More Proof Doc is one Helluva Human Being

http://redsarmy.com/2012/10/31/more-proof-that-doc-rivers-is-simply-a-hell-of-a-human-being/



More proof that Doc Rivers is simply a hell of a human being





Note: This is a serious piece that does not concern basketball
very much and deals with mature subject matter. If you’re not mature
enough to handle it, you can go away now. I implore you, though, to
read my disclaimer at the bottom before making any comments on this
piece.

Doc Rivers has always seemed genuine. He’s always seemed like a
decent person whose values are in order. And while you never know what a
person is like behind closed doors, away from the cameras, and totally
un-guarded, you can piece together certain things that can complete the
picture. It’s not unlike an archaeologist piecing together a picture of
a dinosaur from an incomplete skeleton. You find enough of the right
bones, and eventually the entire picture comes into focus, regardless of
a few missing pieces.

The biggest piece of determining who anyone is, is how others speak
of him or her. And the next bad thing anyone says about Doc as a person
will be the first thing I’ve ever heard. Kevin Garnett famously swears
to run through walls if Doc so ordered, and that’s not because Doc draws
up a fine out-of-bounds play. It’s because of how Doc treats him as a
man. Others will fall in line to take a crack at the wall for the same
reason. They respect a man who respects them, even though he wields
Castro-like authority.

The next piece in the Doc Rivers excavation is his self-sacrifice for
his family. The rigors of the NBA, or any professional coaching job,
demand full attention during every waking moment. Or, at least, that’s
what we’re led to believe. Doc, though, has managed to balance being a
good father with being a good coach. Honestly, my favorite image of Doc
Rivers that doesn’t involved the championship is this celebration
of Austin’s game-winning shot against North Carolina. The pure,
unbridled joy he felt at the moment is a testament to how much of a
family man he really is. In this world of professional athletes and
coaches pushing family aside to pursue their personal goals, that images
is especially heart warming.

And then there are the words he says and the way he conducts himself
publicly. This is the hardest part of this whole puzzle because so many
of these guys are coached in saying the right words. Some guys can
really sell it. But, after years of watching people talk in front of a
camera, you can often figure out who’s being sincere, and who isn’t. Of
course, it’s not an exact science. There are people like a certain
shooting guard for the Miami Heat who can fool the B.S. detector. But
there’s something about Doc and the way he says things that makes you
believe it comes from the heart.

Which brings us to the impetus for this praise.

Beyond sports, there is a real world, where real people live with
real problems. Those problems evolve over generations. A hundred years
ago, women couldn’t vote. Now they’re CEO’s. 50 years ago, a black
man couldn’t eat at the same restaurant as white people. Now one is
President. And while those societal advancements don’t mean the ills
and ignorance that fueled the prejudice are cured, they are clear,
obvious signs of attitudinal change.

Today, there is a new fight for civil rights. Homophobia is the one
of the few remaining, somewhat “acceptable” form of prejudice in today’s
society. Terms like “fag” are thrown around as casual insults…
“good-natured ribbing,” without a second thought about the ramifications
of the word. And the fear of being branded as gay has led to un-tolled
secrets being kept around the world…

… and many of them in professional sports.

Statistically, there is a percentage of professional athletes that are gay. A recent Gallup report
found 3.4% of Americans identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual,
or transgender. Knowing the secrets people keep, chances are good that
the number is actually higher. And there’s no reason to believe
professional athletes are exempt from that ratio. That means there are a
few. And there are probably a few in the NBA.

John Amaechi is the only NBA player to come out as a homosexual. He played for Doc Rivers in the 2000-01 season. In an interview with Boston Spirit, Doc discussed Amaechi, and gay players in the NBA.

<blockquote>Boston Spirit: You were one of the first people to come
out and stand behind John Amaechi when he came out. Did you have to
think about that at all? Were you worried what people might think?

Doc Rivers: No, I could care less what people thought and I
didn’t worry about it at all. It’s not one of those things where we had
to have a front office discussion. It’s funny, I actually think someone
in the front office wanted to have a discussion and I said ‘For What?
And that’s how I felt about it. It was easy for me. John’s a great,
great guy.

BS: Was it a surprise to you when John came out?

DR: No, not really. Sexual orientation is always talked about in
locker rooms just like everywhere. I was happy that he came out. It
wasn’t a surprise to me that he came out because he hadn’t shared it —
but he had, if you know what I mean. It probably was a surprise for
others.

BS: Was it a surprise for his teammates?

DR: I would say it was about half and half. Later on I got some
calls from some of his teammates. Some of them brought it up and some
didn’t some said they were surprised and some said they weren’t
surprised at all. What I was happiest about is that you could tell it
wasn’t a big deal for them. Obviously he was a bit removed because he
made the announcement when he wasn’t playing for us, it was later, but
not one guy made a bad comment. It really wasn’t a big deal.
</blockquote>
There is a difference between “tolerance” and “acceptance”.
Tolerance is a great step. Acceptance is the goal. And what makes Doc
such a great individual is the fact that he simply doesn’t give a damn
what anyone’s sexual orientation is. And that’s the goal, really, in a
civil rights issue. To be judged simply on who you are, and your
abilities as an individual. That’s who Doc Rivers is.

