Grand Imperial Poobah: On Ray Rice Situation
By Stan "The Grand Imperial Poobah" Hochman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- (Editor's Note) Stan Hochman, a Daily News sports columnist for 55 years, has been appearing on 94WIP's morning show for over a year now, settling disputes (and starting new ones) as the "Grand Imperial Poobah." He brings that persona to CBSPhilly.com/poobah on Tuesdays and Thursdays and we welcome input on which issues you want the Poobah to take a good, hard look at. Send requests and ideas for The Poobah to WIPpoobah@gmail.com.
Without further ado, here's The Poobah.
Phil E. Phan: Who is most responsible for messing up proper justice in the Ray Rice scandal and what might the fallout be?
Poobah: After watching the elevator video some people want to see Ray Rice in jail for assault. Some people want to see the Atlantic County prosecutor fired for allowing Rice to plea bargain into first offender category. Some people want to see NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fired for his first ruling, a two week suspension.
What about the rest of us and the loss of innocence we have suffered? If TMZ hadn't gotten hold of that video and put it out there would Rice be playing next Sunday for the Ravens? As a nation, we have come to seek solace in sports. We watch, live and on television, as an escape from harsh reality, from war in the Middle East, from ebola in Liberia, from Philadelphia schools opening while $81 million in debt, from an unemployment rate that won't shrink.
Take the Wednesday sports section of the New York Times, the so-called paper of record. No game stories, no pennant races, just story after story and column after column about the off-the-field issues of the day. How TMZ has changed the way of reporting controversial stories….how Goodell wants us to believe they hadn't seen the elevator footage until Monday…how an ex-player supplied the illegally obtained painkillers that killed hockey player Derek Boogaard…how the NCAA has relented on the brutal sanctions handed to Penn State's football program following the Jerry Sandusky scandal….more Ray Rice stories and a column reacting to the bigotry mess involving the Atlanta Hawks. My heart goes out to the young men who signed up to write or talk about sports, not knowing they would be called upon to write about sociological and psychological issues.
Get the latest on the Ray Rice Scandal here.
You can hear Stan "The Grand Imperial Poobah" Hochman on the 94WIP Morning Show every Thursday at 7:20am E.T. Send the Philadelphia sports issues you want The Poobah to tackle to WIPpoobah@gmail.com
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