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Feb/18

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Marcelo Rios Tells Media at Davis Cup: “You all suck”

rioshs

By Scoop Malinowski

Former world number one Marcelo Rios continues to hold the media in disdain. Rios, who has had a confrontational and often bitter relations with the media since his junior career, was fined $2,500 on Saturday for telling journalists they “suck” at a Davis Cup tie vs. Ecuador.

The heavily tattoed and very muscular 42-year-old Chilean, now based in Sarasota, FL, was sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) after he refused to be interviewed during the Davis Cup clash contested by Chile and Ecuador in Santiago, Chile.

In a video seen on Twitter, assistant coach Rios stops and lets a pack of reporters surround him with TV cameras and microphones. One reporter asks a question to Rios, who was wearing a blue tank top and backward orange cap and sunglasses. Rios responded deadpan with an unexpected insult.

“As my personal friend Diego Maradona says, I never speak to reporters as you all suck,” said Rios, the team’s assistant coach, was filmed as saying.

The reporter tried to ask another question to Rios who replied again, “You can all keep sucking.” Rios then bent over to pick up his bag and strode off, leaving the group of reporters stunned, amused and perplexed.

The ITF issued a statement that read: “Video footage of the incident was reviewed by the tie referee who determined that Mr Rios’s comments were abusive and violated the Davis Cup code of conduct. The ITF condemns all forms of offensive behavior and is supportive of the work of the media.”

Rios had many controversial incidents with the world tennis media and also the Chilean media throughout his career, of which several episodes are chronicled in my book “Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew.” Tim Henman stated that Rios viewed the media as “parasites” and rarely showed any respect or regard for any journalists although he did read my book and told me in New York “I read your book. There were some things in there that weren’t true but it was pretty good, pretty good.”

Despite the controversy, Chile managed to defeat Ecuador 3-1 in the tie with Nicolas Jarry winning both of his singles matches.

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64 comments

  • mrzz · February 3, 2018 at 9:11 pm

    I like this guy more and more…

  • Gaspard · February 3, 2018 at 11:42 pm

    He’s not wrong. Most media does suck.

  • Duke Carnoustie · February 4, 2018 at 12:46 am

    The media is always reporting bad stories and dividing the public. I credit Rios for telling it like it is.

  • Duke Carnoustie · February 4, 2018 at 1:03 am

    Bit of a Davis Cup stunner in that Pakistan beat Korea 4-0. No Hyeon Chung for Korea but Sonwoo Khan is ranked 178. Pakistan had nobody above 1753 and moves on to face favored Uzbekistan.

  • Duke Carnoustie · February 4, 2018 at 1:11 am

    I just saw the clip of the female reporter who stroked Federer’s chest on live TV. Imagine if a male reporter did that to a female player? It would be an outrage howled about everywhere. Instead we haven’t heard anything about it. That proves media bias right there.

    https://www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/913845/Roger-Federer-Journalist-unprofessional-stroking-chest-hug

  • catherine · February 4, 2018 at 1:41 am

    Oh most sports journalists are just journalists who couldn’t hack it at a higher level and bask in the reflected glory of being around ‘stars’.

    There are exceptions of course – Scoop, Dan, you know who you are 🙂

    Duke – I don’t think it’s media bias – I just think it’s ludicrous and unprofessional behaviour from some woman who shouldn’t be allowed within a million miles of a press room. Not worth a news story.

  • Dan Markowitz · February 4, 2018 at 2:14 am

    All I’ve got to say is if any of you had to do what it takes to be a good journalist, of which there are plenty, you would have more respect for reporters and reporters. I tried to get into Columbia University’s Masters in Journalism program and couldn’t because the test was on a typewriter, this was 1989, you had to take a series of disparate facts and write a story in 45 minutes. I couldn’t type the story out fast enough.

    It is a tremendous skill to be able to put together a great and nuanced story for a newspaper or magazine. It takes vision, writing acumen, interviewing skills and a knack for telling stories which most people don’t have. And I don’t agree with anyone who says sportswriting is not a credible form of journalism. Ring Lardner was a sportswriter, George Plimpton did sportswriting, Hemingway started out as a sports writer and if you read Wertheim or Deford or even a writer like Steve Tignor, you know there are plenty of excellent writers who write about sports.