<blockquote>DR: You know, I am interracially married. I’m open
minded, I’ve always been open minded. I don’t think there was one thing
that influenced me. My father was a cop, my mother worked on an assembly
line. I don’t like anyone that is prejudiced. I dealt with it growing
up in Chicago. I don’t think you should be judged by anything except for
your actions and what you do. That’s just the way I was brought up.
Look, there are going to be people who hate in everything. There are
people who hate me for being an awful coach or for being black or being
whatever. That’s just the way it is. Like Bill Cosby said, he had the
number one show on television for five or six years and he got 100,000
hate letters a year. So it goes to show, you’re not going to please
everyone.
</blockquote>
My respect for Doc was already quite high before. It’s off the
charts now. Because its easy to be the good coach and motivator of men
if you know the game of basketball and a little bit about human
psychology. It’s not as easy to do the right thing off the floor, and
have the proper perspective about everything else in life.

Doc’s words are simple. If I saw him tomorrow and praised him for
them he’d blow it off. But it’s the simplicity and matter-of-fact “I
don’t get why everyone isn’t like this already” attitude that makes him
so great.

Because this is difficult stuff. And not enough people are like
this. And this, quite simply, makes Doc Rivers one hell of a human
being.




bob
MY NOTE: The reason why players voted Doc the #2 coach they'd like to play for (Pop was #1) is not because they are all gay or, as this piece points out, because he draws up good timeout plays. It's his character, and character counts in basketball as it does in life. The disclaimer mentioned at the beginning of the piece was that the moderator would tolerate NO gay jokes as a response to this column and anybody who did, regardless of how long and frequent a poster they were, would be banned. No exceptions. I don't have the power to ban people (the seduction of turning into Dr. Strangelove would probably make that a bad idea) but I would hope this convivial community comports itself at least as well as forums less so.





.

Bob,

Actually, technically at least, you do have the power to ban people from the forum. But banning is something the administrators would usually discuss among themselves rather than doing unilaterally.

Personally, I believe that stigmatizing somebody for whatever reason is one of the most reprehensible possible acts. Having been spat at in a Hartford shopping mall because I was walking with my black "son by guardianship," I have absolutely zero tolerance for that kind of manure. (In fact, I got the spitter right on the toe of his nicely polished shoe.)

Sam

I agree completely, Sam! Hope you got him with your heel. Hawk

Great story.

In the near future, we will look back on this period in our history and be embarrassed about the way we treated gay / lesbian / transgendered Americans.

Doc is pure class.

Sam,
What's that: Having been spat at in a Hartford shopping mall because I was walking with my black "son by guardianship," ?

Thanks,
AK

sam wrote:Bob,

Actually, technically at least, you do have the power to ban people from the forum. But banning is something the administrators would usually discuss among themselves rather than doing unilaterally.

Personally, I believe that stigmatizing somebody for whatever reason is one of the most reprehensible possible acts. Having been spat at in a Hartford shopping mall because I was walking with my black "son by guardianship," I have absolutely zero tolerance for that kind of manure. (In fact, I got the spitter right on the toe of his nicely polished shoe.)

Sam

Actually, technically at least, you do have the power to ban people from the forum.


BWA HAHAHAHAHA. BWA HAHAHAHAHA.


bob


.

I think you would all know where I stand on something like this. We are who we are, and that is all there is to it.

Every now and then people need to be reminded of that, and if they feel differently they don't belong here.

Rosalie

Sinus, since you asked: Around 1972, I became the legal guardian for a black boy from the Bahamas who couldn't get into school there when he turned 6. (He lived with me and my two daughters during several school years, and—at age 46—he now has a Master's Degree and a great marketing job with Guinness. I still consider him my son, and my two daughters—ages 45 and 50—consider him their brother.)

Anyway, one day, the four of us were walking in a Hartford mall, and a guy just hocked and spat at us. The spit kind of separated, and each of us got a little of the spray. He had no way of knowing I was the spitting champion in my grammar school days, and I let one rip and hit him on his shoe. That's all there was to it.

Sam

Sam,
Thanks.
I can relate to episodes like that. Unfortunately there still are so many bigots...

AK

The concept of not "tolerating" someone for being black or gay is truly bizarre. Truly.
What kind of person could not "tolerate" someone for being black or gay?

FYI, I've been looking for a slave ship which sank in the Gulf 200 years ago, and the process has made me hyper aware of the inhumanity exhibited toward many millions of human beings from Africa from 1500 to 1858. Anyone who wants to read the definitive book on the transport of slaves to America should buy The Slave Ship by Marcus Redicker. It will open the heart of even the most hardened cynic and racist.