to death, please don’t excuse the pun, but Karl Malone had it right, “Cool will get you dead.”

Athletes like Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen have all been arrested for illegal gun possession. NBA stars like Shaq Daddy, Paul Pierce and Vince Carter are licensed to carry a concealed weapon. So are grid-iron greats Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison and Daunte Culpepper. So is Yankee pitcher Carl Pavano. For what? If you need a gun to go to the places you are going, maybe you shouldn’t go. Maybe you should listen to Karl Malone. Maybe you should listen to Johnny Cash: ”Don’t take your guns to town son, leave your guns at home, boy, don’t take your guns to town.” Cause cool will get you dead. Just ask Darrent Williams.

Peace out homies. Six Two and Even!

ChristofMVP

1064 days ago

Score 0

A gun is the ends, not the means to the violence. The problem lies with the lack of respect for human life. How many readers of this have fired a gun? If you have, you know it takes a lot to aim and shoot...at a target. This only increases when a person goes hunting. But to actually point a gun at a fellow human being and pull the trigger, that goes beyond comprehension.

On another point, does it surprise anyone that an athlete was going to be killed violently? I am not surprised. Actually, I am surprised that it took this long for something like this to happen. And sadly, it will not be the last.

Nonetheless, to center the discussion on guns misses the point of real root problem here.

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BU ICEMANJV Squad

1063 days ago

Score 1

As someone who's fired lots of guns and teaches others how to shoot, I can tell ya, it doesn't take much to aim and shoot at a target. It takes much to hit what you're aiming at. As far as your comment regarding aiming and shooting another human as opposed to a target, in this instance's context, you're making the assumption that the shooter is differentiating the value between targets and humans.

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Josh Q. PublicVarsity

1064 days ago

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no gun, darrent's alive

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ChristofMVP

1064 days ago

Score 0

You don't know that. 1. If you ban guns, there will still be a gun market. This new gun market will be illegal and undercover. If there is no regulation of it, don't you think the violence will only increase. 2. there are always other forms of weapons that can be used to inflict violence. Guns are very replaceable.

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ASwaffAll-American

1063 days ago

Score 1

Do I think the violence will increase? Why would I? Australia, England, Canada...these countries have bans on guns and they all put our violent crime rates to shame. I think it's more complicated than JUST banning guns, because this is obviously a culture problem here in the US. But banning guns is a start.

The biggest problem in the US is that we don't even enforce the gun laws we have in place. Gun dealers all across the country are dealing guns illegally and escaping prosecution. In the wake of the sniping incident in the northeast four years ago, Congress didn't pass stricter gun legislation. You know what their only action was? To pass legislation to protect gun dealers from civil suits for illegally selling guns that were used in crimes. Could that be any more backward?

The reason people in this country think gun control makes us less safe is because they've been inundated with lies to convince them of the fact. Banning guns won't make the US less safe. That's completely preposterous.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1063 days ago

Score 1

If you could throw a piece of lead 1200 feet per second, there wouldn't be ANY guns. But guns don't create violence, people do. Violence is violence. Weapon or not. To form an opinion on this event without knowing the facts is irresponsible. For all we know, this could have been a case of mistaken identity (it's kinda hard to AIM for and strike a particular person through the walls of a limo filled with 20 or so people)

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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

1063 days ago

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What you were saying Aswaff is all great, bar your final point. No guns make the world a bit safer, as it's one less weapon. However, you have to think that they would likely just use a knife, or a substitute weapon.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1063 days ago

Score 2

to be fair, it's hard to do a drive-by knifing

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1063 days ago

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then again THIS happened

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ASwaffAll-American

1063 days ago

Score 1

Manny makes a good point with his drive-by-knifing statement. That's what I'm trying to say. There will always be substitute weapons, and even if you managed to bar every possible weapon, right down to lead pipes and broken bottles, people could still kill with their bare hands. But guns are MUCH easier to kill with than other weapons. Unlike knives, bats, fists, etc, guns don't require precision or proximity. It's a heck of a lot easier to pull a trigger while pointing at a group of people than to walk up to someone and try to stab them.