    Look, I once interviewed or tried to interview Rios for a New York Magazine article I wrote about Agassi and the guy was the biggest moron I’ve ever encountered in sports and that’s saying something. Anything Rios says about anything with the exception of tennis maybe, I’d take with a consider the source soupcon.

    There’s lousy journalism too for sure, but generally, people who criticize and downgrade the media, want to hide something; they don’t want the truth to come out because that’s what good journalism does, it shines a light on the truth and exposes liars and charlatans. Look no further than Wertheim’s piece on Camila Giorgi and her nefarious dad and how they cheated many Floridian pros and clubs to get free coaching and housing. Giorgi might say that was “fake news,” but anyone who read the article and it’s sources, know it was the truth.

  • catherine · February 4, 2018 at 3:17 am

    Dan – I’m not saying there aren’t good journalists, in all fields, of course there are. I’m not downgrading good reporters. But there are a lot of journalists and people who call themselves ‘writers’ who hang around sports because it’s an easier gig than general reporting, or politics etc. You really can write stories without doing very much and you can write trash stuff just as easily. I’ve known guys (usually guys) who never watched a moment’s live tennis if they could help it – just sat in the press room, copied press conference transcript and watched tv.

    I’ve got a lot of respect for journalists who dig out the real stories. But they aren’t the majority around tennis. And I don’t approve of writers who get too close to the players. That sounds moralistic but you really can’t do both.

    And BTW – to be personal, I never described myself as a journalist, because that wasn’t my job, but I tried to print good journalism in the magazine, as much as funds would allow, and I was offered plenty of stuff which was lazy, shallow or just sycophantic. You get a bit cynical.

  • catherine · February 4, 2018 at 3:39 am

    Davis Cup action – saw Zverev bt Kyrgios – Sascha seems to have upped his game since a disappointing start to the year.

  • Hartt · February 4, 2018 at 7:50 am

    Sascha said he got off to a slow start this season because he had less time for training in the off season. (He was a bit spoiled the year before because he ended his season early to have an extended training period. Because he wasn’t a commitment player then he could skip the Paris Masters.)

    I saw part of the match before falling asleep, and thought Sascha played very well. Heard that Nick had an injury which may explain his lackluster play, at least in the first set. It looks like the second set was more competitive.

    Although Nick has talent to burn, I still think Sascha will have a better career. Nick has frequent injuries, and it isn’t clear if he trains properly. He said he is doing better with that, but Sascha is very professional, has been working with Jez Green for a few years now.

    The other issue is how much can Nick improve his game from where he is now? I think he is right when he says it is pointless for him to have a coach right now, he wouldn’t listen to him in any case. But that also means that Nick is not progressing, – mentally, physically or technically.

    Sascha acknowledges he has weaknesses in his game, his net play in particular. And is working hard to improve those areas. At just 20 years old, he is still some time away from his peak.

  • catherine · February 4, 2018 at 9:30 am

    Hartt – sometimes I forget how young Sascha is. He’s got a few years to develop. I think we saw that in the Hopman Cup – all that rushing around and poaching Angie’s shots in the doubles. Angie was playing pro doubles when Sascha was 9 yrs old 🙂

    Can’t make Nick out – either he’ll pull himself together and go on to be consistently dominant or he’ll be one of those now-you-see-them-now-you don’t players. Up to him.

  • catherine · February 4, 2018 at 9:49 am

    Good Petra turns up in St Petersburg and flattens Mladenovic. More love please Dominic 🙂

    And treats please Hartt 🙂

    I didn’t see live – no streaming from Youtube but will look at highlights. Pretty short I imagine.

  • catherine · February 4, 2018 at 10:24 am

    Kiki left flat-footed when she wasn’t dumping shots in the net. Speedier players might have made more of a match.

