Warriors cry 'racism' after team jacket gets stolen by ex-Super Bowl champ
Even taking politics out of it, the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors are a somewhat unlikable bunch to non-Warriors fans.
Stephen Curry is the ultimate front-running showboat, who also happens to have a ridiculous nickname — “The Baby-Faced Assassin.” Kevin Durant has never fouled anyone while being fouled every time he shoots, at least based on his huffing and puffing with referees. And the less said about Draymond Green’s propensity to kick men where they shouldn’t be kicked, the better.
Now, throw in personal politics and the Warriors become either mildly more tolerable or significantly more detestable.
But even the staunchest Warriors supporters may have a hard time coming to terms with the team’s latest scandal.
Mike Shumann, a KGO-TV sports anchor and ex-member of the Super Bowl XVI champion San Francisco 49ers, was allegedly busted on camera stealing a Warriors bodyguard’s jacket, per The Athletic. The video was seen and confirmed by ESPN.
It was a dumb and foolish move, but hardly a full-blown scandal.
That is, until, “several prominent players” raised concerns that the entire ordeal had a tinge of racism in it.
“What if a media member of color had been caught stealing a team employee’s property? Would swifter action have been taken to terminate an alleged thief, and would the incident have gone public sooner?” The Athletic wrote, via Deadspin.
Of note, Shumann is white. Also of note, Shumann reportedly tried to apologize to the Warriors.
“According to multiple sources who cover the team, several prominent players have voiced these concerns and are indicating that they will not brush this incident aside,” The Athletic added.
“We are taking these allegations very seriously and conducting a full investigation. As a matter of policy, we do not comment about personnel matters,” a KGO-TV spokesman told The Athletic.
What?
Do the Warriors truly think that Shumann’s discipline took too long and that his employer’s response was motivated by racial factors?
Shumann did something wrong, was punished and now has to sit at home while being excoriated for having some sort of racially charged privilege by NBA multimillionaires. That doesn’t sound too lenient. And the time frame of a longer investigation makes some sense considering that Shumann seems to have a fairly spotless record. Apparently “due process” is a foreign concept for the Warriors.
The Warriors, for their part, are handling the entire situation with the maturity one would expect from a child. Despite a standing agreement to provide interviews and such for KGO-TV, the Warriors are reportedly refusing those interviews now.
The Warriors next play Tuesday night, as the champions look to eliminate the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Warriors currently lead the Spurs 3-1 in their best of seven saga.
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