Mike Tyson: 'Dennis Rodman Is Guilty Of Treason'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It takes a lot to shock and outrage Mike Tyson. Sounds like a job for Dennis Rodman.
As if Rodman's recent trip to North Korea, for an exhibition game with several former NBA players, didn't raise enough eyebrows, Rodman's appearance on CNN with Chris Cuomo raised just about all of them. Rodman's interview turned into an outburst, as he seemed to defend policies of North Korea while yelling at Cuomo. The other players that were along for the ride with Rodman sat silently and awkwardly in the background.
Tyson, during an interview with 94WIP's Anthony Gargano and Rob Ellis on Friday, expressed his disappointment in Rodman, and his concern for the players that he brought to North Korea.
"[Rodman] lost it. They'll probably arrest him when he gets back in this country. When you see [former NBA player] Charles Smith, who you know is a decent person. I could not believe that Charles Smith would be involved with that, unless it was something advantageous for him" Tyson said. "But I couldn't believe, Dennis Rodman, who's leading the way. Man, it's such a disappointing factor. It just wasn't good. And it didn't help the cause. Look, nobody can stop me from making a fool of myself, but that was some really, some really bad stuff. It wasn't even funny. It was like, a [fictional] scene. You couldn't even believe that's real. If I would have woke up in the middle of that, I would have thought it was a sketch or something. It was really some bad stuff, when you look at it. And he put those other guys in a bad predicament too. They may never get a job to work with, to be involved with the NBA again, for life."
Tyson was promoting The Undisputed Truth, his one man show, which is coming to Caesar's in Atlantic City on January 25th.
Tyson thought that Rodman's outburst was more than just in bad taste.
"It's treason. It's treason, 100%. Look, I'm not politically incarnate or anything, but when you examine what treason is, it's treason," Tyson said. "He's in another land, that's an enemy of our land, and he's talking [expletive] on us. He's talking really bad to our guys over there."
Rodman appeared to defend North Korea when Cuomo brought up Kenneth Bae, who is being held for an unknown reason in a North Korean prison.
"And he's defending [North Korea]. And plus they've got one of our guys over there in prison, and he's defending them, saying 'do you know what that guy did?' well you don't either," Tyson said. "You become his lackey. He must have paid them with money, I'm sure he's getting paid. I'm sure Dennis is not doing this out of the kindness of his heart."
Tyson said he's been surprised at the positive response to the Undisputed Truth, including requests from overseas.
"Even people who can't speak English. What am I going to say to them?," Tyson said.
What about a visit to North Korea?
"You ain't gotta worry about that."