  • Hartt · February 4, 2018 at 10:27 am

    Someone at Match Call Migrants, who is Romania, saw the match and gave us updates throughout. I was busy watching the DC match, so could not watch Petra get the win. But am so excited! It is snowing here today, very pretty, but it is definitely winter and am looking forward to my Petra treat – a flowering plant, I think.

    Coric played a terrific match, he could do no wrong and won against Shapo in SS – 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. So Croatia won the tie, not a big surprise.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 4, 2018 at 2:52 pm

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Agree, too much of the media is controlled and too anti conservative values. And the media prefers to incite racial divisions and hatred with their agendas. I agree with Rios also. It's nice to see a major figure give a big FU to the media straight to their faces. How rare is that.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 4, 2018 at 2:57 pm

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Duke, the media is so biased and so fake and so untrustworthy it's a joke. This whole Trump fake Russian dossier memo proves that the media like the FBI and DOJ are weaponized to serve the leftist agenda and to protect their criminals. If Trump did this surveillance on Hillary with a fake memo, the media jackals would crucify Trump till he was impeached or resigned. But Obama and Hillary do it to Trump and the corrupt crooked media tries to down play it and cover for Obama. It's outrageous and it proves the obscene bias of the media.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 4, 2018 at 2:58 pm

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Thanks Catherine, I try hard to do it my way and in a creative way. Thanks for supporting the site like you have.

  • catherine · February 4, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    Don’t worry Scoop, the media over here are always being accused of bias one way or the other. But if you know what to expect then it’s easier to deal with and not let it bother you. Works for me anyway.

    And in the UK we are all very cynical and nobody believes politicians of either side which is why I have the attitude of avoiding argument.

  • Duke Carnoustie · February 5, 2018 at 1:56 am

    Well said Scoop. I’d say more but I will get banned from the site. Suffice it to say that the Democrats are being exposed as the liars and crooks that they are with scandal after scandal. Meanwhile Trump has been proven right since no NFL player dared to kneel for the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

    The country is finally headed in the right direction and away from this p.c. nonsense the left has created.

  • scoopmalinowski · February 5, 2018 at 7:55 am

    I saw no players kneel either. Obviously the nfl has ordered this as the league lost million$ because of the boycotts. Also nfl used white anthem singer and halftime singer and did nice tribute to US vets. Nfl clearly in damage control trying to show public its not anti white.

  • Dan Markowitz · February 5, 2018 at 12:16 pm

    Scoop, I can’t believe how much of a racist you are. You’re paying attention to the race of the National Anthem singer and halftime act at the Super Bowl! Geez, you must’ve been outraged when they had the Prince tribute come on as white Justin Timberlake was performing. You are really funny and scary too.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 5, 2018 at 1:13 pm

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    I love Prince, one of my favorite musical artists. The NFL lost millions this year by alienating white fans with their black protest on police brutality when it pales in comparison to black brutality on police. These NFL players need to spend a week as interns with police in the inner city to understand how tough a job it is for the police to deal with violent black thugs. And Colin Kapernick needs to stop blaming white racism and start appreciating the fact that a white family adopted him and gave him the good life and chance to become an NFL QB. The media needs to stop blaming and demonizing whites. That's not racism, that's the truth.

  • Duke Carnoustie · February 5, 2018 at 8:37 pm

    No question, Scoop. Colin Kaepernick owes all his success to white people from the ones that adopted him to the ones that were his teachers in college to the ones who paid his salary. And he’s a victim of racism? It’s outrageous.

    NFL ratings were still down for the big game.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 5, 2018 at 9:17 pm

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Yep, the NFL fomented anti white racial divisions all season but when the boycotts started and began to cost the NFL millions in profits, they did a 180 and are softening the anti white agenda. It remains to be seen if the NFL will recover or continue to lose popularity.

  • bobvance · February 5, 2018 at 10:25 pm

    scoop said:

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Agree, too much of the media is controlled and too anti conservative values. And the media prefers to incite racial divisions and hatred with their agendas. I agree with Rios also. It's nice to see a major figure give a big FU to the media straight to their faces. How rare is that.Click to expand…

    Can you give some examples of what you mean by anti-conservative values? I'm not trolling you. I'm genuinely curious because I hear people refer to conservative values all the time but have no idea what they are.

