Real Talk!

"Ain't no fun if ya homie can't have none!"

Why is everybody trippin' off of Stevie Johnson's activities in the end zone on Sunday? Sometimes I think the NFL and the uptight guys that call themselves writers and analysts need to get their heads out of the sand. Talking trash and mocking guys is part of the game. That's the way the game is taught in the hood. If 70% of the guys in the league are African-American and the vast majority of those grew up in the ghetto then very few are offended because it's understood that it's part of the game bruh!

Johnson was fined as a result of a celebration in which he mocked Jets receiver Plaxico Burress by mimicking shooting himself in the thigh after scoring on a 5-yard catch late in the first half. Burress served 20 months in prison on a weapons charge after accidentally shooting himself in a New York City nightclub in 2008.

When asked about the incident Burress on Wednesday didn't seem fazed by the $10,000 fine. "He can pay for it, he can afford it. That's about it." He was later asked if things were smoothed over between the two wide receivers and his response was exactly what I thought it would be.

"I don't have a problem with Stevie at all.” I think he's a very charismatic guy as far as the things that he does as far as celebrations, trying to have fun and bring a different spirit to his team. And I think he's going to continue to grow as a player and a person. He's going to be a great player in this league."

If guys grew up playing the game a certain way they aren't going to change the behaviors that got them there. Talking trash and taunting is a right of passage in the ghetto. Only the strong will survive. I'm quite sure Plaxico has been mocked much worse than that growing up in Norfolk, Va. (Hoooood!). People will use everything they've got to break your concentration on the field. I'm just surprised that it took this long for someone to take a shot at him. Pun intended!

There is a different mentality on this subject depending upon where you grew up and race has absolutely nothing to do with it. I was watching  the highlights of it with my 14 year old African-American son that lives with me in the "suburbs" and he was offended. Not only was he offended but he immediately thought that Stevie Johnson should be fined! I’ll guarantee that a kid 14 in the ghetto watched the same play and was inspired by it. He wanted to go out and immediately score a touchdown just so that he could talk trash to his long time nemesis.

The difference between the two is that the kid in the suburbs is comfortable and believes that sports aren’t that serious. He's going to college or will make it in the world even if he doesn't  play sports. On the other hand, the kid from the ghetto sees sports as a vehicle out of the hood and poverty. So therefore, the game isn't a game for him. It's serious business and that's when the trash talk and taunting comes into play.

When kids first learn how to play ball, they are taught by the older kids that the game is played between the ears. Please understand that everyone in the hood has talent, speed, agility and quickness. So the playing field many times is level. How can a kid get an advantage? He gets an advantage by getting inside of the other guy’s head.

Many times kids in the suburbs just want to play because they want to have fun! Kids in the hood want to play because they want to eat and wear better clothes! Regardless of whether the kid makes it to the league or not being good will allow them to be able to college. Many times that’s as simple as having their own bed to sleep in for the first time in their lives! It really is just that simple!

I hear you saying, "He's made it now! Why does he have to keep taunting and talking trash?" It's part of his DNA bruh! Don't think for one minute that Plaxico's teammates don't ride him about the shooting daily. Stevie was just the first guy on an opposing team during a game to do it. A fine means nothing to professional athletes so it's going happen again.

Like I keep saying, the only people that were offended by it were those that grew up comfortable. That's why the simplest things will trip up a kid in the suburbs. They aren't as dialed in as the kid that is trying to get out of the hood. Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of kids from the suburbs that make it to the professional ranks. I'm just telling you that the mindset is completely different and they'll be more apt to be offended by Stevie Johnson's end zone celebrations than Plaxico was.  That's Real Talk!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.