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Josh Q. PublicVarsity

1064 days ago

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all i'm saying is theres no reason to bring your hardware to the club, its just stupid

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Josh Q. PublicVarsity

1064 days ago

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for athletes or anybody

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Anonymous Fanatic #1

1064 days ago

Score 0

I've fired many guns, including semi-automatic weapons. I grew up in a family that owns several shotguns, a 30-30, an AR-15, an SKS, a .38 pistol, I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

My parents taught me to be responsible with guns. I also was required to take a gun safety course before I could get a hunting license. It helped that I grew up in the country and thus had somewhere to fire them without worrying too much about hitting someone or thing.

Is it too much to require a gun safety course for all gun owners, including a section on the laws regarding murder, manslaughter etc?

Re: guns being replaceable - perhaps there are more stabbings in London than if handguns were legal, but the lack of guns makes the overall murder rate an order of magnitued lower than in the US.

They have thug athletes in Europe, too (heck, Zidane grew up in a segregated slum that was part of the riots last year). But they don't have nearly the level of gun violence, despite watching the same movies, listening to the same rap music, and playing the same video games we do.

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Anonymous Fanatic #2

1064 days ago

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This is just another example of the downfall of pro sports. Lack of discipline and the screwed up hip hop mentality are out of control. I wish owners would have the balls to institute rules of conduct for so-called professional athletes.

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Anonymous Fanatic #3

1064 days ago

Score 2

hip hop mentality sure sounds like code for something else

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1063 days ago

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Guns aren't the problem. Take away guns, there are still bats, knives, rocks, boxcutters, hammers, boards with nails in them, on and on...

Athletes (and famous people) NEED protection from the insane idiots, I mean fans. Maybe they SHOULD stay out of the clubs (where they get attention that makes OTHER gun-toting idiots jealous of the attention)

But you're comparing athletes WITH guns to an athlete killed by a gun... apples and triangles, my friend.

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ASwaffAll-American

1063 days ago

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If they need protection, they can be like Paul Pierce and hire a body guard to go with them everywhere. In 99% of cases, I assure you that a 6'5", 350 lb guy standing next to you is enough to deter someone from trying something stupid. Again, acting like the solution to guns is having more guns is a complete flaw in logic.

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ASwaffAll-American

1063 days ago

Score 1

However, you are right about comparing apples to triangles. I appreciate the debate trying to be raised here, but as far as we know, this wasn't a problem with an athlete packing heat. Not in this instance. I do think it's important to point out, though, that experience after experience after experience probably should have already taught pro athletes that they shouldn't be at a club until 4 AM. Like Karl Malone said - what are they doing there? Why do they have to be there? I'm not going to deter anyone from their fun, but you have to admit that the line between fun and stupid is getting awfully blurry.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1063 days ago

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Javon Walker (and other unnamed athletes) were in the limo. They were attending kenyon martin's B-Day party (THAT should've been warning enough)

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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

1063 days ago

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Random fact to do with death (nothing to do with sport...) - you're more likely to die as a lumberjack than you are on death row.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

1063 days ago

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or working on an oil rig vs death row

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Anonymous Fanatic #2

1062 days ago

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Hip hop mentality...code for something else? If the shoe fits...

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J CunninghamVarsity Captain

1062 days ago

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I don't think I've heard anything yet as to whether Darrent had a weapon on him. All I've heard to this point was there was there a verbal confrontation and then someone decided to litter the side of his limo with bullets. I think I even heard the confrontation had nothing to do with Williams.

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Pack MentalityWaterboy

1062 days ago

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It should be noted that at this point, the police aren't sure Williams was even the intended target. I guess "mistaken identity" and "wrong place/wrong time" will get you dead too.

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