Ben Gordon arrested

[superjohn]

Ugh, not good...


Former NBA player Ben Gordon arrested for striking 10-year-old son at LGA airport

Former NBA player Ben Gordon arrested for striking 10-year-old son at LGA airport

Gordon was awaiting a flight to Chicago when Port Authority cops barred him from getting onto the plane and cuffed him over the alleged abuse at 8:45 p.m., law enforcement sources told the Post.

nypost.com

 

[Vancat]

He has opened up in the past about his mental illness.

Where Is My Mind? | By Ben Gordon

Don’t worry about what anybody says. Don’t worry about how your boys react to it, or about what people got to say about it on social media.

www.theplayerstribune.com

 

[aburks41]

He doesn't seem to be going down the best path in life. I hope he's able to turn it around and fix his mental health problems before it gets too late...

Obviously you hope that his kid is alright, but I wonder if this is the final straw for Ben getting his name into the Huskies of Honor.

 

[Kathy]

Mental illness, esp manic-depressive disease is a horrible thing. It is not an excuse for what he did. Unfortunately there are many in our society that suffer the same way. Treatment only works for as long as you stick with it - this is a life long illness. Have seen it first hand with a family member and the many payients i worked with. I personally don't think it diminishes his accomplishments or the honoring of them.

 

[superjohn]

Mental illness, esp manic-depressive disease is a horrible thing. It is not an excuse for what he did. Unfortunately there are many in our society that suffer the same way. Treatment only works for as long as you stick with it - this is a life long illness. Have seen it first hand with a family member and the many payients i worked with. I personally don't think it diminishes his accomplishments or the honoring of them.

It hasn't been called manic-depressive in 40 years, it's called bipolar disorder and my brother has it. He manages it and has never broken the law. Gordon's disease doesn't diminish his accomplishments but his arrests and inability to control himself most likely burned any chance UConn will honor them. If reports are true, it might be time for him to actually face some real consequences for his actions.

 

[Frank06830]

This pains me to no end reading his Players Tribune column on his mental illness.
i would think Jim Calhoun is aware of this? Damn, I hope he gets some help. He deserves better IMHO. He can’t make his daunting life transition from the court.what made him special and successful in basketball is killing him off court.

 

[Kathy]

It hasn't been called manic-depressive in 40 years, it's called bipolar disorder and my brother has it. He manages it and has never broken the law. Gordon's disease doesn't diminish his accomplishments but his arrests and inability to control himself most likely burned any chance UConn will honor them. If reports are true, it might be time for him to actually face some real consequences for his actions.

I know that but that is how Ben refers to it. My sister suffers from it - untreated for many years due to her refusal.
I don't agree - he can be honored for his accomplishes at UConn. We both know legal punishment won't help the disease. He needs commitment to long term treatment and counseling.
Unfortunately many get caught up in the prison system and never recover. If we dealt with mental illness better as a society our prisons wouldn't be so overcrowded.

 

[ColchVEGAS]

Mental illness, esp manic-depressive disease is a horrible thing. It is not an excuse for what he did. Unfortunately there are many in our society that suffer the same way. Treatment only works for as long as you stick with it - this is a life long illness. Have seen it first hand with a family member and the many payients i worked with. I personally don't think it diminishes his accomplishments or the honoring of them.

Nailed it. Bipolar and other mental disorders are scary things. You have to stay the course on your treatment to be right. A lot of times people stop taking the meds because they feel they are okay now and can deal with, when in reality it is the meds that are doing that for them.

 

[Umami Zen]

Had aspirations of being a clinical psychologist early in my professional career and as a result.. Worked at a private psychiatric institute for six+ years as counselor.. Whatever label you want to put on it..Bipolar Disorder or manic depression.. Can be a devastating disease to both the patient and their family/friends. Without careful monitoring by professionals -- Episodes and setbacks can happen .. Especially true when the patient self-diagnoses and decides to go off of their prescribed medications for any period of time.

Don't know the particulars of Ben's current situation but hope Ben and his family stay committed to stabilizing his condition in the future so that he can be the best person/husband/dad/son that he can be.

 

[aburks41]

This pains me to no end reading his Players Tribune column on his mental illness.
i would think Jim Calhoun is aware of this? Damn, I hope he gets some help. He deserves better IMHO. He can’t make his daunting life transition from the court.what made him special and successful in basketball is killing him off court.

