Tag: criminal justice

Demario Davis using his offseason to advocate for Mississippi prison reform

New Orleans Saints LB Demario Davis traveled to Parchman, Miss. to advocate for criminal justice reform following violent prison riots.

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New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis is a leader on and off of the field; it’s not for nothing that he’s been voted a team captain in each of his first two years with the team. He was also recognized as a first-ream All-Pro linebacker this year, but was snubbed by the Pro Bowl selections process. Left with some free time, Davis turned his attentions to a cause much more important than football: prison reform.

Davis, a Brandon, Miss. native, returned to his home state for a rally near the State Penitentiary at Parchman, which has been the site of weeks of violence and drawn national attention over poor living conditions for inmates. He’s been very vocal in the past about the fight for inequality in America and abroad, delivering supplies to immigrant children separated from their families while helping post bail to release a jailed immigration activist. He’s also spoken about the need to help families broken by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement raids in Morton, Miss. and at the Mexican border.

Davis shared his thoughts on the developing crisis at Parchman in an interview from the rally, saying, “Well I think the problem is, specifically here in Mississippi, is that it’s part of a larger issue. We have a problem in our country which is mass incarceration. We have all moved past where we were trying to take care of people, and now we’re using people to make a profit.”

He took aim at several issues in his explanation, including for-profit prisons, oversentencing for non-violent offenders, and the need to rehabilitate people with drug-addictions rather than punish them. Davis, a devout born-again Christian, often cites his faith as his motivation to remain compassionate and help others, stressing the need to match his words with his actions.

“We’ve got too many people with not enough beds,” Davis said. “And so in these situations, what happens is, under-resourced facilities. Here in Parchman is a great example. People are underfed, they lack healthcare, they’re subject to living in inhumane situations. It ends up happening where human beings are treated worse than animals.”

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We’re not talking about Maya Moore enough

This is one of the most noble things we’ve ever seen.

Maya Moore is easily one of the greatest athletes of our time. In eight years of WNBA basketball, Moore has won four championships, one MVP trophy, another Finals MVP trophy and been named an All-Star six times. She transformed the Minnesota Lynx into a yearly contender.

That’s GOAT level stuff. It all pales in comparison to what she’s doing off of the court.

Moore will skip her second WNBA season in a row this summer to focus on criminal justice reform, the New York Times reports. Specifically, on the case of Jonathan Irons — a man who she believes was wrongfully convicted at age 16. He’s 39 year old now.

Irons is in the middle of service a 50-year prison sentence after being convicted of burglary and assaulting a homeowner with a gun in St. Louis. The homeowner was shot during the assault and testified that Irons was the perpetrator, but there was no evidence linking Irons to the crime.

Moore has been talking about this case since she met Irons in 2017. She took a year off from the game last year to minister in Atlanta and is doing the same this year.

This is unprecedented. We’re not talking about this enough. This is Michael Jordan going into his first retirement, except for instead of sucking at baseball, Moore is being a boss in criminal justice.

She’s 30 years old. We have no idea how much basketball she actually has left in her where she’s playing at a high level. We also have no idea when she’s returning. But this is very clearly bigger than just basketball to her.

This is an opportunity for her to pull someone up and out of a trap that so many people fall into because of no fault of their own. They have no lifelines and no help. Moore is trying to be that for someone who truly needs it.

Over the last few years, athletes have found themselves pursuing the passions they have outside of their sport more and more. A lot have done some real good with that newfound power. Add Moore to that ever-growing list.

Moore isn’t retiring from the game just yet, but this is probably the closest thing to it. We might not ever see her play again. And if she comes back, there’s no guarantee she’ll be as good.

It’s a massive sacrifice that she is choosing to make, but it’s also one that could make a massive difference in somebody’s world — bigger than any difference she could ever make on a basketball court.

If she never players a single minute of WNBA basketball again, it’ll all be worth it.

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