American Greed: Rumeal Robinson

Submitted by WindyCityBlue on

Has anyone seen the American Greed episode on Rumeal Robinson?  If not, I highly recommend it (should be free on most on-demand cable providers).  I know his transgressions have been discussed in the past on this board, but the American Greed episode sums it up nicely in a very engaging and fact driven protrayal of Rumeal's life from rags to riches to rags.

Year of Revenge II

August 28th, 2017 at 4:58 AM ^

He got off relatively light considering the harm he did, and how flagrantly intentional it actually was.

If you don't think five years is a long time though, imagine where you were on August 28, 2012, and now imagine that you were locked up in prison that entire time, and how much of your life you would have given away.  

I believe everyone who makes these types of comments, especially judges, should be required to do 30 days in prison incognito before making them.  How many do you think could do it?

Sopwith

August 28th, 2017 at 1:57 AM ^

Haven't seen this episode, but it's incredible how consistent the MO and practices of financial con artists can be. After you've watched this series a while, you can spot these things a mile away. RR is in many ways worse, though. Victimizing the people who helped you the most is a deeper rung of evil than the garden variety cons.

seegoblu

August 28th, 2017 at 7:34 AM ^

He was a very humble, soft spoken guy...but opened up once you got to know him a little bit. He even got me into a picture in the SI MBB preview issue spread they did with him as a senior. I think I still have the black and blue mark on my arm from him losing his mind watching the Tyson-Douglas fight (he had predicted the upset).

There is literally no acceptable defense for what he did, but he wasn't always a bad guy.

Yo_Blue

August 28th, 2017 at 8:24 AM ^

Sadly, people don't start out as douche bags but it's either something in their DNA or environment that causes the change.  It's almost like an addiction that can't be helped (for some people).  Doesn't excuse it in the least though.

jsquigg

August 28th, 2017 at 7:54 AM ^

I'm not comfortable dispensing judgment on even those society deems worst.  There are bad choices and degrees of those choices, but they don't happen in a vacuum.

Craptain Crunch

August 28th, 2017 at 8:08 AM ^

I wonder if they've done an episode on the NCAA. There's a great example of an organization that operates on a false claim of helping the student athlete when it truly is based on greed by profiting off the backs of those they claim they are there to protect. 

Mr Miggle

August 28th, 2017 at 8:54 AM ^

NCAA that way. That's exactly what the schools want, to make the NCAA a scapegoat for everything that's perceived as wrong in college athletics. It's a brilliant strategy. Fans blame a somewhat nebulous organization for everything they don't like, including their own school's setbacks on the field/court. Meanwhile, the schools take zero heat from their own fans and rake in the money.

The NCAA just does what the member schools want and the only money they get is what the schools allow them to have. The schools collectively always have the power to make any changes they want.