Tyrone Wheatley> Rumor:  No longer just a children’s party game!

8/31/07 Paul Turse, a.k.a. Samurai Raider
Contributing Writer for Raiderdrive
samurairaider@comcast.net

 

Do you remember playing a party game called rumor, when you were child?  Perhaps it was at a birthday party, where one of the moms whispered a “secret” into the ear of one of the children sitting around the room in a group.  Then, if you remember, the mom asked the first boy or girl to whisper the rumor into the ear of the next one in line.  When the last child was asked to repeat what he or she had heard, that story was somewhat different from what the mom had originally said.

Of course, the essence of the game hits at the heart of what happens when information is passed from one source to another.  The commentary often changes, gets interpreted differently, or is imbued with a bit of poetic license.  Now, there will always be the one or two deviously creative children who will purposely distort the story to make it a bit more “sensational.”  Of course, in the case of good little boys and girls, none of the spins will be designed to hurt anyone, and, of course, by the time the moms serve ice cream and cake, all of the stories will be forgotten, as at most childhood parties.

But it seems that today, in the world of sportswriting,  that the “game” has not been forgotten and is often played out in media sources, and, because of the Internet, the information or misinformation is not so easily forgotten .  In fact, as a result of the Internet, it has become a journalistic standard; at least this seems to be the case when it comes to Tyrone Wheatley and his alleged involvement in dogfighting.

In commenting on the Vick dogfighting fiasco, Valdosta Daily Times writer Chris Walsh claims that the former Raider was arrested in connection with dogfighting.1  Walsh's assertion about Wheatley’s arrest is a good example of how the rumor game can escalate.  It seems that all of the reports about Wheatley's dogfighting involvement can be traced back to statements he made in a Sports Illustrated (SI) interview, held back in January 15, 2001--just more than six and a half years ago.  In this article, writer Michael Silver sets up a metaphor by noting that it was Wheatley's “doggedness that helped resuscitate his reeling career,” and that Wheatley equated his determination to that of the pit bull. 2

The metaphor caused People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to howl in protest, both on its website, in a letter to Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, and in a press release.   Based on the abovementioned interview, PETA, implying that Wheatley must have been involved in dogfighting, urged its readers to call the then active Raider to task, alleging that he had glorified dogfighting by saying that the illegal activity was “instinctive” and “motivational.” 3

That was back in 2001.  But now, more recently, in light of the Michael Vick case, reports of Wheatley's supposed involvement have resurfaced.

Based upon PETA’s claim that Wheatley had glorified dogfighting by calling it instinctive and motivational, here are just a few of the alarmingly numerous copycat commentaries that might  have generated from PETA’s interpretation of the interview, and maybe as a result of the copy and paste function on the computer, but not from original research:

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), in a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, echoes the same refrain, tracing it back to the SI interview, claiming that Wheatley “once glorified pit bull fighting by describing it as 'instinctive' and 'motivational' in a 2001 Sports Illustrated interview.” 4

Denise Flaim, in a paragraph that discusses those who have tangled with dogfighting, somehow manages to conclude with this statement:  “And ex-Oakland Raider Tyrone Wheatley, formerly a pit breeder, told Sports Illustrated that dogfighting was 'instinctive' and 'motivational.'"  Now, if you are student of writing, you must certainly wonder how the comment about Wheatley coheres with the central idea of the paragraph—those who have tangled with dogfighting. 5

John Goodwin, deputy manager of animal-fighting issues for HSUS “ticked off incidents involving former NFL players: Nate Newton's dogfighting arrest, Tyrone Wheatley professing his love of dogfighting in a 2001 Sports Illustrated story and LeShon Johnson's dogfighting conviction in Oklahoma.”6

So now we move from Wheatley’s glorifying the subject to his professing his love for it. 

