WHY the Sudden Outrage?? LSU Football Has Long Supported Criminals

Originally posted at Tiger Rant and apparently removed by moderators after @ 5 minutes

EXHIBIT A? Billy Cannon

Ole Billy received a 90-day suspended sentence for theft in 1955 - the year before he enrolled at LSU - after he and some friends were caught extorting money from men whom they had seen with prostitutes. LSU knew exactly what they were getting, but gladly brought him in anyway. In fact, the word on the street back in the day (50s & 60s; yes, I'm that old) was that the judge in that extortion case strongly suggested to Billy and his lawyer that a commitment by Billy to stay home and play at LSU would factor significantly in Billy's favor when his sentence was being decided. Some believed that Cannon was, in fact, on probation after that conviction so that he couldn't leave the state to play elsewhere. Rumor and innuendo? Speculation? Maybe, but that seems to be the coin of the realm on this board, so I'll go with it.

Based on the comments I've seen on this board, most of you are probably even too young to remember that good ole Billy served 2.5 years in federal prison in the 80s for counterfeiting 5+ MILLION dollars, because he'd gotten his glorified arse in a crack partially due to his gambling (illegal, perhaps?) debts. Wonder how many hard-working small business owners got hurt once Billy's phony money got pumped into circulation?

And yet, he is still revered by LSU fans. LSU Athletic Hall of Fame member! Jersey retired! Part of the circle/ring of honor (isn't his name inside the stadium? Haven't been in a decade). Celebrated and applauded during mid-field appearances in a packed Tiger Stadium. A fricking statue of him outside Tiger Stadium (did any of you contribute to that dubious project?)!

For the last couple of weeks I have read a never-ending litany of self-righteous indignation that LSU and some of its players have publicly aligned themselves with the message of BLM and in protest of the continuing stream of suspected "criminals" being needlessly and indefensibly killed by the police. Judging from most of the comments, the majority on this board are completely OK with cops acting as judge, jury & executioner. No investigtion. No trial. Shoot - with intent to kill - first; ask questions and deal with all of those messy due process issues later. B?illy Cannon got a couple of chances to redeem his life after being proven a criminal. Evidence suggests that his success in that regard was a mixed bag, at best. But Billy got those chances BECAUSE HE WASN'T KILLED BY THE POLICE before he even had a trial.

Perhaps before you turn your back on LSU football and characterize their players as ungrateful (is that the new euphemism for "uppity"?) pussies who support criminals (for many, the old euphemism for black people), you should stop glorifying known criminals and demand that LSU do the same. Remove all references to Billy-the-counterfeiting-extortionist-Cannon from anything having to do with LSU football. Tear down the stupid statue in front of the stadium glorifying this criminal! Remove him from the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame and the Ring of Honor! Put his jersey # back in circulation. He's a horrible role model for your children and has been for 60 years.

I love the smell of whining, race-tinged hypocrisy in the morning!

Discuss amongst yourselves, keyboard warriors.