It’s long been established parenting advice that fathers need to be as involved as possible with the upbringing of their child.
Now, one media commentator is drawing a direct link between the bad boy activities of certain NFL stars and their own fathers – or lack of them.
Writing in New England’s Eagle Tribune, Bill Burt responded to the charging of New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress with illegal possession of a handgun after accidentally shooting himself in the leg in a Manhattan nightclub this past weekend.
Illustrating a long list of black NFL stars pulled up by the authorities for bad behavior in recent times, Burt highlights an apparently common factor – the lack of a father during their childhood.
"It’s time to stop avoiding the obvious. Black kids, even the talented ones, need real dads, too."
It’s not even an issue of race, Burt insists.
"It’s time to face the facts. Sons of all races need their dads. Otherwise, the odds are stacked heavily against them."
Burress reportedly didn’t meet his father until the age of 21.