    *I edited a typo

  • Moxie · February 5, 2018 at 10:35 pm

    Whoa…that's your truth, Scoop. You could do with more than a "Scoopful" of empathy for others.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 6, 2018 at 9:01 am

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Bobvance: "Liberalism: We can't lose sight of where we are going. Conservatism: We can't forget where we come from." — La Rochefoucauld Censorship of speech is fear of truth. Always.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 6, 2018 at 9:04 am

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    How about some more empathy for white nations that do not want to surrender to becoming the white minority as is the agenda being pushed in America and many European countries like France, Great Britain, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Poland, etc? Israel doesn't want to share with Palestine, why do white nations have to surrender being the majority?

  • bobvance · February 6, 2018 at 7:53 pm

    I don't know if any place in the Western Hemisphere can legitimately claim to being "white" given that there were tens of millions of brown people here when the first Europeans arrived. That aside I thought American conservatives were into the bible, doing unto others and that sort of thing. Jesus too was very likely dark-skinned by the way. He probably looked a little darker and more ethnic than Marcelo Rios.

  • catherine · February 7, 2018 at 1:55 am

    Bobvance – I agree with your comment and just want to add that I’m unaware of any ‘agenda’, such as Scoop describes, being pushed in Britain, which as an ex-colonial power can hardly afford to promote such attitudes.

    There are fringe parties of course, but they remain there – on the fringe.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 7, 2018 at 8:40 am

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Of course it's not broadcast by the media of the schemes of flooding white nations with third world immigration and what the objective is. If you think it's all just a giant coincidence that it's happening to America and Europe well there's nothing to be said.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 7, 2018 at 8:44 am

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    If that's your opinion so be it. But the jury is still out if forcing all different races and religions to try to live together in harmony works. All groups want what is best for their own. It's okay for Jews to want what's best for Jews. And Blacks for Blacks. Etc. But when Whites want what's best for Whites the media screams it's bloody racism.

  • Doug Day · February 7, 2018 at 8:47 am

    Ever heard of Rotherham child protection scandal? Britian as a model of embracing our differences. How can you sleep?

  • catherine · February 7, 2018 at 8:55 am

    Doug – of course I’ve heard of Rotherham. I live in the UK.

    And I’ve never said Britain is a model of embracing differences. Which country is ?

    I sleep quite well thank you and now I’m going back to tennis.

  • Doug Day · February 7, 2018 at 1:28 pm

    I guess a few hundred child rapes protected by the cops is ok when its by Pakistanis. I feel better about colonialism already. Its good to be me.

  • Busted · February 14, 2018 at 1:15 pm

    This has got to be the dumbest and most racist thing I've ever read on this site…and it's not even about tennis. Speaking as a black woman I find this comment offensive, ill-informed and racist. Athletes have as much right to protest and state their opinions as anyone else. It is your right to disagree with what they say or do but no one has the right to tell them they can't express themselves. They were PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATIONS. Several of them were protesting personal experiences or the experiences of family members and friends. YOU do not get to decide their reality for them. I don't come to this tennis site for FOX News bullshit. I can watch FOX and get it directly from their talking heads racists.

  • Busted · February 14, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    Yeah…Scoop has totally put me off him – and it's giving me serious second thoughts about posting on a forum run by someone who espouses such overtly racist views. No wonder he was defending Tennys Sandgren. I have to deal with racism every day of my life, so I don't appreciate some alt-right dipshit telling me my people don't have the right to protest police violence against them because it's causing white people not to go to NFL games. How about attendance was down because half the teams suck, tickets are overpriced and the games just weren't very good? Nope, that can't be it. It has to be the black men who were protesting police brutality. Scapegoating is alive and well.

