I dont think DCU should hire wife beaters (Gazza) or felons

[Darth_Norteno]

Originally posted by Soccer-Six-Shooter
DCU or even MLS should not have players with felonys or wife abusers. That dude beat up his wife real bad. Her arm in a sling, black and blue face, arms. I made it thru life thus far with no felonys or hitting girlfriends, child abusers, bribes, extortion, etc. Its not hard to do. Anyone with a felony is out of MLS. period. No criminal league.

Or if you beat up wife, commited a robbery or shot someone, its o.k, c'mon and play for DCU we dont care, we take troublemakers, as long you can put the ball in net.

Oh for God's sake, quit your whinging. If Maradona wanted to come to DCU, you would so take him. Never mind the fact that he has (or has) a tremendous coke habit, and has shot at reporters with a pellet gun. Gazza obviously still loves the game, so he should play as long as he can. Give the man a bloody chance. I don't exactly hear you harping over David Justice or Derek Jeter in MLB.

[Z010 Union]

Jason Kidd
Allen Iverson

look it's an imperfect world. Spousal abuse is wrong but happens in all professions without being as publicized as these guys.

[BroonAleMagpie]

Originally posted by Darth_Norteno
Oh for God's sake, quit your whinging. If Maradona wanted to come to DCU, you would so take him. Never mind the fact that he has (or has) a tremendous coke habit, and has shot at reporters with a pellet gun.
I don't know about Six Shooter, but I sure as hell wouldn't. Sports can do without "stars" like that.

Of course, he wouldn't pass the physical at this point anyway. :)

[mick12]

gazza's a legend and i would have him back at newcastle anyday, if only for the laughs. He's gone to America for a fresh start and will earn about $15,000 to $20,000 less than he would in Britain, or even in Saudi Arabia where he was offered more than that.

One of the reasons he chose america was because nobody new him and the fact he wants to get on with his life so why dont you just lay off the man and let him play because he is a superstar in his own right!!

[Gunnersaurus]

Wife beaters? Didn't Cameroon try to wear those sleeveless numbers, and FIFA wouldn't let them? I sure wouldn't want wife beaters on the DC United team.

Oh, you mean wife beaters? I thought you meant wife beaters!

-G. Rex

[Z010 Union]

Originally posted by Gunnersaurus
Wife beaters? Didn't Cameroon try to wear those sleeveless numbers, and FIFA wouldn't let them? I sure wouldn't want wife beaters on the DC United team.

Oh, you mean wife beaters? I thought you meant wife beaters!

-G. Rex

G. Rex - to clarify, the Cameroon kits were not wife beaters, they lacked the requisite mustard/tobacco stain. ;)

[GersMan]

Originally posted by K
Gazza was not on the wagon on Sat. I was at the Cap Lounge after the game and he was sitting at the bar and drinking shots of whiskey with his agent and Ray standing right there. I was under the impression he was a recovering alcoholic and assumed he didn't drink anymore. A lot of us who were there were talking about it. I'm more than willing to give folks a chance and help if I can but there has to be some individual responsibility (whether folks are athletes or not).

If I had a camera I could have had the "money shot" : As I was leaving Gazza was trying to get a cab outside the Lounge. Something happened and Ritchie can running downstairs looking for Gazza's agent, asking what hotel they were at. As I'm exiting I see Gazza having a conversation with one of "DC's finest" (not sure what was going on and why the cop was there but Gazza's agent quickly showed up and the officer drove away).
K

ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME???????????????

He said on the radio that he still enjoys "an occasional glass of wine." There are some differing thoughts on whether someone needs to be teetotal. Part of the problem here is definiing the term "alcoholic." It's called a disease, but people make a decision to quit doing it, so it's not a disease in the sense cancer or MS are. At any rate, I do know people who have quit drinking and have later enjoyed an occasional beer or glass of wine, and seem to function just fine. The image Kim paints of a guy downing shots at a bar is a little harder to reconcile but.......


ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME?????????????

So did Ray take him to this bar, or was there an event there?

[revelation]

There was a post-game event at the bar. And yes, Gazza was having shots. I was surprised myself because I thought he would really want to make a good impression on Ray of the sort of "I've got all my troubles behind me." Ray was there as well and spent some time talking with Paul (who I offended by calling Mr. Gascoigne).

[dcuinvermont]

I do substance abuse research, and it's not a good sign if a guy who clearly had a drinking problem is now drinking shots with the "new" team. Pretty irresponsible of Gazza as well as the team. Yeah, he's a big boy and makes his own decisions, but it's not right to put someone with that kind of history in that situation again. If this is Ray's idea of getting the team to "bond" with the new guy its not a very bright way to do it.
Makes me feel sorry for Gazza and fearful that more problems will be on his horizon.

[Jose L. Couso]

Originally posted by revelation
There was a post-game event at the bar. And yes, Gazza was having shots. I was surprised myself because I thought he would really want to make a good impression on Ray of the sort of "I've got all my troubles behind me." Ray was there as well and spent some time talking with Paul (who I offended by calling Mr. Gascoigne).

Shame on you! The least you could have done was to drink his shots for him!

Which leads me to the other poster.

Originally posted by dcuinvermont
I do substance abuse research, and it's not a good sign if a guy who clearly had a drinking problem is now drinking shots with the "new" team. Pretty irresponsible of Gazza as well as the team. Yeah, he's a big boy and makes his own decisions, but it's not right to put someone with that kind of history in that situation again. If this is Ray's idea of getting the team to "bond" with the new guy its not a very bright way to do it.
Make me feel sorry for Gazza and fearful that more problems will be on his horizon.

