Kudos to Jemele Hill of ESPN.com for writing a great column about Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Demetrius Bell and the famous father who had nothing to do with him, Karl Malone.The Bills picked Bell in the seventh round of the NFL draft, and several media outlets reported that Bell was the son of Malone, the NBA great. But not every outlet made clear that Malone was a deadbeat dad who hadn't been there for his son, and hardly any followed up on the report, which first appeared in the Buffalo News, that Bell's mother was 13 years old when she gave birth.
That news would make Malone not just a deadbeat dad but also a criminal, and it was shocking that ESPN and the rest of the mainstream sports media completely ignored it. The Buffalo News and Los Angeles Times were the only media newspapers that reported it, and as far as I know it has never been mentioned on television.
Maybe Hill's column will change that. Bell is from all accounts a fine young man whose life story should be told. And that story isn't complete unless it includes disturbing details about his father.
Previously on FanHouse:
Offensive Tackle Demetrius Bell, Son of Deadbeat Dad Karl Malone, Drafted by Bills
Report: Mother of Buffalo Bills Player Was 12 or 13 When Karl Malone Got Her Pregnant
Why Is Mainstream Media Ignoring Statutory Rape Allegations Against Karl Malone?
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. "Bell is from all accounts a fine young man whose life story should be told. And that story isn't complete unless it includes disturbing details about his father."
Wow. I would hate for my personal life story's largest media focus to be on my parents' copulation. I'd hope that my own talents, abilities, accomplishments and personality would have something compelling enough to drag the spotlight away from the sex act.
I don't deny the legitimate public interest in a Hall Of Fame basketball player's statutory rape allegations, but let's not disguise it as a discussion of this young man's life story. Those two things are unrelated, and your presentation of WHY this story matters is predatory at best.
Posted at 6:05PM on May 7th 2008 by ray
2. And of course the media empire Espn works for makes millions if no billions sexualizing young people and so it goes
Posted at 7:17PM on May 7th 2008 by carl
3. From Karl Malone's Wikipedia,
Karl Malone has a son, Demetrius Bell, who was drafted by the NFL's Buffalo Bills with the 219th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Demetrius was born to a 13-year-old girl named Gloria Bell in 1984. Gloria and Karl Malone met while Malone was a sophomore in college. Karl and his son have been estranged for all of the young boy's life. Once they were finally acquainted when Demetrius was 18, Karl told Demetrius that it is too late to be his dad and that he would have to make his own fortune. Karl Malone is an absentee father who made over 100 million dollars in his career but refused to share it with his kids.
Damn!
Posted at 7:51PM on May 7th 2008 by PHZ-Sicks
4. I think this a perfect case where the importance of blogs is shown.
http://myinnerfan.blogspot.com/2008/05/karl-malone-buzz-bissinger-blogs.html
Also, I wish the bets for this kid. I still can not believe such a sad story is continually ignored.
Posted at 7:56PM on May 7th 2008 by TCO
5. Karl Malone should have known better at 24yrs old than to have sex with a 13 yr old girl; that is so ridiculous. He should have ben charged, and served a year or so even if it was consensual, and played his career wih the stigma only removed if he was remorseful and backed it up with decent child support and some meausre of personal involvement with his son. I can't believe a Hall of Famer did that. He sucks.
Posted at 11:34PM on May 7th 2008 by Mark Norman
6. He should be detained for just being Karl Malone. This is just additional years to the sentence. Icing on the cake.
Posted at 2:47AM on May 8th 2008 by Tex Big Balls
7. I also wish the bets for this kid. I wish that the bets I make on him doing whatever it is he does go in my favor.
Posted at 3:11AM on May 8th 2008 by sam
8. While I agree that the mainstream media is late to the party on this story, it seems to me that someone in the Louisiana legal system dropped the ball as well. They had him in their grasp when he was sued for child support, and not one person raises an eyebrow at the age of the mother and takes appropirate action then? Strange.
Posted at 11:00AM on May 8th 2008 by Grer The Sarcastic Bastard
9. just get rid of chris berman!!!! I'm sooooo sick of hearing, he could go all the way. get rid of the fat jerk!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!
Posted at 4:31AM on May 14th 2008 by robin