CBC sportcaster Elliotte Friedman, who, according to his own press, “puts the world of sports under a microscope,” obviously took a little poetic license  by stating that Wheatley “waxed poetic about his love for it [dogfighting] in the pages of Sports Illustrated.”7   

Since Friedman obviously was not present six and a half years ago at the SI interview, one wonders how he knows what Wheatley's emotional demeanor was when tailback commented on dogfighting.  Maybe Friedman's microscope is actually some kind of a crystal ball.  (Oh, are you wondering what “waxed poetic” means?  Well, according to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, the phrase means “to assume a [specified] characteristic, quality, or state : BECOME <wax indignant> <wax poetic>.")

Now, after PETA’s indictment, Wheatley has been linked to, associated with, or involved in  dogfighting, as Tom Curran notes:  “Former NFL players Nate Newton, Leshon Johnson and Tyrone Wheatley as well as Qyntel Woods, a first-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2002, have all been linked to dog fighting. Both Johnson and Woods were arrested and convicted of staging them.”8

In Pacelle’s letter, noted above, the animal rights activist adds another interesting piece of information:   “Wheatley also reportedly even once bragged about having sold dogs for fighting.”  

It is interesting that Pacelle says “reportedly,” since, as you will note, his organization was one group that did the reporting back in 2004: “Tyrone Wheatley even once bragged about having sold dogs for fighting.”9

In a July 1, 2007, letter to the Indy-Star, PETA representative Daphna Nachminovitch states the following: “And  former Oakland Raider Tyrone Wheatley once bragged about having sold dogs for fighting.”10

Not very original.  Wouldn’t you think that Nachminovitch might have changed the statement to read as follows: “Tyrone Wheatley once boasted regarding his entrepreneurial pursuits involving canines for combat”?  Now, if you search every one of these articles that maintain that Wheatley bragged, you will not find any documentation as to when Wheatley supposedly did the “reported” boasting, and you might feel that the quote was copied and pasted from another source, without any original research.

As far research is concerned, it is interesting to note that none of the above individuals reference two very crucial pieces of information: First, David Bush's SI article, in which the writer notes that Wheatley never saw an actual dog and quotes the Raider as stating unequivocally: “I don't advocate dog fighting, never will”; and, second, Chris Colston's article, in which Wheatley denies his love of dogfighting and notes that he helps the Humane Society to find homes for pit bulls.11

OK, time out!  Now for your reading pleasure, or for your independent, critical reading of what Wheatley actually said in the SI interview, here is the full and exact text:

“Once a failed first-round draft pick of the New York Giants, Wheatley equates his determination with a pack of pit bulls he formerly bred and raised.  ‘A lot of my characteristics can be found in pit bulls,’ Wheatley says.  ‘Some guys listen to Lombardi or other motivational speakers to get themselves psyched, but I don’t need any corny clichés or other words of wisdom, because with me it’s all instinct.  In the world of pit-bull fighting, one pit bull doesn’t give a s--- if the other pit bull is a two-time winner.  All he knows is we’re going to fight, and I’m going kick your ass if it takes all day.’”

Now that you have read the original and compared it with some of the versions presented above, and now that you have drawn your own conclusions about the accuracy of the quotes provided above, you can stop reading.  But if you would like an analysis and an interpretation of what Wheatley actually might have meant, and what may have led to the journalistic rumors, you may continue reading.

First, let’s take a look at the metaphor “felony.”  It seems that PETA spokesperson Daphna Nachminovitch, in the letter to the Indy Star noted above, desires to take a bite out of the English language by urging that “dogfight” no longer be used as a metaphor for a hard-fought football game, because she believes that such a metaphor glorifies dogfighting.  Thus, since Wheatley used a metaphor or drew an analogy, Nachminovitch believes that he was glorifying the activity.  However, her desire to restrict language, aside from an infringement on free speech, is a dangerous mission, since the control of language, as George Orwell has warned in his novel 1984, can diminish the thought process by limiting and even eliminating important and often subtle shades of meaning. References to fighting dogs make a viable method of communicating an image of determination often associated with the breed.  Indeed, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with admiring the courage and tenacity of the pit bull or any of the fighting dogs, and It is possible to do so without being a dogfighting advocate.

