John Wall Shows Humility off the Floor

By Abby Draper

Recently, Eric Prisbell of The Washington Post wrote a very detailed article about John Wall’s past that garnered a lot of national attention, specifically in regard to his relationship with his father.

In this article, Prisbell discusses Wall’s troubled childhood dealing first with his father’s incarceration and secondly with his father’s death. Despite the fact that Wall’s father was in jail throughout his childhood, he was still able to visit during the weekends with his mother and step-sister. In 1998, Wall’s father was diagnosed with cancer and was removed from prison as his condition worsened. A year later, John Wall’s father passed away. Prisbell describes the graphic death in the article and continues by explaining that Wall turned into an aggressive and rebellious teenager.

The article goes on to explain how Wall found basketball as a release, and learned to use the game to control his temper. It follows him through basketball camp, to Word of God Academy, to the 2007 Reebok All-American Camp and ultimately to the University of Kentucky.

The most controversial part of the article comes with its conclusion as Prisbell joins John Wall after an 80-minute practice in his former high school gym. While sitting together on the bleachers, Prisbell informs Wall the reasons his father had been incarcerated. Prior to this meeting, Wall had no idea.

After hearing this, Wall impresses his audience in his reaction by saying:

“I was not curious, I was just happy to see my dad and talk to him… That’s my dad. He brought me onto this earth and like everybody, he makes mistakes. Everyone is not going to be perfect.”

After the article was printed and became a popular topic of discussion, John Wall was asked how he felt about the story. Once again, he impressed his audience.

“You can’t really be upset or mad. I really didn’t think of it too much. They’ve got to do their job, they’ve got to ask questions. You can say no in a mean way, or a nice way. It was a story, so I felt like people should know what it was. I wasn’t too upset about it, but it seemed like a lot of fans were kind of upset. It was alright with me.”

We all know that John Wall is an incredible athlete; it’s nice to see that he is also an incredible guy. It will be fun to see him develop as a player in Washington.

Abby Draper is the Manager of Social Media. Contact her at abby@maroonpr.com

Gilbert Arenas Op-Ed a Step in Right Direction

Author: Matt Saler

Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2010

I was pleasantly surprised when I read the op-ed section in this morning’s Washington Post and came across a piece from Gilbert Arenas, who recently plead guilty to a felony count of carrying a pistol without a license. The professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards was suspended by the NBA for his actions.

I say pleasantly surprised because all of his prior activity has been questionable at best. He's exhibited disrespectful behavior to the very serious gun safety issue in society today, particularly in his hometown of Washington D.C.

However, in this op-ed, Gilbert acknowledges how serious of an issue this is in today’s society and he apologizes for his recent poor decisions, expressing regret and humility. He goes on to title his op-ed “Learning to be a better role model." The op-ed was very sincere and showed an important first step in a long rebuilding process with fans, the Pollin family, the Washington Wizards and the NBA. He writes:

That message of nonviolence will be front and center as I try to rebuild my relationship with young people in the D.C. area. I know that won't happen overnight, and that it will happen only if I show through my actions that I am truly sorry and have learned from my mistakes. If I do that, then hopefully youngsters will learn from the serious mistakes I made with guns and not make any of their own. I am trying hard to right my wrongs… But if I help steer even just one young person away from violence and trouble, then I'll once again feel that I'm living up to Abe Pollin's legacy and to the responsibility I owe the kids of the District.

It took Arenas longer than it should have for him to come out with a message like this, but at least he's doing it now.

From a PR perspective, choosing to share his message through an op-ed piece with a local, respected newspaper is a safe play… one that I think was effective in this situation. However, the game has just begun for Arenas.

It’s now time to continue showing respect for such an important issue in society and take advantage of this unfortunate opportunity he’s put himself in. He now must use this situation to not only stress the importance of gun safety to children, but to also become the role model he says he wants to be.

Matt Saler is an Account Executive. You can contact him at matt@maroonpr.com.