Calhoun is very much aware. Here's an article from a couple years ago when the players tribune column came out. Calhoun was one of the few people that Gordon sent it to ahead of time.

Mike Anthony: Brave and brutally honest essay by former UConn standout Ben Gordon about mental health could help save lives

Ben Gordon’s incredibly brave and brutally honest essay published Thursday by the Players’ Tribune is terrifying and enlightening enough to stand as one of the most important exploratio…

www.courant.com

From Calhoun:

“I want people to understand that this is a guy who defied all odds, in essence,” Calhoun said of Gordon's basketball accomplishments. “I want everybody assured that he's going to get as much help as he possible can and there are those of us out there, plenty of people, who love Ben, who try to care for him. I think it’s very, very brave and I'm continually proud of him. He's seeking answers to things that are a little more complex. … The answer is to find a solution so Ben can lead a great, prosperous life, because he's got so much to give.”

Of seeing former players go through ups and downs, Calhoun said, “Those kids did more for me than any man could ever imagine. They allowed me to do something I loved. They allowed me to prosper in so many different ways and fulfill my love. When I told them I was recruiting them for a lifetime … that should be a responsibility. I think anybody who knows me knows I care about my kids. And when they're 30 years old, 40 years old, 50 years old, they'll be my kids, my guys.”

 

[Waquoit]

Ugh, not good...

So why did you post it?

 

[aburks41]

So why did you post it?

You are aware that Ben Gordon is a UConn legend...right? He's not just some random person that this entire board has zero connection to

 

[CTBasketball]

Man I can’t tell you how many times I got the belt as a kid.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Calhoun is very much aware. Here's an article from a couple years ago when the players tribune column came out. Calhoun was one of the few people that Gordon sent it to ahead of time.

Mike Anthony: Brave and brutally honest essay by former UConn standout Ben Gordon about mental health could help save lives

Ben Gordon’s incredibly brave and brutally honest essay published Thursday by the Players’ Tribune is terrifying and enlightening enough to stand as one of the most important exploratio…

www.courant.com

From Calhoun:

“I want people to understand that this is a guy who defied all odds, in essence,” Calhoun said of Gordon's basketball accomplishments. “I want everybody assured that he's going to get as much help as he possible can and there are those of us out there, plenty of people, who love Ben, who try to care for him. I think it’s very, very brave and I'm continually proud of him. He's seeking answers to things that are a little more complex. … The answer is to find a solution so Ben can lead a great, prosperous life, because he's got so much to give.”

Of seeing former players go through ups and downs, Calhoun said, “Those kids did more for me than any man could ever imagine. They allowed me to do something I loved. They allowed me to prosper in so many different ways and fulfill my love. When I told them I was recruiting them for a lifetime … that should be a responsibility. I think anybody who knows me knows I care about my kids. And when they're 30 years old, 40 years old, 50 years old, they'll be my kids, my guys.”

GOAT

 

[superjohn]

I know that but that is how Ben refers to it. My sister suffers from it - untreated for many years due to her refusal.
I don't agree - he can be honored for his accomplishes at UConn. We both know legal punishment won't help the disease. He needs commitment to long term treatment and counseling.
Unfortunately many get caught up in the prison system and never recover. If we dealt with mental illness better as a society our prisons wouldn't be so overcrowded.

Legal punishment and taking away your child doesn't make most people better but you can't go around pulling knives on people and beating on your little kid. There's laws in place to protect people from other dangerous people in society. Unfortunately Ben is a dangerous person in society and being bipolar is no excuse. His little kids and anyone else he may hurt have to be the number one priority.

Apparently his 10 year old son was taken to the hospital by a relative and he injured two Port Authority cops when they were making the arrest.

 

[shizzle787]

Man I can’t tell you how many times I got the belt as a kid.

Glue stick or paddle for me.

 

[superjohn]

Man I can’t tell you how many times I got the belt as a kid.

Same here, my dad had what we all called "the big brown belt." It was a different time and he was already phasing it out by the time he was dealing with me, my older brothers got the belt more.

Were you ever taken to the hospital for it?
I sure as heck wasn't, it wasn't a big deal.

