Charles Barkley is known for his honesty. But sometimes, that can get him in a little bit of trouble.
The NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst was on CBS’s NFL pregame show Sunday and of course he was asked about Vikings running back Adrian Peterson being indicted on child abuse charges for allegedly whipping his 4-year-old son with a switch as punishment.
Well Sir Charles was not interested in taking the politically correct approach — as always.
“I’m from the South. I understand Boomer [Esiason]’s rage and anger … but he’s a white guy and I’m a black guy,” Barkley told CBS. “I don’t know where he’s from, I’m from the South. Whipping is, we do that all the time. Every black parent in the South is going to be in jail under those circumstances. I think we have to be careful dictating how people treat their children.”
Sorry, Charles, but we live in a much different era now. Black or white, beating your 4-year-old with a stick is completely unnecessary. Tradition, whether it’s a southern one or northern one, does not mean it’s OK to continue doing it.
And I’m fairly confident not EVERY black parent in the South whips their children with a tree branch.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports. Here’s some advice, just send the kid to his room.
