Bonzi Wells Responds to The Sacramento Bee - 10/24/05

[Gtronic]

From NBA.com
http://www.nba.com/kings/news/Bonzi_Wells_Response_to_Sacram-154804-58.html

On the front page of the October 22, 2005 edition of The Sacramento Bee’s Sports section, an article erroneously implied that Bonzi Wells engaged in ‘tussles’ with teammates and was charged with marijuana possession and domestic abuse when he was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. These implied allegations are completely false. Both the Sacramento Bee’s writer, Joe Davidson and its sports editor, Bill Bradley have acknowledged the error and committed to a correction.

In response to the article, Bonzi Wells offers the following statement:

"The allegations implied in the Sacramento Bee article that ran October 22, 2005 are totally false. I am very disappointed by these implied allegations. I have three sons that I have carefully taught all of their lives stay away from drugs and to treat all human beings with respect. I want my sons and the public to know the truth --- I have never been: a) in locker room tussles with teammates; b) charged with possession of marijuana (nor any other drug); nor c) charged with domestic abuse. "

 

[KP]

The Bee sucks ***.

 

[CaminoChaos]

Bonzi was on The Rise Guys this morning clearing this up. I enjoy his interviews. He is completely opposite of what I thought he'd be.

 

[kingsfan916]

Man i like Bonzi is good now i don't want them to wreck his rep now

 

[Bricklayer]

Yikes, I had no idea the Bee had printed such an article. Annoys me a little because I am not eager to see the environment poisoned until he actually does something while on the Kings.


Of course Bonzi can only cry so foul when his real list of exploits includes spitting on people and throwing things at coaches.


Anyway, fresh start time hopefully. Maybe his last best chance, so hope it takes.

 

[VF21]

Here's an excerpt from the article in question (right out of my copy of Saturday's Bee, page C4 on a jump continued from page C1):

Kings: Wells blames media (the headline - talk about irony)

Wells said his Blazers' tenure was mixed. The good included playoffs and his coming-out party as a player from tiny Ball State. He averaged a career-best 17 points a game in 2001-02. But there was constant strife and media storms for off-court behavior, from marijuana possession to domestic abuse to locker-room tussles. And the fan base soured on the product...

"The fans made it sour; the media made it sour," Wells continued...

I'm not going to try and defend what happened in Portland because it was ugly all the way around. I am going to chastize the Bee, however. If they're going to repeat allegations of that nature, they owe EVERYONE including us, Bonzi, the Maloofs, etc. the facts and not just vague innuendo.

I'm going to go back and check yesterday's Bee AND today's. I certainly don't remember seeing a correction...

 

[Bricklayer]

Here's an excerpt from the article in question (right out of my copy of Saturday's Bee, page C4 on a jump continued from page C1):

Kings: Wells blames media (the headline - talk about irony)



I'm not going to try and defend what happened in Portland because it was ugly all the way around. I am going to chastize the Bee, however. If they're going to repeat allegations of that nature, they owe EVERYONE including us, Bonzi, the Maloofs, etc. the facts and not just vague innuendo.

I'm going to go back and check yesterday's Bee AND today's. I certainly don't remember seeing a correction...

Oh..ok.

I read that article when it was posted on here. And the truth of the matter was I read it the way I think it was intended -- that the TEAM was experiencing all those things -- marijuana, scuffles etc. And that was certainly true. I did not read it as referring to Bonzi personally, and I'm sure that was not the way it was intended. So in this one limited instance, going to have to defend the Bee -- think they just made a slightly sloppy statement which inadvertently could be read more than one way.

 

[VF21]

I agree the intention was more than likely to condemn the team and not Bonzi.

It's unfortunate, however, that once again something has slipped through that just shows a lack of attention to detail. The Bee seems to be guilty of it more and more often.

 

[Gary]

That is just BS. Give the guy a break. He comes here to help us win, and has done nothing for us to criticize him. This is why I get my news from places OTHER than the BEE.

 

[VF21]

The Bee did print a correction today:

Because of editing errors, a story on Sports Page C1 Saturday and a subsequent correction published Monday both incorrectly attributed problems with the Portland Trail Blazers to the wrong players.

In the Saturday story, The Bee incorrectly said current Kings player Bonzi Wells was invovled in off-court behavior while with the Trail Blazers that included marijuana possession, domestic abuse and locker-room tussles. Wells was not involved with any of those. In the published correction MOnday, The Bee should have said that the problems involved several players - not the entire team. The Bee apologizes for the errors.

This type of problem is industry-wide. The Bee is just the local example we see most often. Journalistic standards are, unfortunately, all too often falling by the wayside. Fact-checking and proof-reading in general are done all too often either by computer, by hit and miss OR not at all.

 

[mr. moustache]

The way I read it, the problems were general to Portland, and Bonzi was related to the problems. It is dangerous to implicate someone, even sideways, with something like domestic violence though. Drug possesion I can forgive, beating your loved ones I cannot.

That is just BS. Give the guy a break. He comes here to help us win, and has done nothing for us to criticize him. This is why I get my news from places OTHER than the BEE.

 

[VF21]

The way I read it, the problems were general to Portland, and Bonzi was related to the problems. It is dangerous to implicate someone, even sideways, with something like domestic violence though. Drug possesion I can forgive, beating your loved ones I cannot.

It was merely a mistake. I think people are starting to read way too much into it. The article was most likely edited to fit space constraints. The result was that ONE phrase could be read and interpreted different ways. While I think The Bee was sloppy in their editing, which led to the whole problem to begin with, I don't think they're guilty of attempted character assassination or anything like that.

 

[Warhawk]

Ditto - just a minor flub resulting in an implication that wasn't intended.

 

[mr. moustache]

? I took the article to mean just what I said. Portland had these problems, x, y, and z. Bonzi was involved in Portland's problems. I'm merely bringing up the point that Z=domestic violence. In situations like this, you'd hope writers would be a little more specific.

People may be reading too much into it, but if your Bonzi, you have very good reason to be angry.

It was merely a mistake. I think people are starting to read way too much into it. The article was most likely edited to fit space constraints. The result was that ONE phrase could be read and interpreted different ways. While I think The Bee was sloppy in their editing, which led to the whole problem to begin with, I don't think they're guilty of attempted character assassination or anything like that.

 

[VF21]

? I took the article to mean just what I said. Portland had these problems, x, y, and z. Bonzi was involved in Portland's problems. I'm merely bringing up the point that Z=domestic violence. In situations like this, you'd hope writers would be a little more specific.

People may be reading too much into it, but if your Bonzi, you have very good reason to be angry.

On that we're in total and complete agreement.



Sorry. I thought you were saying that you believed the article. My bad...

 

[Coach]

Brick caught the true irony here. The Bee should have said in its retraction:

"The Bee incorrectly said current Kings player Bonzi Wells was invovled in off-court behavior while with the Trail Blazers that included marijuana possession, domestic abuse and locker-room tussles. What the Bee meant to say was Wells was involved with intentionally striking a referee, criminal trespass, making an obscene gesture to a fan, cursing at his coach, spitting on an opposing player, brawling on the court, and generally being a pain in the butt. The Bee apologizes for the errors."

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Bonzi was on The Rise Guys this morning clearing this up. I enjoy his interviews. He is completely opposite of what I thought he'd be.

Hopefully it isnt just because he just got here, and the fact that he IS in a contract year and has to make himself seem squeaky clean and hard working for a new contract. Hopefully...