The senseless killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer has become a tipping point in the fight for human rights. The byproduct has been civil unrest across America and worldwide rallies, protests and demonstrations, all of which have raised awareness to issues Hodges famously fought for more than 25 years ago as a player. “I think it was just a continuation of what has gone on for years,” Hodges said of Floyd’s murder. “Now, it’s just more visible with social media.”
Tag: Craig Hodges
Hodges, now 59, is no stranger to cases …
Hodges, now 59, is no stranger to cases of police brutality. He lost a friend back in the famous 1981 case of Ron Settles, who mysteriously died while in police custody. And while Hodges and the Bulls were three months away from capturing their second championship, Rodney King was taking a brutal beating by billy clubs at the hands of the Los Angeles police. One look at the heinous Floyd video, Hodges said, was all he needed to see. It immediately hit home.
“When you look at the brutality over …
“When you look at the brutality over the centuries,” Hodges said, “I think it’s one of those things that America hasn’t really looked at the history of police and where it comes from as far as the slave catchers and the like. And some things are nature in its root. We talk about ‘It’s a bad apple here. It’s a rogue cop here.’ It’s always singled out. It’s always one bad apple as opposed to the tree and the root of the tree having some bad roots.”
Hodges: “I’m still kind of upset about …
Hodges: “I’m still kind of upset about it because I know the type of brother that Scottie is. Scottie is the type of brother, I wasn’t part of the team when he didn’t stand up and come back out and play during that play, but I know that Scottie is the type of cat that will give his shirt for you, go on the ground for you and kick out the shot for you. I didn’t like how he was portrayed and I don’t understand the reasoning behind it and I’m still trying to figure that out. Without Scottie, MJ would not have won. It’s like all the brothers sitting here. It’s almost like MJ won in a vacuum and it wasn’t anything like that. To throw your brother, especially no. 33, under the bus, that wasn’t cool.”
Hodges: “I never thought about that, …
Hodges: “I never thought about that, brother. I never thought about that.” Grant: “That’s very interesting. And let me get back to something because I have to fucking vent now that I have the opportunity. Didn’t he call all of his former teammates out? The cocaine, the weed and the women? So who is the fucking snitch?”
Hodges: “It wasn’t him. I said that …
Hodges: “It wasn’t him. I said that before and I will say it now. It wasn’t him.” Grant: “Let me tell you, man, that’s a damn lie. I wish I could say something else. But that’s a damn lie. Sam Smith was an investigative reporter and when you write a book I guess you have to have two sources, correct? Why would MJ just point me out? If you have a problem with me come to me. We could take care of it like men. Don’t try to put me out there because I didn’t say anything to Sam in the sanctity of that locker room. Point blank. And, one example, Sam Smith more times would allow my teammates…he would spend time with MJ, up in MJ’s suite and on the golf course and lunch and dinners. So for him to come out and say that, that’s a blatant lie. Lie, lie, lie. If you want to tell lies, go ahead it’s a free country.”
You were upset about a few comments …
You were upset about a few comments that Jordan has made in this documentary. You criticized his “cocaine circus” quote since those men now have children and grandchildren who are watching this and it puts those guys in a tough position. What have you thought of the documentary and Jordan’s comments? Craig Hodges: Well, when I look at MJ, he’s a product of his success. Sometimes, that success can be a prison for you. I look at it in a couple lights, man. I feel somewhat empathy for him, to some degree, because of the fact that you are in a prison – in two prisons actually. America was a prison for black people, and now you’ve been incarcerated through capitalism on a whole different level. So it’s cool for the entertainment value of it, but I think it’s been somewhat divisive as far as in line with what we need right now as both the people and the world.
Yeah, 106 people! Did it bother you …
Yeah, 106 people! Did it bother you that you weren’t interviewed? Craig Hodges: Woowww… (laughs) That’s interesting, man. I thank God for waking up this morning and being in a peaceful state of being, knowing where we are historically. When I watch “The Last Dance,” I do it from a critical standpoint as far as having somewhat of an intimate understanding of the locker room and the travel and the workouts and all of the above. But it’s interesting, and you can hear it in my voice that it’s funny to me that I wasn’t interviewed… But, at the same time, it’s not so funny because I understand the impact of the things that I felt we could be doing with our stardom. And a lot of people took that to mean that I was dissing MJ, but that ain’t it at all. I just say, “To whom much is given, much is required.”
Have you gotten an explanation from the …
Have you gotten an explanation from the filmmakers about why you weren’t interviewed? Craig Hodges: Nah, man. Not at all; they don’t got to talk to little ‘ol me! (laughs) And this is the cold part: When you look at America, when you become a billionaire, you become insulated to a degree. So, hey man, I don’t expect them . If they didn’t want me to be a part of it, they didn’t want to be a part of it. Me not being a part of it, there has to be some reasoning behind it. I would love to know what their reasoning is. But I kind of know what it is from a standpoint that I’ve never not spoken on behalf of people. I’ve never not spoken up about human rights. And it’s not just about black people; it’s about a human-rights condition that we can have an impact on because we were champions at that time in a city like Chicago. During the time that we were winning championships, there were 900 murders , man. Somebody has to speak to that. … In this city, you had two of the brightest stars in the history of African people on the planet Earth – Michael Jordan and Oprah Winfrey – and look at our condition in Chicago. And where are they at now?
Craig Hodges: And that’s the problem …
Craig Hodges: And that’s the problem with all of the major league sports. All of them are racist to the core, because they are built on racism. The foundation of this country is racism. And don’t nobody want to go to the foundation that we have never received what we were supposed to see reparation wise, so the structure can not go up and be strong because it’s built on weakness. When the Founding Fathers said, “We are all created equal,” my people were getting them tea and crumpets, being slaves. And we never rectified that. So, now we have a slave on TV, represented as an African American. We go from “slave” to “negro” to “nigga” to “African American.” What are ya’ll going to call it? This is ridiculous, man, where we are today. I was taught that you care about people. It’s about people, it ain’t about money.