Marvin Lewis: My guys being profiled

[bronco militia]

bwahaha...what a tool


Lewis: My guys being profiled
They 'stand out,' he says on radio

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said on a national radio interview Wednesday that he believes local law enforcement profiles his players.

Lewis, speaking on the Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio, used wide receiver Chris Henry's incident with Cincinnati police on March 25 as an example. Henry was stopped at 1100 Vine St. on March 25 for failing to use a turn signal. Henry was subsequently issued citations for driving without a license and failing to wear a seatbelt.

All of the citations were later dropped.

"I think there's profiling, no question," Lewis said. "We're (Cincinnati) a small place - our guys stand out, and they know that, and you've got to do things the right way. But when you are arrested for, or you are pulled over for, not putting on your turn signal, there's something wrong there.

"Many people make right turns without putting on their turn signals and it's unfortunate that we've had a guy that's pulled over for not putting on his turn signal."

Lewis did not return a phone message from The Post Wednesday evening seeking further comment.

Officers from the Cincinnati police public information office were not available for comment Wednesday evening.

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070524/SPT03/705240324/1035/SPT

[Tredici]

No turn signal. No seatbelt. No driver's license. I mean really. Are any of those things necessary when driving? Apparently not since all citations were dropped. If that's part of profiling, sign me up.

[listopencil]

If I was a cop I would certainly be looking out for Bengals players. It's like keeping an eye on the guy in the trench coat right outside the Elementary School. It just makes sense.

[bronco militia]

Marvin would have a leg to stand on if the players were model citizens before joining the team

[epicSocialism4tw]

Race card!

Does it trump the past and future Bengal arrests?

[Northman]

How ridiculous.

[Hotrod]

http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/drew/

[Los Broncos]

Maybe if they stopped get arrested, till then shut up and coach.

[Kaylore]

Man, the nerve of that cop expecting people to drive with a driver's license!

[Dr. Broncenstein]

Driving While Bengal

[watermock]

I got a ticket for making a right turn on red. Had the turn signal on, just didn't see the sign no right turn on red. A cop was conveniently eating donuts in a closed gas station.

Of course, then a stolen car played a hit from behind on slick conditions, the cop seemed more concerned about hassling me than my description of the car. I got one call...It was a stolen car. Great. Could you give me the owner of it for insurance? "We can't disclose that".

So they wouldn't even tell me who the owner was. I didn't say he was driving. His insurance should of covered me. Cops are always around when you don't need them, and not around when you do.

Most are stupid, fat, and lazy. I'm sorry. This cop knew that he could eat donuts and drink coffee and just wait for someone to miss the sign and make an easy kill.

As far as the multiple lawsuits go, the only person should be sued is the late driver who was tanked and stupid.

[DomCasual]

In fairness to Marvin Lewis, I don't think he was referring to race in the comment. I know "profiling" generally has racial connotations, but I don't think that's what he meant. He said, "We're (Cincinnati) a small place - our guys stand out, and they know that, and you've got to do things the right way."

According to the 2000 US Census, Cincinnati is 42.9% black. It seems pretty unlikely that black guys would stand out all that much.

It's still a stupid comment, and I really think he regrets saying it - if only for the backlash it's caused. But I don't think race is a part of the issue. He's referring to "our guys" as high-profile athletes, regardless of the color of their skin.

[Dr. Broncenstein]

Goodell needs to send a memo to all NFL employees:

Dear NFL coaches, players, etc:

Kindly STFU.

Your pal and boss,

Roger

[Florida_Bronco]

I got a ticket for making a right turn on red. Had the turn signal on, just didn't see the sign no right turn on red. A cop was conveniently eating donuts in a closed gas station.

Of course, then a stolen car played a hit from behind on slick conditions, the cop seemed more concerned about hassling me than my description of the car. I got one call...It was a stolen car. Great. Could you give me the owner of it for insurance? "We can't disclose that".

So they wouldn't even tell me who the owner was. I didn't say he was driving. His insurance should of covered me. Cops are always around when you don't need them, and not around when you do.

Most are stupid, fat, and lazy. I'm sorry. This cop knew that he could eat donuts and drink coffee and just wait for someone to miss the sign and make an easy kill.

