Put ya sign in his face, gang sign in his face!

(picture attributed to hardwoodparoxysm.com)

Chicago Bulls phenom Derrick Rose has come under fire lately after the picture above began circulating on the Internet, depicting the then Memphis point gaurd flashing a gang sign. According to ESPN.com, Rose issued an apology on Wednesday, saying “I want to emphatically state, now and forever, that Derrick Rose is anti-gang, anti-drug, and anti-violence. I am not, nor have I ever been, affiliated with any gang and I can’t speak loudly enough against gang violence, and the things that gangs represent.”

All this comes on the heels of an NCAA investigation into Memphis after the governing body sent a letter to the school stating an unknown person took the SATs for a Memphis athlete who only played on the team for the 2007-2008 season (read: Derrick Rose). 

Honestly, does this type of news surrounding the NBA surprise absolutely anyone anymore? Now before Rose goes and pulls a Raul Ibanez on me, I’m not stating that Derrick Rose is involved in any gang activity, nor insinuating it, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me. First of all, Rose grew up on Chicago’s South Side, which has a strong history of gang violence. Second of all, if you’ve ever seen Above the Rim, you know damn well those drug dealers and gang members can be pretty persuasive when it comes to young, high school stud basketball stars (would you fuck with Birdie?). As far as the SATs are concerned, I know I wouldn’t have hesitated to make a deal with the future number one draft pick…..I score you an 1100 so you get admitted, and maybe in a year when you get drafted somebody mysteriously drops off the keys to a Porsche in my mail box.

The bottom line is that when you have a team like the Denver Thuggets, or the former Portland Bad Boys, and half the league is made up of kids who grew up playing on the blacktop in run down, crime-ridden neighborhoods, this type of shit shouldn’t surprise anyone. Hell, if I was 22 and making millions of dollars, lord knows I would do some pretty dumb shit, so I say lay off the kid.

And with that ringing endorsement, can the C’s trade Allen and Rondo to land Rose? Please……..please?