Fox Sports host goes scorched earth on LeBron James over deleted tweet: 'Dog, you can't do this'



Fox Sports commentator Marcellus Wiley tore into NBA superstar LeBron James this week over his social media posts related to the police shooting death of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant, which ignited new controversy this week over how media report officer-involved shooting deaths.

What is the background?

James incited a tsunami of backlash on Wednesday when he tweeted, and then deleted, a photo of a Columbus police officer involved in the Bryant incident, with a caption that said, "YOUR'E NEXT #accountability."

James was immediately blasted for suggesting police were wrong to defend the other girl in the Bryant incident who likely would have become a stabbing victim had police not acted.

Multiple video angles of the incident have since surfaced, contradicting the narrative that spread in the initial hours after Bryant's death. The video showed Bryant with a knife attempting to stab another person when an officer opened fire on Bryant, stopping the attack and killing her. "We know, based on this footage, the officer took action to protect another young girl in our community," Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said.

What did Wiley say?

Speaking on FS1's "Speak For Yourself," Wiley, himself a former NFL player, blasted James for being "irresponsible."

"Dog, you can't do this," Wiley said. "You can't be that irresponsible if you're LeBron James because you have that much power, and we all know when you get that type of power that responsibility comes with it."

Wiley said James demonstrated he wanted "to be first — not right," explaining James should have "passed in this moment."

"Emotions can't trump logic, and that's what's happening," Wiley said. "Your agenda can't go before your acumen. You can't pander before your principles."

Wiley praised James for his charitable contributions and for having a "big heart," but added, "I don't care how smart you are if you don't stop and think... LeBron James — he failed in that moment."

Wiley went on to criticize James for tweets alleging America is a "broken system." Wiley said, "The same system that is so broken, it allows you to become a billionaire and never get arrested in it — but the system is broken?" According to Wiley, James should be telling the story of "somebody who has made it ... I would love to hear that story of how you became LeBron James against all odds instead of always professing the odds are against all people."

"You gotta look before you leap — LeBron just leaped in this one because he knew his followers would catch him," Wiley continued.

Wiley went on to say, "LeBron James says 'I'm so damn tired of seeing black people killed by police.' With that platform. How about this sentence instead of that, 'I'm so damn tired of seeing black killed?' A little difference. How about this sentence, even more idealistic. 'I'm so damn tired of just seeing people killed?'"

Wiley said that, ultimately, "irresponsibility that shows in the micro makes me say be responsible about the macro."

"Like, dog, 250 black people [are] killed by police every year, that's 250 too many people. But in the macro-sense, there are 7,500 homicides to black people every year as well. I'm not saying LeBron you got that put the focus on that, fully, but let's be responsible," Wiley said. "There's 7,500 in totality that never get the discussion because the people with the platform are not highlighting that."

.@MarcellusWiley responds to LeBron's controversial tweet. https://t.co/VbEov9rW1B
— Speak For Yourself (@Speak For Yourself)1619147096.0

ESPN’s Marcellus Wiley Slams LeBron James For ‘Irresponsible’ Tweet Targeting Cop

"Your agenda can't go before your acumen. You can't pander before your principles, right now, even if you get all the likes and all the retweets."

Marcellus Wiley calls for 'separate transgender category in competition' after Biden's executive order affecting girls' sports



Former NFL player Marcellus Wiley propositioned the idea of a separate category for transgender athletes in response to President Joe Biden's executive order forcing women to compete in sports against biological males.

The retired defensive end who played 10 years in the NFL for four teams called for the change in athletics with a tweet.

"As a father of 3 daughters & the husband to a former collegiate athlete, this hits home in a special way," Wiley wrote on Twitter. "It's time to create a separate transgender category in competition! Also think it's time for me to start a podcast bcuz some things need to be discussed in detail!"

As a father of 3 daughters & the husband to a former collegiate athlete, this hits home in a special way🤯It’s time… https://t.co/zBJkYKMDyr
— Marcellus Wiley 🧢 (@Marcellus Wiley 🧢)1611972226.0

The tweet includes a screenshot of a May 2019 article from World Magazine titled: "Built-in advantage: NCAA hurdler shows how the Equality Act would undermine the very thing it claims to champion."

The article chronicles transgender collegiate athlete CeCe Telfer, who was ranked In ranked 200th and 390th in 2016 and 2017, respectively, among Division-II men's college athletics, before transitioning, and then becoming a national champion when competing against women.

CeCe (formerly Craig) Telfer of New Hampshire's Franklin Pierce University won the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 25 in Kingsville, Texas. Telfer's time of 57.53 seconds was more than a full second faster than that of his nearest competitor.

A peek at Franklin Pierce's track and field website says nothing about Telfer competing as a man for his first three college seasons or about his accomplishments during those years. The press release touting the Ravens' first NCAA individual champion in any sport says nothing about Telfer being transgender, either.

Cory Procter, also a former NFL player, weighed in on the debate, "No extra category. Men and women."

Wiley, who is also a sports television commentator, responded, "I'm hearing that pushback. But, is that respecting all? That's what I want to dive into."

@CoryProcter 🤔 I’m hearing that pushback. But, is that respecting all? That’s what I want to dive into
— Marcellus Wiley 🧢 (@Marcellus Wiley 🧢)1611974588.0

On his first day as president, Biden signed the "Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation." The executive order declared that any school that receives federal funding must allow biological males who identify as females to compete in girls' sports teams. Schools that don't abide could face administrative action from the Education Department, which could include the loss of federal funding.

"Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports," the executive order reads. "Discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation manifests differently for different individuals, and it often overlaps with other forms of prohibited discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race or disability."

Biden has signed 40 executive orders and actions in his first 10 days in office.