Phil Mushnick on Donald Sterling: Not every 81-year-old should be held accountable for what they say
There are very few people who would be bold stupid enough to defend Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in the wake of his alleged racist rant. We’re not shocked that Phil Mushnick of the New York Post was one of them.
In a column that covered a wide array of topics (mostly New York Yankees-related) on Sunday night, Mushnick briefly addressed the Sterling situation. He described what Sterling said as “indefensible and inexcusable” while noting that we should not be surprised given some of the lawsuits that have been brought against the Clippers owner in the past. Mushnick would have been fine if he left it there, but he kept writing.
Visit any assisted living facility. Or think of that aunt or uncle all of us have known and suffered with a wince because we knew they were off. And they come in all races.
Not everyone, at 81, should reasonably or humanely be held accountable for whatever ugly comments come out their mouths.
At least keep that in mind.
Where should we begin? For starters, Sterling is not in a nursing home. By all indications, he is still a very independent elderly man who is capable of taking care of himself. You can be an 81-year-old racist without being senile. Being a certain age doesn’t automatically excuse certain comments.
More importantly, if Sterling can’t be held accountable for what he says because of his age, how is he fit to own an NBA team? There are plenty of racist people in the world. Most people aren’t outraged that some 81-year-old guy said racist things about Magic Johnson, Matt Kemp and African-Americans in general. We’re disgusted that an NBA owner whose team has a black coach and mostly black players feels this way.
Mushnick should have left this one alone, but we’re not surprised he didn’t. He loves stirring the pot and gave this take on Adrian Peterson last year, so we have come to expect ridiculous opinions from him. Maybe it’s time that Mushnick and Sterling both gave up their profession.