Harris’ story saucy for right reason
There are many ways to view the recent news about former NFL offensive tackle Kwame Harris.
The story might be a sign of society's changing attitudes toward homosexuality.
Think about this: A former 49er and Raider is outed, and that's probably the third-most bizarre detail of the story.
According to the San Mateo (Calif.) Daily Journal, Harris pleaded not guilty this week to felony charges of domestic violence causing great bodily injury and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.
Fairly common NFL story so far. Now, it gets weird.
Apparently, the incident stemmed from a disagreement over soy sauce and stolen underwear.
Harris is alleged to have gotten upset when friend and former romantic partner Dimitri Geier poured soy sauce on some rice at Su Hong restaurant in Menlo Park, Calif., in August.
So you can see why he got so mad.
The argument over the soy sauce supposedly lasted about seven minutes, at which point Harris said he would not take Geier to the airport as planned.
The two went to remove Geier's belongings from Harris's car so he could arrange another ride. Court documents say Harris accused Geier of stealing his underwear. So he did the only logical thing and tried to pull down Geier's pants.
An altercation ensued, and Geier ended up in the emergency room undergoing surgery to repair broken orbital bones and insert a metal plate to fix the damage.
Oh, yeah, and apparently the former NFL offensive tackle is gay. Ten years ago, that might have been the headline.
It's a positive sign for gay rights advocates that "gay NFL player" was not the only takeaway from this. The news is not all good, however.
The story can't be positive for the soy sauce industry.
■ BIEBER FEVER - Guys find themselves doing things to keep the women in their lives happy. Many of those same guys will be happy that professional athletes are not immune to emasculating moments.
Orlando Magic guard J.J. Redick attended a Justin Bieber concert with his wife on a recent off day, according to the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel.
"A happy wife is a happy life," Redick said after taking his wife, Chelsea, to the show. "I have a general rule that if I have an off day during the season that I owe it to her to do what she wants unless it's harmful to my well-being."
Well, the concert might not affect his physical well-being, but he no doubt will take a beating in the locker room.
Redick could have let it die there. But he didn't.
"I do not have Bieber Fever, but I will say that I respect talent," he said. "I always respect talent. I'm not a hater, so I'm not a Bieber hater or anything like that. He at one point played acoustic guitar, the drums, the piano. He sang melodies. He sang love songs. He sang pop songs. He sang a rap song at one point. He danced like he was a puppet, I mean, it was incredible.
"So I have nothing against his talent. It's just not my taste in music at all."
It sure sounds like it is. We're sure Redick's teammates will just let this one go.
COMPILED BY ADAM HILL
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