In fact, the American Heritage online dictionary notes not the illegal activity but the metaphorical use in its first definition : “A violent fight between or as if between dogs.”  Furthermore,  the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, you will note, does not even include the organized, illegal activity in its definition:  a fight between dogs;

broadly : a fiercely disputed contest.  In addition, both sources note the usage to denote an aerial combat.

Furthermore, it seems that the word “dogfight” is used so readily in the English language as a metaphor that it has lost much of its association with the often cruel and barbaric activity that Nachminovitch rightfully rails against.  Plug “dogfight metaphor” into Google’s search engine and some 6,800 references pop up, a number that barely scratches the surface of the metaphor's use, yet demonstrates its viability in sportswriting, literature, and language--from common everyday talk to even classical literature. Metaphors, even questionable ones, like dogfight, are necessary and essential elements in the art of communication.  As Dr. David Yeagley, native-American environmentalist, observes:  “A dog fight is a metaphor of any kind of contest. A dog fight is universal, archetypal contest.”12

Nachminovitch needs to understand that not all references to dogfighting are meant to glorify the illegal canine activity, as she seems to contend.  It is not likely that a veteran fighter who may have witnessed the destruction of his comrades during an air-to-air combat, and might call the battle a dogfight, has any intention of glorifying the illegal, so-called sport.  On the contrary, he no doubt uses the term to give a disturbing image of the horrors of aerial combat.

During both world wars, pit bulls were the mascots for America's war effort and were displayed on recruiting posters to create esprit de corps throughout the nation.  And when it came to actual combat, it is perhaps no accident that a pit bull, Sgt. Stubby,  was a war hero. Stubby was wounded in combat in two battles, saved his platoon members by alerting them of a poison gas attack, and single handedly brought a German spy to bay. 14

To deny the awesome power of the pit bull as a symbol of determination and courage is to destroy the beauty and motivational appeal of these magnificent creatures.  As the last two examples demonstrate, it is possible to admire the positive traits of the pit bull, but not applaud dogfigthing.  And, obviously, it is possible to breed and raise pit bulls simply for their affirmative qualities, and not for fighting.

Now,  to state unequivocally, as PETA, HSUS, and copycat sportswriters have done, that Wheatley “once bragged about having sold dogs for fighting” represents, it seems,  another instance of the rumor game.  And if the word  “reportedly” is used to report the information, this is a journalistic cop out, which means these advocates and writers did not do their own research.

If Wheatley did brag about selling dogs for fighting, why don't writers provide the source for the comment.  And if he did admit to selling dogs for such activity, what did Wheatley actually say that would lead one to believe that he was bragging at the time, especially since PETA representatives, HSUS spokespersons, or any sportswriters obviously were not present at the time of the alleged bragging?   Critical readers have no reason to accept this description and interpretation of what Wheatley said.   On the contrary, they reserve the right to be able to read for themselves what was quoted, to determine the context, and to know where the source can be found.

Now, here is what research might uncover.  In a “lost” PETA news release, the activist group nipped at Wheatley for his “singing the praises of this cruel bloodsport in the January 15 issue of Sports Illustrated.”15  Although the file apparently cannot be found, according to the PETA site, Geometry.net has provided extracts from the release.  Here is a brief quote:  “Wheatley says he formerly raised pitbulls-dogs often sold for fighting-a breed he promotes as “instinctive” and “motivational.”16   Of course, there is no reference as to where Wheatley allegedly boasted, other than perhaps the SI article.  You will note that in the paragraph provided earlier, Silver, the writer, states that Wheatley once bred and raised pit bulls.  There is nothing in the paragraph to suggest that Wheatley sold the dogs for fighting, let alone any indication that he boasted.  Certainly, the following reasoning is not logical:  If someone breeds and raises pit bulls, that individual must have sold them for fighting.  And, of course, that person will brag about it.

Finally, a grammatical analysis of PETA’s press release statement does nothing to prove that Wheatley sold dogs for fighting, but rather provides material that could be   misinterpreted if not read carefully.  The first and main part of the structure merely tells the reader that Wheatley raised pit bulls, not that he sold them.  The dash indicates that the material that follows--a noun phrase--modifies pit bulls, or explains that they are “dogs often sold for fighting.”  So it is easy to misconstrue the syntax to mean--or imply--that Wheatley often sold pit bulls for fighting. 

