By Norm Frauenheim–
Now that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has publicly addressed questions about his reading skills from rapper 50 Cent, here’s another question:
Doesn’t Mayweather deserve a public apology?
It might be foolish to expect one from the musician, promoter and entrepreneur. But 50 Cent’s insult went beyond foolhardy and sunk into obscene depths.
“Making fun of a person because they can’t read is not funny,’’ Mayweather told reporters during a conference call Wednesday, the day after he first addressed the slur at his Las Vegas gym during a media day for his rematch with Marcos Maidana on Sept. 13. “It’s tragic. If I couldn’t read, it would make my accomplishments that much more impressive.’’
It’s hard to turn Mayweather into a sympathetic figure, but 50 Cent managed to do it. From money to attitude, there’s a laundry list full of reasons to dislike Mayweather. His polarizing personality is part of the marketing profile. Take your shots. But don’t mock his — or anybody’s — level of literacy. It’s as much of a no-no as everything else on the isms that dot the out-of-bounds list.
The insult has been kicking around the media ever since 50 Cent promised on August 21 in an Instagram post that he would donate $750,000 to charity if Mayweather could read one page of a Harry Potter novel. Then, the hope in this corner was that it would just vanish. But radio hosts and the twitter mob wouldn’t let it. It could have stayed there, but Mayweather decided to take it on, thoughtfully and fearlessly.
“Would God not let me in Heaven if I didn’t read like a news anchor?’’ asked Mayweather, who went on to say: “Me, myself, I would be perfect at reading if it was how I made a living and how I fed my family, but once again, intelligence and education are two different things.’’
He’s right. Nobody ever questioned whether Jack Johnson or Joe Louis could read. Their hands communicated with power that has lasted a lot longer than words from many authors.
The unanswered question is why 50 Cent did it. After all, the former Mayweather partner continues to say that he still likes Mayweather. He said he cares about him. But mocking a guy’s literacy isn’t exactly an expression of concern. Mayweather’s income says it’s not even accurate.
“Read this $72,276,000.00. God bless,” Mayweather said on his Twitter account.
In the end, Mayweather’s forthright comments about the controversy points the finger at 50 Cent. You’ve got to wonder about his intelligence. Right now, he just looks stupid, which means a public apology would be the smart thing to do.
