Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 9-24-19

Editorial/Column
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN
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For Some People Success Can Be Poisonous
Wasted potential. That was a phrase I often heard used by the late Florida Sentinel pub- lisher C. Blythe Andrews, Jr., all the time.
Whenever he wanted to give me some of his wise counsel, he would always bring up stories of the people he'd come across during his life who were exceptionally talented, but who, because of one bad decision or another, never realized the greatness they were destined for here on Earth. And I'm quite sure, after I followed a similar path to destruction, he added my name to his list of sad should've and could've been as well.
I thought about Mr. An- drews, and his take on the rewards that come with proper living, the other day as I watched the news and was given nearly minute-by- minute reporting on how the career of former NFL player Antonio Brown was slowly melting down. The flamboy- ant wide receiver, known for his quickness, reliable pass- catching ability and quirky style, was released by the New England Patriots after it was discovered that Brown sent threatening texts to a woman who accused him of sexual assault and who had recently filed a civil lawsuit against him.
The incident was just the latest example of troubling behavior exhibited by Brown this year, including a
highly publicized feud with his former team, the Pitts- burgh Steelers, and the drama he incited with the team he was traded to, the Oakland Raiders, that in- cluded him almost getting into a physical altercation with the team's general man- ager.
Even with all of that bag- gage, though, Brown's skills were special enough that The New England Patriots were still willing to take a chance with him. And, in keeping the trend going of being his own worst enemy, Brown found a way to mess up this latest situation in equally spectacu- lar fashion.
What makes Brown's descent from stardom so shocking is that it was only a year ago that he was on his way to becoming one of those rare athletes whose notoriety was beginning to transcend his sport. His signature touchdown dances were fea- tured in commercials for Pepsi and Pizza Hut. He was profiled in GQ Magazine and he was asked to partici- pate in the inaugural season of the popular Fox television show, The Masked Singer.
It is more than amazing that, in a short amount of time, Brown went from one of the league's most popular players to a pariah whose fu- ture is about as bright as a trunk light when the lid is closed. And the worst part is that all of the damage done to
his image and his livelihood was self-inflicted.
As unstoppable as Brown may have been on the field, he was no match for the thing that has been known to bring down ex- traordinary individuals for centuries... Hubris. What no defense or injury was capable of doing to Brown was ulti- mately accomplished by his own over-sized ego.
Brown's inability to con- trol his arrogance, temper and, allegedly, the maniac in- side of his boxer briefs, se- cured his downfall. In the process he forfeited multiple- millions in guaranteed in- come. Now, instead of living his dream and providing for his family for generations, the only thing he can look forward to is becoming the poster-boy for every poor person who ever came into money and didn't know how to act.
As bad as things turned out for Brown, I can't bring myself to feel sorry for him. This is mainly because every- thing he did, and everything that happened as a result, gave him the attention he craved.
While his antics didn't mesh with what's expected from employees of a billion- dollar corporation, he can take comfort in knowing that there's a place where his nar- cissism and obsession with social media can thrive... Re- ality Television.
He may not be able to keep the high profile he once maintained, but at least he'll have the opportunity to con- tinue being the clown he worked so hard to become.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Another Life Preserver To For-Profit Education
et’s be frank: We do not support nor understand Sec-
retary of Education Betsy DeVos’s latest change of heart wherein she and colleagues decided to throw a sinking American for-profit university system a life-line of $11 billion to administer over the next ten years. This colossal amount is earmarked to cushion the default of an epidemic of for- profit college students who found themselves shipwrecked and marooned with debt they couldn’t pay and an academic legacy they couldn’t spell.
Let us be more specific. Secretary DeVos’s latest handout to a system of so-called colleges and universities that prom- ised miracles and gave out muddles, places the current fed- eral administration in the midst of a controversy that saw major for-profit colleges closing by the bus-load. What DeVos has done is snatched such colleges from underneath the bus and placed their victims (students who were often sold a bill of goods) and promised them a future they never learned to spell.
We are told, the current education administration has hired former for-profit officials, which would explain its about face from what previously had been a cold shoulder towards for-profit schools. However, the dividends of this latest rule promise to save billions of dollars for future gov- ernment endeavors (by refusing to grant relief to students who were scammed into thinking they were going to get an education, a college diploma and a job, many of whom did not have even a high school diploma). So, who do we believe?
We’ll tell you: Instead of giving billions to for-profit uni- versities, the promised $11 billion should be earmarked for established junior colleges, community colleges, public vo- cational schools and public four-year higher education insti- tutions. One reason is crystal clear: With these institutions, at least students will be assured their class credits will be ac- cepted by legitimate businesses and society.
No harm . . . many honest, hard-working professionals and students have cast their lots at for-profit universities. Nevertheless, the proof is in the pudding and the pudding doesn’t taste too good.
Secretary DeVos, save our money. Give it instead to our tried-and-true public institutions of higher learning.
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PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019