As far as the multiple lawsuits go, the only person should be sued is the late driver who was tanked and stupid.

So who are you going to call when someone kidnaps Beezer? ???

[Florida_Bronco]

No turn signal. No seatbelt. No driver's license. I mean really. Are any of those things necessary when driving? Apparently not since all citations were dropped. If that's part of profiling, sign me up.

Yeah, really. :spit:

Quite often, a cop will have a feeling that a driver is doing something he shouldn't be doing and will use something like that as probable cause to pull them over and check things out.

More often than not, they find something.

[Tredici]

Most seatbelt laws are a secondary offense. Meaning you can't get pulled over just for not wearing one. But if a cop sees you aren't buckled in he'll check for any other moving violations so the seatbelt can be tacked on.

This has been your public information announcement.

[Florida_Bronco]

Most seatbelt laws are a secondary offense. Meaning you can't get pulled over just for not wearing one. But if a cop sees you aren't buckled in he'll check for any other moving violations so the seatbelt can be tacked on.

This has been your public information announcement.

This is very true. Several local agencies here are real anal about it.

[BroncoBuff]

Marvin would have a leg to stand on if the players were model citizens before joining the team

Good point.

I too laughed when I read it ... at first. But think about what he wasn't ticketed for. He must've stopped completely or the cop wouldda tacked on running the light or sign. So Henry was driving very safely it seems. Failing to signal is the least serious moving violation in the entire Vehicle Code, and no DL was not known to the officer when he made the stop.

I'm just sayin'. I've been to Cincinnati. They call it Ohio, but it's not really Ohio. It's more like Kentucky. I think Lewis may have a point, but talking about it on the Dan Patrick show is just plain foolish.

[Cool Breeze]

If the shoe fits...
Chances of conviction are slim if you don't break the law!

[Northman]

I dont know, do i have a case here? Years ago i was pulled over in Littleton for my liscense plate light being out. Ironically, i also had a suspended liscense at the time ( I was young and stupid then ) and a outstanding warrant in Boulder. So she said sorry but she had to do it and hauled me to the Boulder Jail. So who can i blame for this after so many years? I dont want to take the responsibility anymore, i need someone to blame for this! Its a outrage!!! I didnt know i could blame other people for my own stupidity! Can someone help me out here? lmao

[watermock]

Why does everyone think it’s such a bad thing that my players keep getting arrested? When they’re in jail they can’t get into trouble!

It’s impossible for me to keep an eye on all 50+ players on my roster; but it’s the warden’s job.

When they’re in jail they aren’t getting fat, because the county limits what they eat.

If they’re free they’ll likely stop at every fast food restaurant in the greater Cincinnati area, especially if they’re driving while stoned.

When they’re at home relaxing they can easily call up a number of Bengal groupies, who are always more than willing to come over and perform X-rated acts.




When they’re in jail they’d better think twice about bringing up anything sexually explicit. I know they’re large football players, but sometimes there is nothing large football players can do when they’re outnumbered 25 to 1, and the 25 are hungry for some lovin'.

Domestic violence? Not in jail. In jail there is thick plexiglass in between them and their spouses, making sure the only beating which could possibly occur is a prison guard “reprimanding” them for speaking to a member of the opposite sex in a disrespectful manner.

Resisting arrest? Nope, already been arrested.

Illegal firearms? Thankfully, any illegal firearms would have already been dealt with while entering the prison. And they thought the team physical was too “probing!”

As you can see, basically every crime the players on my team have committed would not have been possible had they already been in jail.

And to think, I was heavily criticized for suggesting we hold training camp at Alcatraz.

[watermock]

It would be impossible to kidnap Beezer...he is the most paranoid cat around strangers I've
ever seen.

He trusts only one person.

[Atlas]

Fact is black guys driving nice cars are targeted. I bet if I was driving my car and didn't use my turn signal I wouldn't have been pulled over.

That being said the players have to watch what they do. THey just think they are above the law.

[Beantown Bronco]

Fact is black guys driving nice cars are targeted. I bet if I was driving my car and didn't use my turn signal I wouldn't have been pulled over.

That being said the players have to watch what they do. THey just think they are above the law.