I absolutely agree with this.

[K]

Originally posted by GersMan


ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME???????????????

He said on the radio that he still enjoys "an occasional glass of wine." There are some differing thoughts on whether someone needs to be teetotal. Part of the problem here is definiing the term "alcoholic." It's called a disease, but people make a decision to quit doing it, so it's not a disease in the sense cancer or MS are. At any rate, I do know people who have quit drinking and have later enjoyed an occasional beer or glass of wine, and seem to function just fine. The image Kim paints of a guy downing shots at a bar is a little harder to reconcile but.......


ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME?????????????

So did Ray take him to this bar, or was there an event there?

Man, I wish I was. It really made me sad to watch. I was on the fence about him coming this past week. Got more excited when I say how fit he looked in the pictures but it all went to crap on Sat eve as I watched him sit in the corner at the downstairs bar and do shots. He wasn't really mingling with the guys either, some did come up to speak to him as well as fans.


K

[Barbara]

Originally posted by GersMan


ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME???????????????

He said on the radio that he still enjoys "an occasional glass of wine." There are some differing thoughts on whether someone needs to be teetotal. Part of the problem here is definiing the term "alcoholic." It's called a disease, but people make a decision to quit doing it, so it's not a disease in the sense cancer or MS are. At any rate, I do know people who have quit drinking and have later enjoyed an occasional beer or glass of wine, and seem to function just fine. The image Kim paints of a guy downing shots at a bar is a little harder to reconcile but.......


ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME?????????????

So did Ray take him to this bar, or was there an event there?


Oh man. I bet that guy who wrote that article in Soccer365 wishes he could make a couple of edits right about now.






;)

[Big Head Ed]

Originally posted by Bryan_Elon95
Jason Kidd
Allen Iverson

look it's an imperfect world. Spousal abuse is wrong but happens in all professions without being as publicized as these guys.


Charges dropped against Iverson

[Topo]

I don't think that MLS should hire anybody who has ever posted on bigsoccer.com. That whole place if full of mouthbreathing jacknutses some of whom are just this side of criminals, and the rest are worse.

Anybody who has ever posted on bigsoccer is a raving idiot and deserves to be shot, skinned alive, and then drawn and quartered!

:)

[GersMan]

Originally posted by BarbDett



Oh man. I bet that guy who wrote that article in Soccer365 wishes he could make a couple of edits right about now.

;)

Wink duly noted, but no, nothing changes about that article. The following paragraph is perhaps the one in question:

"Certainly DC United and MLS do well to make sure the player is fit. They do well to lay it on the line regarding the player's off-field behavior. But there is growing evidence that the former England international has developed a greater maturity later in life. The potential upside to such a signing seems worth taking the risk"

Well, the report on this board would certainly contradict the public image of the player that has been projected of late, and may well be a disqualifier, but I was arguing that I would love to see a fit Gazza playing, for giving the player a second chance, and noted the trial time made sense to all concerned. So no, I don't "wish I could make a couple of edits."

Sometimes you put faith in people, and people let you down.

[Th4119]

This could be why Gazza's flying back to England shortly. His little drinking bit could've ruined whatever chances he had here, what a shame.

[saroccer]

Originally posted by Topo
I don't think that MLS should hire anybody who has ever posted on bigsoccer.com. That whole place if full of mouthbreathing jacknutses some of whom are just this side of criminals, and the rest are worse.

Anybody who has ever posted on bigsoccer is a raving idiot and deserves to be shot, skinned alive, and then drawn and quartered!

:)

We're all a bunch of freaks ;)

[GersMan]

Originally posted by saroccer


We're all a bunch of freaks ;)

depening on your definition of "freak"........maybe

[Sundevil9]

Originally posted by saroccer


We're all a bunch of freaks ;)

Wouldn't have it any other way.

[kirby94]

Originally posted by dcuinvermont
I do substance abuse research, and it's not a good sign if a guy who clearly had a drinking problem is now drinking shots with the "new" team. Pretty irresponsible of Gazza as well as the team. Yeah, he's a big boy and makes his own decisions, but it's not right to put someone with that kind of history in that situation again. If this is Ray's idea of getting the team to "bond" with the new guy its not a very bright way to do it.
Makes me feel sorry for Gazza and fearful that more problems will be on his horizon.

I'm sorry dcuinvermont, I responded to your message in the wash post gazza thread before i saw this post, so I think I may have misinterpreted what you wrote. (in case you see that other post).

However, I have to still say that I couldn't disagree more with this opinion that Ray & DC United should have to police Gazza's personal behavior when he hasn't done anything wrong. I doubt he was forced to go to the after party for one thing. I doubt that just because he goes to an after party that he is being placed in a situation beyond his control. I know many recovering alcoholics of the hardcore variety that can function in social situations without feeling the pressure to drink. I know some that cannot but are wise enough to avoid these situations.

I know its just a difference of opinion, but Gazza needs to withhold himself from these occasions if he cannot handle the temptation to drink heavily. What is Ray & DC to do? United holds many events for the team that I'm sure involve drinking. Should they ban Gazza for his own good from team parties or hanging out with his mates at a bar? Should he not be allowed to Marco's infamous backyard bbq's because there might be alcohol there? Or should the team ban its players from drinking in public because one player might have a problem restraining himself?

Clearly, if Gazza is going to be part of this or any other football team, he will need to police himself or avoid these social situations at the risk of alienating himself from the team. But I don't think that any of the DC braintrust should try to keep him away from things that are perfectly legal and within good taste. If that means he gets drunk, then he gets drunk. He definitely won't be the first DC player to be drunk in public, that I can assure you of.