  • Busted · February 14, 2018 at 1:52 pm

    scoop said:

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    How about some more empathy for white nations that do not want to surrender to becoming the white minority as is the agenda being pushed in America and many European countries like France, Great Britain, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Poland, etc? Israel doesn't want to share with Palestine, why do white nations have to surrender being the majority?Click to expand…

    ROTFLMAO. OK…this just made me laugh. America was populated by Native American tribes when white people arrived. They killed the Native Americans or pushed them onto small reservations and took over their land. White people also brought in black slaves from Africa even though the constitution they crafted stated all men are created equal. This country was founded on the basis of immigration to escape tyranny and religious persecution and yet that's exactly what the settlers did to the Native Americans because they wanted their lad. Many European countries also participated in the slave trade. And lest we forget the British empire colonizing India and bringing Indians back to England as servants. So you know…if I were you I'd rethink this whole stupid argument. The fact of the matter is – white people do not and cannot procreate fast enough to maintain a majority anywhere in the world. Without immigration economies and countries will die. White people are already the minority worldwide and will be the minority in the the US by 2050. Changing immigration laws will only delay that by a few years. Besides that if the Democrats get control of Congress they're just going to rewrite the laws anyway. Build a bridge and get over it.

  • I.Haychew · February 15, 2018 at 12:07 am

    How so? Just curious.

  • I.Haychew · February 15, 2018 at 12:24 am

    Busted said:

    Athletes have as much right to protest and state their opinions as anyone else. It is your right to disagree with what they say or do but no one has the right to tell them they can't express themselves.Click to expand…

    Agree with the first sentence, but not with the second part of the second sentence. If I took it upon myself to protest or express myself, whatever the cause, at my place of employment, I'd be disciplined at best or fired at worst. That said…If the NFL is okay with it, then that's their prerogative.

  • I.Haychew · February 15, 2018 at 1:11 am

    Every year half of the teams suck and a lot of the games aren't very good…and tickets are always overpriced. I'm all for freedom of speech. If NFL players want to protest police brutality against blacks and/or systemic racism against blacks, then by all means do it…on their own time. If the NFL allows it, then fine. This has nothing to do with "freedom of speech" because their (the NFL players') freedom of speech hasn't been suppressed by THE GOVERNMENT. My personal opinion is that it's in bad taste to take a knee during the National Anthem, regardless of the "cause"…unless you just think that America is inherently bad/racist/unjust.

  • Busted · February 23, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    I'm guessing this means you're not a "minority" in America? Cuz…take it from someone who is…even in this day and age, most of us have to deal with some kind of racist nonsense every day of our lives.

  • Busted · February 23, 2018 at 1:39 pm

    I.Haychew said:

    Every year half of the teams suck and a lot of the games aren't very good…and tickets are always overpriced. I'm all for freedom of speech. If NFL players want to protest police brutality against blacks and/or systemic racism against blacks, then by all means do it…on their own time. If the NFL allows it, then fine. This has nothing to do with "freedom of speech" because their (the NFL players') freedom of speech hasn't been suppressed by THE GOVERNMENT. My personal opinion is that it's in bad taste to take a knee during the National Anthem, regardless of the "cause"…unless you just think that America is inherently bad/racist/unjust.Click to expand…

    Why is it in bad taste to take a knee during the national anthem? Do you know the history of the national anthem? It, too, has a racist history because the writer of the original poem – Francis Scott Key – wrote it after he lost a battle with former slaves who'd been conscripted into the British army in exchange for their freedom. The British then marched into DC and torched the White House – and the former slaves were among them. Key witness the burning of DC and then wrote the poem in resonse. Nobody ever sings that 3rd verse that condemns those freed slaves. And nobody ever remembers that Key was pro-slavery and wanted to send freed slaves back to Africa.

    https://www.theroot.com/star-spangled-bigotry-the-hidden-racist-history-of-the-1790855893

    Furthermore, the Supreme Court has ruled that it is freedom speech to burn the American flag, so why isn't it freedom of speech to take a knee during the national anthem at a stupid sports game? It is non-violent protest that hurt no one. It had been going on for over 8 months before Trump's racist ass turned it into a national incident to deflect from his own legal troubles with the Russia investigation. If someone wants to sit instead of stand for the national anthem, take a knee, stand on their head, hop up and down on one foot, etc. – that's their choice. Nobody else's.

