A positive commentary on Kimani Young from the Twin Cities media? Impossible!
But, here it is anyway:
It comes as no surprise here that people seem more concerned about what Kimani Young did 13 years ago than whether he can help coach and serve as a role model for young collegiate athletes.
Young, 39, was hired this week as an assistant to Minnesota Golden Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino. It was disclosed that Young served one year in federal prison in 2000 for a felony drug conviction that involved possession of 96 pounds of marijuana in Texas.
By all counts, the New York City native, widower and father of three has more than paid his dues. He has worked with at-risk youths and openly talked about his mistakes. The former University of Texas at El Paso basketball player and graduate has landed several assistant-coaching gigs. Yet, in an online poll conducted by this fine newspaper, a little more than 20 percent believe the conviction alone should have disqualified Young for the job.
We talk about giving folks second chances, particularly when we become the folks, but a lot of the time, it's just plain, old lip-service.
ANOTHER JOCK'S JOURNEY
It seems, in spite of his redemption, Young will continue to be judged in some manner by that mistake in his past.
"That's unfair and biased and just plain wrong," Jerome Graham told me upon hearing about Young and the scuttlebutt surrounding his conviction.
Graham, 33, a former Washburn High School hoops star, played college basketball for Boston University and graduated with a degree in psychology.
The North Minneapolis native came back home and landed a few jobs in the group-home and children's mental health fields, but they did not pay much, in his estimation. He also was beginning to gravitate toward a circle of former buddies dabbling in the drug-selling business.
Like Young, "I got into a bad position financially and saw an opportunity to make some fast money," Graham said. "I lost focus, but in the end, you make your own choices."
Then came a bust in 2005 when Graham and an associate were stopped by police following a brief car chase.
Graham learned then that you don't run away from cops; he said he was pulled from the vehicle and roughed up. The officers reported that they found 1 1/2 grams (0.05 ounce) of crack cocaine in a search and pinned it on Graham, although he said it was not his.
"But, you know, given that I had been selling drugs, the arrest, I guess, covered that," Graham said. He was charged with felony possession, fleeing a police officer and resisting arrest.
REJECTION, THEN A JOB
Like Young, Graham had no previous criminal history. He was offered a diversionary program for first-time offenders that would keep him out of prison and dismiss the felony conviction if he stayed law-abiding for three years. He took the deal.
Then, Graham found out the conviction-dismissal was about as good as the paper it was written on.
He landed a job at a gas station for $7.15 an hour and held it for two weeks, when a letter arrived informing him that he was terminated. The reason? A criminal background check disclosed that he had been arrested for a felony.
"In many cases, I learned that the arrest, whether you are innocent or guilty, is just as bad as having a conviction," Graham said.
Unlike Young, Graham had a heck of a time landing work in his chosen discipline. He applied for jobs in the social-service and mental health fields, seeking the lowest-ranked positions. He never got a call or a reply. The same happened with department-store jobs.
"It was like that psychology degree meant nothing; I might as well have thrown it into the garbage," he said. "I couldn't even get an interview."
Two years ago, Graham applied for a job with Amicus, a Minneapolis-based organization that helps released offenders find education, jobs and housing opportunities. They hired him on the spot.
He began as a specialized case manager, counseling offenders soon to be released from prison. He now is a project coordinator for a juvenile-offender mentorship project affiliated with the University of Minnesota. The mission is to help juvenile offenders graduate from high school and attend college.
"I love this work because I want to help people," said Graham, a father of four. He sees in Young a kindred spirit.
"Here's a guy who did what he did in the past, and they still want to scrutinize him for it," Graham said. "He did not kill someone. He never molested a kid.
"Everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance," he added. "That mistake is a choice one makes. But people need to be given the benefit of the doubt and prove that they are a good person that cares about society."
http://www.twincities.com/education/ci_23008016/ruben-rosario-lets-focus-new-u-assistant-coachs
