Leadership

For John, BLUF:  Interestingly, Drug Lords sometimes care about more than just dealing drugs.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Parole for drug lord Rayful Edmond?  Ask for John Thompson’s permission

From The Washington Examiner, by Reporter Quin Hillyer, 15 February 2019.

Here four key paragraphs:

Edmond, himself a good basketball player, grew up as friends with John Turner, a Hoya role player.  Thompson heard Edmond had been seen hanging around with Turner and Hoya superstar Alonzo Mourning.  There was and is no evidence either player was involved with drugs; indeed, Mourning remains to this day a man almost universally admired for both grit and character.  But Thompson wanted to take no chances.

Thompson sent word to the streets:  I want Rayful Edmond in my office.  Rayful Edmond complied.  Think of what would have happened if, say, Knute Rockne had summoned Al Capone to a meeting.  Capone would have sent word back:  “You want me to come to you?  No, you come to me.  Capisce?”

But Edmond dutifully showed up at Thompson’s office — and Thompson told him, in no uncertain terms, to leave his kids alone.

And Edmond did. He was never seen in the company of a Hoya player ever again.  As Andrew Sharp wrote for SB Nation, Thompson “single-handedly scared the shit out of one of the most infamous drug dealers in U.S. history.”

The edge Coach John Thompson had was that Rayful Edmond had respect for the Hoya basketball team.  And, he (Coach Thompson) was ornery enough to confront the problem head on.  An edge Coach Knute Rockne wouldn't have had.

But, it does say that each of us needs to be aware and speak to those we are in contact with.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff