Breaking News: Barkley Taking Leave Of Absence From TNT
Friday, January 09, 2009
It's been a week since Charles Barkley's DUI arrest, and with his current role at TNT under question, the controversial analyst has decided to take a leave of absence from the network. Via USA Today....
Charles Barkley, the popular Hall of Fame basketball star and Emmy Award-winning NBA television pundit with aspirations for political office, might find his career plans in jeopardy after TNT Network said he would take a leave of absence after a charge for drunken driving.All things considered, this is probably the best move for all parties involved. It's obviously a tough decision for TNT whether to fire Barkley or not, but there are honestly only so many negative PR hits that you can take. Even if those hits come from a media darling like Charles, at some point they're going to add up. As I've said before, it's a shame that he can't get his life in order, because he could be a very positive voice for the Country. An incident like this just knocks your credibility back down to zero, and unfortunately for him....he really is a role model.
Police in Arizona said Friday that Barkley, 45, had a blood-alcohol level of .149 after his arrest in Scottsdale on New Year's Eve. A level of .150 is a case of "extreme" inebriation, said police Lt. Eric Shuhandler. The state's legal limit is .08.
"I have spoken with Charles Barkley regarding the incident. .. and I understand he has hired a lawyer to represent him regarding this matter," said David Levy, president of TNT Sports, in a statement. "When I spoke with Charles, he was apologetic for the events that transpired and it was obvious he understands the significance of the situation. This is an important time for Charles as he deals with the legal and personal issues that confront him. Charles is a valued part of the Turner Sports organization and we are concerned for his well-being."
Update: TMZ has the audio of the arrest now. In case you want to listen to 9 minutes of sobriety testing...click below....
Charles Barkley to take leave of absence from TNT after arrest (USA Today)
12 Comments:
I guess you could say that he's...gone fishin'.
I really don't understand why this hurts his credibility. Because he got a DUI he can't talk about basketball anymore? Heck, it means he can relate to a lot of the players even more than before.
Is he going to take the time to get a blowjob from that chick, she gives the best ones...
He needs to take a LOA so that people on ESPN and Fox Sports along with newspaper columnists can still piously demand that any athlete who gets into any trouble at all not only be kicked off his team, but also kicked out of whatever league he plays in and banned for life.
He'll get a pass because he's got friends in the media.
If it were an active player in the same situation, you know there would be round the clock media cruifying of the player.
Why exactly is Barkley a role model? Because he's got a big mouth and is opinionated? Look, I like the guy as a basketball analyst and a talk show guest, but let's face it, he's been in denial about his gambling and now seemingly has a substance abuse problem. When do we stop coddling him because he's a nice guy and start letting him suffer the consequences of his behavior? Hopefully some time before he's dead as the result of his issues.
"Charles is a valued part of the Turner Sports organization and we are concerned for his well-being."
Blah, blah, blah...
Why the hell don't people just come out and say what they really mean? I'm tired of this PC crap I hear every day,.
TNT can not fired him! Please their Sports network lineup is literally sounded by him. I bet if they eventually let him go ESPN/ABC would hired him within 48 hours for their ABC NBA Coverage...and TNT do not want that!
Well at least now he will have time to wager on the playoff games.
Kenny Smith is going to have to bring the funny........
......
/blows out brains, again
Interesting timing - Barkely's DUI/BJ "incident" occurs the same week Screamin' A. Smith compares Barkley to Rosa Parks in ESPN the Mag. Further evidence that SAS is an idiot.
Shocker.