 

[husky429]

It hasn't been called manic-depressive in 40 years, it's called bipolar disorder and my brother has it. He manages it and has never broken the law. Gordon's disease doesn't diminish his accomplishments but his arrests and inability to control himself most likely burned any chance UConn will honor them. If reports are true, it might be time for him to actually face some real consequences for his actions.

On the other hand, my sister-in-law is bipolar and murdered someone. She had some minor arrests for drugs, disorderly conduct, etc. before hand. So I am well aware of how these things can escalate. People need treatment and compassion, but not at the risk of children or public safety.

He needs to lose his kid and spend some time in jail. It was the only way my sister cleaned up and got on meds. In the right system it could do the same for Ben.

No one (well, very few) gets arrested for just giving their kid the belt, even if people like to complain about "the good old days!" and whatnot. It's considered a parenting choice. If you're beating the out of your kid in public, you're gonna get arrested. I would imagine that's what happened here.

 

[Scrutiner]

It might be wise to hold off on judgements until we get the full story.

 

[Mr. French]

tough to hear about my man. Hope he and his son are ok.

 

[dennismenace]

I have known a number of people with bipolar disorder and apparently there are varying degrees of the levels of mood changes (higher highs and lower lows). Some have said the medicine was nearly as bad as going through the mood levels themselves. For many with the more extreme levels it must be a horrible nightmare. Add to that the propensity to try to self medicate with alcohol/drugs and wind up with more disease (alcoholism and drug addiction) sets off a spiral of more and more problems for the person and their loved ones.

This is something that I hope our society can continue to seek advances in science, treatment programs
and education. It is a terrible scourge.

 

[HCCForever]

Same here, my dad had what we all called "the big brown belt." It was a different time and he was already phasing it out by the time he was dealing with me, my older brothers got the belt more.

Were you ever taken to the hospital for it?
I sure as heck wasn't, it wasn't a big deal.

It sure was a different time. My father occasionally used the belt or paddle on us but never close to needing medical attention. He would also smack my brothers or I on the behind if we misbehaved in public. The most embarrassing punishment he did was make me hold hands with my brother(s). But that was over 40 years ago.

 

[superjohn]

On the other hand, my sister-in-law is bipolar and murdered someone. She had some minor arrests for drugs, disorderly conduct, etc. before hand. So I am well aware of how these things can escalate. People need treatment and compassion, but not at the risk of children or public safety.

He needs to lose his kid and spend some time in jail. It was the only way my sister cleaned up and got on meds. In the right system it could do the same for Ben.

No one (well, very few) gets arrested for just giving their kid the belt, even if people like to complain about "the good old days!" and whatnot. It's considered a parenting choice. If you're beating the out of your kid in public, you're gonna get arrested. I would imagine that's what happened here.

Sorry to hear about your sister, I remember you mentioning that before.

Yep, this wasn't some smack on the butt. His kid was taken to the hospital and if you do that in public at a crowded airport before a flight what are you doing to your kids behind close doors in your home? He's totally out of control and needs to go away...

 

[Madmannsucks]

Mental illness, esp manic-depressive disease is a horrible thing. It is not an excuse for what he did. Unfortunately there are many in our society that suffer the same way. Treatment only works for as long as you stick with it - this is a life long illness. Have seen it first hand with a family member and the many payients i worked with. I personally don't think it diminishes his accomplishments or the honoring of them.

Actually I would say it is an excuse. Wonder what was the actual injury since they took the child to the hospital. But legally it could be considered an excuse.

 

[husky429]

Sorry to hear about your sister, I remember you mentioning that before.

Yep, this wasn't some smack on the butt. His kid was taken to the hospital and if you do that in public at a crowded airport before a flight what are you doing to your kids behind close doors in your home? He's totally out of control and needs to go away...

Yeah, like I said earlier... no one goes away for just disciplining their kid. This is tragic. Ben needs to do some serious time where they can force him on meds and keep him the hell away from his family.

I wouldn't go so far as to call him irredeemable at this point, but I would hope UConn scrubs any mention of him from the walls of Gampel, the website and such. Not a part of the husky legacy as far as I'm concerned. He can earn that back in the decades to come if he chooses to.

I just threw out my 04 jersey I got when I was in 8th-grade. Feeling pretty sad about it, but I'd feel ashamed wearing it.