I don’t often target Black men or women in my pieces. To my recollection, I’ve written negative articles about Rev. Darrell Scott, Pastor Mark Burns, Stacey Dash, and one I thought gave the benefit of the doubt to Candace Owens. Yes, they’re all considered Black conservatives, but I haven’t denounced them for being either Black or Conservative. I’ve spoken positively about Herman Cain and former Republican J.C. Watts, also Black conservatives.
I became aware of Herschel Walker when he came out of a Georgia high school as a football and track star and was named the first recipient of the National High School Scholar Athlete of the Year by Dial in 1979. There That award suggests he was intelligent though he wasn’t his high school valedictorian as he used to claim.
Herschel signed to play football at the University of Georgia, where he won a national championship and a Heisman Trophy. I wasn’t a Georgia fan, though I’d become an SEC fan after spending my college years in Nashville, home of Vanderbilt and down the road from the University of Tennessee. Georgia football became must-watch television from Herschel’s first game. He was exciting to watch, continuing to make amazing plays while more often than not leading the Bulldogs to victory. Herschel was a college superstar and I watched him every chance I got. I had no reason to doubt his intelligence; though he never graduated from the University of Georgia, especially not in the top 1% of his class as he often claimed. Lying about his accomplishments when he had so many was just unnecessary, but he lied about them all the same.
Hershel was the only reason I watched the fledgling USFL. Walker led the USFL in rushing twice, one year setting the professional football single-season rushing record with 2,411 yards in 18 games. Every time he touched the ball there was a chance you’d see an unbelievable play. He delivered more often than not. Eventually, Walker made his way to the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. He had moments in the NFL and was ultimately traded to the Minnesota Vikings for five players and six future draft picks. What the Cowboys received for Walker led to them becoming a Super Bowl winner once again. Walker suffered injuries and had modest statistics the rest of his career, but every time he touched the ball, there was a possibility. . .
I’m a bit uncomfortable talking about Walker’s intelligence, given the very real possibility that he suffers from brain damage. Literally from receiving too many hits on the head during his career. For sixteen years, Herschel Walker played football on the highest of levels and was a wanted man all of those years. One study showed that 87% of professional football players examined suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), and it is at least as likely that Walker’s erratic behavior is based on brain damage as opposed to a lack of intelligence.
Later in life, Walker did a stint as a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, where he received even more hits to the head at the age of 47. One wonders if he has any true friends because they should have stopped him. If they exist they should stop him now as he strives to become a US Senator, representing the state of Georgia.
Walker had a horrible record as a businessman, driving several companies into failure or bankruptcy. He constantly exaggerated (lied) about the number of employees he had and his financial success. In his personal life, he fared little better. When filing for divorce in 2001, his wife accused him of “physically abusive and extremely threatening behavior.” He threatened her with a knife and, another time, pointed a gun at her while issuing verbal threats.
“I’m going to blow your fucking brains out.”
It would seem that this record would disqualify him from political office, but these are different times where promoting a big lie is the only qualification needed to run. Walker is currently dealing with revelations about two newly discovered children Walker fathered but never publicly revealed.
If you listen to Walker speak at any length, it’s impossible not to conclude something is wrong. Maybe it’s brain damage, or maybe he was continually passed along because of his athletic prowess. I would have wished a better ending for Hershel Walker, who I once respected and adored as an athlete. He should have chosen to go quietly into the sunset, getting help for any physical or mental conditions, instead of going out exposed for his incompetence and inconsistent stories. I take no joy in pointing out what is clear to anyone paying attention. Herschel Walker is more deserving of your pity than your vote. We’ll see what happens.
—
This post was previously published on William Spivey’s blog.
***
You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism | Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box | Why I Don’t Want to Talk About Race | What We Talk About When We Talk About Men |
Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.