Before Ball There Was Me

The first thought I had when news broke about the alleged store thefts in China by UCLA freshman basketball player LiAngelo Ball and two teammates was not about him or them, but me. Apart from the alleged thefts happening in a foreign country and the space of decades in time, it was almost a carbon copy of the situation I faced as a star football player at a Los Angeles high school.

I and a couple of other football buddies were charged with theft from a local department store. We were paraded out of the store in handcuffs by four LAPD officers. At the local station, we were grilled by detectives on the alleged theft. I was given a stern warning that I would be prosecuted if I didn’t confess. I did. I was released later that evening. However, that did not end the ordeal. When I was being taken from the store in cuffs, one of the parents of one of my football teammates spotted me. She stared in disbelief as I was being led away. The next day, this was the buzz on the campus, I was called into the coach’s office. I was grilled again by the coach and the vice principal on my actions and the detention. I was threatened with suspension from the team and from class for several days. It did not go any further than the threat and a warning. There was a reason ― I was a star lineman, and was one of the leaders in number of tackles. I was just too valuable to cut loose even for one game. This less-than-a-hand slap punishment was done almost with a wink and a nod.