Now, as far as calling dogfighting "motivational" and "instinctive," a quick analysis of the quotes in the Silver article will prove that Wheatley never called the activity motivational.  He said that he did not need “motivational speakers” because for him it is "instinct,"  the “it” referring not to dogfighting, but to the topic, which is “determination.”  His pit bull analogy, therefore, must refer to determination, one of the most unique qualities of the breed.

And, of course, Wheatley never used the word "instinctive."  Now, if his analogy to dogfighting implies that dogfighting is instinctive, that is simply a biological/genetic fact, and necessary to the survival of dogs, irrespective of the illegal activity in question.  In defining “instinct,”  Wikipedia notes that “examples of instinct can more frequently be observed in the behavior of animals, actions ”not based upon prior experience,” such as “animal fighting.”17

Certainly, it would seem that, as a result of specialized breeding, certain canine types, like the pit bull, will, over a period of time, acquire genetic traits causing them to be aggressive more by instinct and less by training.

In fact, according to the ASPCA, “it takes less to arouse a pit bull than many other breeds to be aggressive toward other dogs. They are more often involved in fights that end in injury-- simply because the pit bull is genetically predisposed to react aggressively to dogs.”18

Furthermore, If a writer or a reader is not careful, and does not actually enter a site to read in full, it is easy to misconstrue what actually is in the link, since the intro is more often than not truncated, indicated by the ellipses, as in the following example:

“... and that Tyrone Wheatley praised fighting dogs in a 2001 Sports ... sports star after he was arrested for operating an illegal dog-fighting operation. ..."   Thus, one might come to the conclusion that Wheatley has been arrested "in recent times," as reported in the Valdosta Daily Times. It this inability to read carefully and to research competently that may lead to the repetition and rumor that is cut and pasted in the stories on the Internet, since many writers and activists appear to play the rumor game and perhaps add their own little agenda spins on the original.

(All of the sites hyperlinked below were accessed 24 Aug 07.)

http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/archivesearch/local_story_201004445.htmlHYPERLINK "http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/archivesearch/local_story_201004445.html" .

8Tom Curran, “Vick scandal shines light on bloodsport,” http://humanesociety.blogspot.com/2007/05/nfl-star-dogfighting-scandal-shines.html.

9 “The HSUS Commends Portland Trail Blazers for Player Suspension Pending Dog Fighting Investigation,” http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/the_hsus_commends_portland_trail_blazers_for_player_suspension_pending_dog_fighting_investigation.htmlHYPERLINK "http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/the_hsus_commends_portland_trail_blazers_for_player_suspension_pending_dog_fighting_investigation.html." .

10 Daphna Nachminovitch, “Urging that ‘dogfight’ references disappear,” http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070701/SPORTS/707010421/1004/RSS02.

11David Bush, "Wheatley says pit-bull quote misinterpreted," http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/07/19/SP143144.DTL&hw=david+bush.

Chris Colston, "Latest search warrant for Vick's property put on hold," http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/falcons/2007-05-29-vick-warrant_N.htm.

12David Yaegley, “Gone to the dogs,” http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:dVYgSBEki78J:www.badeagle.com/+dogfight+metaphor&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us.

13 Http://southernctpopwarner.com/Southern-Connecticut-Pop-Warner-LINKS.html.

14Http://www.pitbulllovers.com/pit-bulls-ten-things-you-should-know.html.

15Http://www.PETA-online.org/news/0201/0201/dogfights.html.

16Http://www4.geometry.net/detail/sports/dogfighting_page_no_5.html

17 “Instinct,”   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InstinctHYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instinct\" \.

18 ASPCA, Breed Characteristics of Pit Bulls,   http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_pitbullHYPERLINK "http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_pitbull" .

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_pitbull

19Jack London, The Call of the Wild, Chapter 3, “The Dominant Primordial Beast,” http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/CallOfTheWild/chapter3.html.

 

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