Comments on: Delonte West agrees to plea deal on weapons charge

By: ARNIE WEXLER

ARNIE WEXLER — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:11:27 +0000

David Stern Told S.I. Legalized Gambling on the NBA May Be a Huge Opportunity Boynton Beach, FL Saturday, April 17, 2010
In May 1996, Horace Balmer, the NBA’s vice president for security, had two speakers flown to Norfolk, Va., whose messages were even very disturbing. Michael Franzese, a former mob boss who fixed professional and college games for organized crime, and Arnie Wexler, who for 23 years was a compulsive gambler. Franzere said, “I talked to the NBA rookies earlier this season . . . and it’s amazing how many confided to me that they have gambling habits. I’m not going to mention their names, but if I did, you would know them” “I personally got involved in compromising games with players, and it all came through their gambling habits.’ ( THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT -May 11, 1996 )
Ten years ago, as a compulsive-gamblers counselor, I was asked to fly to New York to the National Basketball Association office in Manhattan and met with league officials, players and union officials, concerned about players’ gambling. I was told, “We have a problem, and we’re trying to find out how bad the problem is” Officials asked me to keep my calendar open for the spring of the following year and said to me that they wanted me to address every team and player in the league. They then flew my wife in, and we had a second meeting they asked us develop questions that were going to be given to the players to answer. “We need to know how big the gambling problem is in the N.B.A,”
When I hadn’t heard from the N.B.A, I called and asked, “When do we start?” The talked were cancelled, and the response I got was this: “They said that the higher-ups didn’t want the media to find out”
Some years ago, I was on a TV show with Howard Cossell (ABC Sports Beat). The topic was: Does the media encourage the public to gamble? David Stern, NBA commissioner said: “We don’t want the week’s grocery money to be bet on the outcome of a particular sporting event”
Yet on Dec. 11, 2009, commissioner David Stern told SI.com (the website for Sports Illustrated) that legalized gambling on the NBA “May be a huge opportunity”
I wonder how many addicted gamblers placed the first bet they ever made on an NBA game.
The National Gambling Study Commission said that there are “5 million compulsive gamblers and 15 million at risk in the U.S” Forty-eight percent of the people who gamble bet on sports.
Get the real scoop: Talk to me, Arnie Wexler, one of the nation’s leading experts on the subject of compulsive gambling and a recovering compulsive gambler. I placed my last bet on April 10, 1968, and has been involved in helping compulsive gamblers for the last 40 years. Through the years, I have spoken to more compulsive gamblers than anyone else in America and has been fighting the injustice of how sports, society and the judicial system deal with compulsive gamblers.
Athletes may be more vulnerable than the general population when you look at the soft signs of compulsive gambling: high levels of energy; unreasonable expectations of winning; very competitive personalities; distorted optimism; and bright with high IQs.
It is time for college and professional sports to outline and execute a real program to help players who might have a gambling problem or gambling addiction problem. Yet college and professional sports still do not want to deal with this. They do not want the media and public to think there is a problem.
And over the years, I have spoken to many college and professional athletes who had a gambling problem. One NCAA study a few years ago reported: “There is a disturbing trend of gambling among athletes in college” You can’t think that these people will get into the pros and then just stop gambling.
Compulsive gambling is an addiction just like alcoholism and chemical dependency, and all three diseases are recognized by the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic and statistical manual. Nevertheless, we treat compulsive gambling differently than the other addictions. Society and professional sports treat people with chemical dependency and alcoholism as sick persons, send them to treatment and get them back to work. Sports looks at compulsive gamblers as bad people and gets barred them from playing in professional sports.
There are people in various sport’s halls of fame who are convicted drug addicts and alcoholics, yet compulsive gamblers are unable to get into these halls of fame. In fact, as far as professional sports goes, an alcoholic and chemical dependent person can get multiple chances, whereas a gambler cannot. I have been fighting the injustice of how sports, society and the judicial system deal with compulsive gamblers for many years.
If colleges and professional leagues wanted to help the players, they would run real programs that seriously address the issue of gambling and compulsive gambling. Education and early detection can make a difference between life and death for some people who have or will end up with a gambling addiction.
One sports insider said to me: “Teams need to have a real program for players, coaches and referees, and they need to let somebody else run it. When you do it in-house, it’s like the fox running the chicken coop. You must be kidding yourself if you think any player, coach or referee is going to call the league and say, ‘I’ve got a gambling problem, and I need help.’ ”
The Wexlers run a national help line for gamblers who want help 888 LAST BET
Arnie Wexler ( aswexler@aol.com)
Arnie & Sheila Wexler Associates
Boynton Beach FL
Office #: 561-200-0165
Cell#: 954-501-5270
Arnie Wexler
Arnie & Sheila Wexler Associates
Boynton Beach, FL
561-200-0165
Contact Arnie Wexler
Ask a question with InterviewNetSM
Compulsive Gambling Addiction Help | Recovery from Compulsive Gambling by Arnie Wexler

By: Lemonverbeena

Lemonverbeena — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:33:55 +0000

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww

By: Lemonverbeena

Lemonverbeena — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:20:28 +0000

Hmmmmmmm….. you might have something here….. LOL

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:50:13 +0000

i could not have said it better delonte is scum like lebron!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

By: SL

SL — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:25:05 +0000

This seems a very fair and just outcome to the situation. Delonte had no prior criminal record and has been remorseful and cooperative throughout this entire process.
As far as his career, I agree with Browniebuck. I do not understand the trade talks either because Delonte has actually been a very productive player from the bench. Moreover, he performed very well when LeBron sat on the bench during games at the end of the regular season. He’s got great energy and talent. I think it could be very interesting to see how Coach Scott utilizes Delonte’s talents on the court. I think they make for an intriguing coach/player combination. No matter what happens, I truly hope for the best for Delonte.

By: rschelling

rschelling — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:10:55 +0000

Overpaid is the correct spelling and he has documented issues. Nothing to do with “the hood”. Grow up.

By: kgleifert

kgleifert — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:34:15 +0000

Delonte is nothing but an overpayed criminal. If this was someone that didn’t have fame or money he would be in jail by now. Who needs to carry that many weapons? Unless you’re just an overpayed piece of $hit from the hood.

By: Lion Woods

Lion Woods — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:19:52 +0000

too funny. Strange it stank so good.

By: Lion Woods

Lion Woods — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:13:48 +0000

Delonte needed those weapons. He had got wind of LeBron’s retailiation plot for boinking LeBron’s mom.

By: ag chicago

ag chicago — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:23:19 +0000

What a completely ignorant child this little man is. At least speed with loaded guns in a CAR not on a motorcycle. What did he think was going to happen? Seriously flawed sense of entitlement, all because he gets paid millions of dollars to play a kid’s game for peoples entertainment.

By: Sguy2130

Sguy2130 — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:09:21 +0000

@ Kram, not sure about that one. I heard Delonte got 3 unknown strains of STD’s from Gloria. I don’t think he will be venturing near that hole again anytime soon.

By: Kram

Kram — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:50:34 +0000

Any truth to the rumor the LeBron James paid for the bracelet so he could track West & make sure he’s not banging Gloria Jamse?

By: saw

saw — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:37:36 +0000

I’m guessing electronic monitoring device means an ankle bracelet. Any chance he’ll be forced to wear it while he plays?

By: Browniebuck

Browniebuck — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:29:03 +0000

Why do the Cavaliers seem so intent on dumping him? He was one of the few players on that roster (not currently in Miami) that showed that he was capable of scoring in bunches when the team needed it. His salary is not that high, he plays above average defense, and he is all hustle…