Spot on.....maybe if these guys weren't driving around in their $80K+ luxury SUVs with the tinted windows, ridiculous tire/wheel combos, and subwoofers that crack the windshields of the cars behind them, they wouldn't stick out like sore thumbs. Pretty hard to target guys driving around in Camrys....

It's one thing to have these rides if you are playing for a team in California or another "rich" city, where luxury cars are everywhere. It's another in and around places like Cincy, where these kind of cars really stick out.

[bronco militia]

POSTED 3:24 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 4:42 p.m. EDT, May 24, 2007

MARVIN SAYS BENGALS ARE BEING PROFILED

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said on Wednesday's Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio that Lewis believes police in the area are profiling his players.

"I think there's profiling, no question," Lewis said. "We're a small place -- our guys stand out, and they know that, and you've got to do things the right way. But when you are arrested for, or you are pulled over for, not putting on your turn signal, there's something wrong there."

Um, Marvin? The first time I got pulled over in my life it was because I had a tail light out. I also got pulled over once because I was driving slow, and the cop thought I was drunk. It happens to people of every race and profession. So please don't implicitly play the race card when many of the guys whom you're trying to protect already have proven, both before they joined your team and after, that they are turds.

Cops are always on the lookout for drunk drivers. And they should be. If a cop had pulled over Leonard Little, Susan Gutweiler might be alive today.

Marvin, how about taking some responsibility for your role in bringing to the "small place" where you live and work guys who might be inclined to commit crimes against the folks the police are hoping to protect? Frostee Rucker, A.J. Nicholson, Chris Henry, Odell Thurman. The list goes on and on.

Was Eric Steinbach being profiled when he was arrested for boating while drunk? Was Thurman being profiled when he was busted for DUI? Was Henry being profiled as he was puking out the window while Thurman was being arrested?

Please, Marvin. The local community already has enough reasons to rise up and demand that you be held accountable for the current state of the franchise. By trying to throw blame to those charged with keeping order, you might just spark the kind of outcry that puts you on a short leash with Mike Brown.

[bronco militia]

POSTED 9:31 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:40 p.m. EDT, May 24, 2007

MARVIN APOLOGIZES FOR "PROFILING" REMARKS

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has apologized (via a statement released by the team) for comments from Wednesday suggesting that police in the Cincinnati area are profiling Bengals players.

"Yesterday, I gave a radio interview and made some comments that did not illustrate the high regard I have for the Cincinnati Police Department," Lewis said. "I apologize that what I said did not reflect my true feelings."

Our guess? Marvin realized that accusing the cops of profiling Bengals players was the most effective way to ensure that they will.

Marvin also realized, we believe, that he was stoking racial tensions in a city that has a history of fragile relations in this regard. Of course, he's now trying to say that he wasn't.

"At no point did I say or mean to imply that these issues had anything to do with race," Lewis said. "Broadcast comments to the contrary are simply not true. When I spoke of our players being perhaps more subject to scrutiny than others, I was referring to their standing as public figures."

Bull, we say. The word "profiling" implies that decision are made based on superficial characteristics. In a city that is far bigger than the "small place" that Lewis makes it out to be, players from the local professional football team can be "profiled" only if (as a reader pointed out this afternoon) they are wearing their helmets (or, in the case of Chris Henry, their jerseys) while driving around town.

Besides, "profiling" is one of those code words that imply racially-based motives, regardless of whether the word "racial" is plopped down in front of it.

So if Lewis is now falling all over himself to say that he didn't mean what he said, why did he say it? Does he say other things that he doesn't mean? Isn't the ability to control of the connection between his brain and his tongue part of the gig?

We think that Lewis meant what he said, and that we wouldn't have heard a peep about it if someone in the organization hadn't been reminded that a team that plays for free in a stadium fully funded by the public should not be criticizing the public servants who get paid far less to put their lives and limbs in jeopardy every day.

The end result? We think that Marvin is now officially on the hot seat, and he could be the former coach of the Bengals by January of 2008.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2881996

[Northman]

Heard a update today claiming that Lewis has pulled a Portis and has since RETRACTED his statements regarding profiling.

[bendog]

They need to offer us a 7 for Circus and put this ugly incident behind them.