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 23, 2018 at 8:39 pm

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Tell Kapernick to go intern with Chicago Police Dept for one week in the inner city so he can see what police have to deal with for one week. I guarantee Kapernick will change his tune and respect police.

  • I.Haychew · February 23, 2018 at 8:50 pm

    Busted said:

    I'm guessing this means you're not a "minority" in America? Cuz…take it from someone who is…even in this day and age, most of us have to deal with some kind of racist nonsense every day of our lives.Click to expand…

    You said that you have to deal with racism every day of your life. My question was "How so?" You didn't answer the question.
    I'm a white male cop.

  • I.Haychew · February 23, 2018 at 9:15 pm

    Busted said:

    Why is it in bad taste to take a knee during the national anthem? Do you know the history of the national anthem? It, too, has a racist history because the writer of the original poem – Francis Scott Key – wrote it after he lost a battle with former slaves who'd been conscripted into the British army in exchange for their freedom. The British then marched into DC and torched the White House – and the former slaves were among them. Key witness the burning of DC and then wrote the poem in resonse. Nobody ever sings that 3rd verse that condemns those freed slaves. And nobody ever remembers that Key was pro-slavery and wanted to send freed slaves back to Africa.

    https://www.theroot.com/star-spangled-bigotry-the-hidden-racist-history-of-the-1790855893

    Furthermore, the Supreme Court has ruled that it is freedom speech to burn the American flag, so why isn't it freedom of speech to take a knee during the national anthem at a stupid sports game? It is non-violent protest that hurt no one. It had been going on for over 8 months before Trump's racist ass turned it into a national incident to deflect from his own legal troubles with the Russia investigation. If someone wants to sit instead of stand for the national anthem, take a knee, stand on their head, hop up and down on one foot, etc. – that's their choice. Nobody else's.Click to expand…

    So, is it your belief that America is fundamentally bad and illegitimate because of its history of slavery, regardles of its painful measures to eventually abolish it and preserve the union?

    So you're saying that the National Anthem was written in order to condemn blacks? If that is the case, then we need a new anthem.

    Regarding the Supreme Court…They are humans, not God. Is it possible that they don't get everything right all the time? By all means, if you hate America, then burn the flag, piss on it, spit on it, whatever. All I'm saying is that, as reprehensive as I think it is, you should do it on your own time. If your employer is okay with it, then fine. Go for it.
    It's a different story if the federal gov't prohibits it/freedom of speech.

    Do you think that the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution are illegitimate because they were written by white guys, many of whom owned slaves? Is America inherently/fundamentally bad?

  • I.Haychew · February 23, 2018 at 9:23 pm

    scoop said:

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Tell Kapernick to go intern with Chicago Police Dept for one week in the inner city so he can see what police have to deal with for one week. I guarantee Kapernick will change his tune and respect police.Click to expand…

    No he won't. First of all, he'd never intern with any police dept. Secondly, he'd never change his mind because he has somehow been brainwashed to believe that police are inherently racist. Bottom line: Police target blacks and want to kill them. It's absurd!

  • Scoop Malinowski · February 23, 2018 at 9:45 pm

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Bottom line, more blacks target police to kill them than police targeting to kill blacks. Why won't Kapernick do it? Pat Tillman of the Arizona Cardinals went to fight in a war for America, you telling me Kapernick has no courage to educate himself on the realities of police life?

  • I.Haychew · February 23, 2018 at 9:53 pm

    scoop said:

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    you telling me Kapernick has no courage to educate himself on the realities of police life?Click to expand…

    No interest is my guess.
    Plus…Kaepernick isn't even black. He's mixed.

  • I.Haychew · February 23, 2018 at 10:41 pm

    scoop said:

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Bottom line, more blacks target police to kill them than police targeting to kill blacks. Why won't Kapernick do it? Pat Tillman of the Arizona Cardinals went to fight in a war for America, you telling me Kapernick has no courage to educate himself on the realities of police life?Click to expand…

    Pat Tillman was white. Enough said?

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