The fall of former all-star Gilbert Arenas from fame after a gun incident in 2009 is well documented.
Arenas was shipped to Orlando to get rid of his ridiculous contract and locker room antics, which quickly went from welcomed to a nuisance. He is now nothing but a benchwarmer in Orlando. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
That is the story everyone in sports knows about.
However, there was another player in that incident that has a story far more tragic: Javaris Crittenton.
For the most part, the media ignored Crittenton because he wasn’t a big name. That all changed this weekend when Crittenton became wanted by the Atlanta police for the alleged murder of Jullian Jones, a 22-year-old mother of four.
Jones was standing near two men, one of whom was most likely the intended target. In a statement made by Carlos Campos, police spokesman, the motive appears to be revenge for a robbery committed in Crittenton’s home.
His lawyer is claiming innocence, but how did Crittenton even spiral into a situation like this?
Every one of his teammates is shocked that the quietest guy in the locker room was capable of doing something of this magnitude.
Gilbert Arenas ruined his career — that’s how.
During Arenas’ tenure in a Wizards’ uniform, I was definitely on the bandwagon. He could do no wrong in my eyes, and when the gun incident in January 2009 happened, I was the first to stand up for him.
I said things like, “The guns he brought in weren’t loaded,” and, “He was just playing around! Crittenton over-reacted.”
I was wrong.
The whole altercation started because of a gambling debt Arenas had from a card game on the team plane. These card games often involve players betting tens of thousands of dollars and have become a huge issue in NBA locker rooms. But Washington is a poster child for why it shouldn’t be allowed.
When Crittenton threatened to shoot Arenas in his recently repaired knee if he didn’t pay up, Arenas spread four guns in Crittenton’s locker with a sign that read, “Pick 1,” taunting Crittenton.
A version of this article appeared in the Sep 1 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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Seriously? You're blaming Gilbert Arenas for this? I know this is a tiny college article...but really? Crittenton is a grown man and he's the one who decided to do what he did. Did he shoot the man (allegedly, but if you run you look pretty guilty) with Arenas' gun? No. This little two page rant just comes off like a disgruntled Wizards fan who's looking to turn an ugly situation into a way to continue to be bitter and angry with Gilbert Arenas. The situation in 2009 didn't help his path, but it was Crittenton's path to change - it's on him that it didn't. No excuses.
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This may be the dumbest thing I've ever read on the CT website. I'm speechless.
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