The Portland Trailblazers officially have named Los Angeles Clippers assistant and former NBA champion Chauncey Billups their new head coach. Billups signed a 5-year deal, replacing previous head coach Terry Stotts who the organization decided to mutually part ways with last week. This move does come with back-lash from fans. In 1997, Chauncey Billups along with Michael Irvin and former player Ron Mercer were accused of rape. The alleged incident occurred in former Celtic Antoine Walker’s home. We’ve seen in recent days, fans publicly denounce the idea of hiring Chauncey for his alleged past misshapes. They have the right to disagree with decision.
What is interesting here is that these same individuals who don’t agree with the hiring of Billups should understand that he has been investigated several times by the league and ownership before getting his job as an NBA TV announcer. He was also investigated and gave his accounts prior to accepting the Clippers’ assistant job, as well as at the time being considered for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager job. Billups has emphatically denied any “non-consensual” sex acts with the alleged victim. We know the famous slogan “innocent until proven guilty,” but that notion doesn’t carry the same weight in public perception – especially if the cases are settled, in which Chauncey and the alleged victim did outside of court. We understand how fans will perceive this. A former player and coach who has an affiliation around alleged sexual misconduct could place a gray cloud over an organization that is on the up and come-up. But what if that gray cloud has been present before the hiring of Chauncey Billups?
What should be noted is that current owner and sister of previous owner Paul Allen, Jody Allen has a past of her own that shouldn’t be swept under the rug. Jody, who is the chairman of the Portland Trailblazers along with the Seattle Seahawks and is in charge of the Paul Allen Trust, has been cited and accused of bribery, smuggling of drug paraphernalia, ivory smuggling, sexual misconduct (including inappropriate conduct towards company employees) and alleged sexual harassment.
Like Billups, the Allen’s (Paul and his sister Jody) settled outside of court. The same individuals upset with the Chauncey Billups hiring due to an alleged sexual misconduct should be just as furious over their organization’s owners past quietly being suppressed behind closed doors.
I wonder why there is a difference in the outrage from fans over the owners past and Chauncey’s?