Former NBA star and top hoops analyst Charles Barkley caught heat on social media over what he says was a joke to a female reporter.
“I don’t hit women,” Barkley reportedly told Axios reporter Alexi McCammond, “but if I did, I would hit you.”
“Just FYI Charles Barkley told me tonight ‘I don’t hit women but if I did I would hit you,’ and then when I objected to that he told me I ‘couldn’t take a joke,'” McCammon posted to Twitter on Tuesday night.
Just FYI Charles Barkley told me tonight “I don’t hit women but if I did I would hit you,” and then when I objected to that he told me I “couldn’t take a joke.”
— Alexi McCammond (@alexi) November 20, 2019
“There are almost no times I will beak an OTR (off the record) ‘agreement’ but this is not OK,” the reporter added in a subsequent tweet.
McCammon said the comment from Barkley came during a discussion over his 2020 political support.
“And it was all because he came in talking about how he loves Deval Patrick and once someone from [Pete Buttigieg’s] campaign came around he said he loved Pete and I reminded him he previously said he was a Deval fan,” she explained.
Former Democratic Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is a 2020 Democratic presidential contender, having just recently thrown his hat in the ring.
Here’s a pic (albeit dark and blurry) if you need more. pic.twitter.com/Ad32cMemiv
— Alexi McCammond (@alexi) November 20, 2019
The reporter later tweeted about domestic violence, noting that she hates “being part of a story.”
“I hate being part of a story so here’s a reminder that this is so much bigger than me: nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the US. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence,” she wrote, linking to statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
I hate being part of a story so here’s a reminder that this is so much bigger than me: nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the US. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence https://t.co/eqgn0McbYt https://t.co/nll7a0rv2o
— Alexi McCammond (@alexi) November 20, 2019
“It’s not about me or my feelings — tho I’m grateful for the many friends who have reached out. But it’s about refusing to allow this culture to perpetuate because of silence on these issues. It’s easier and less awkward to be silent, but that helps NO ONE but the perpetrator,” McCammond continued.
“I encourage you to consider how you’d respond if a friend said something similar to what Barkley said tonight,” she added. “And then challenge yourself to ask the same of yourself if a stranger (or ‘celebrity’) said that. I hope the answers are the same. Everyone should be held accountable.”
I encourage you to consider how you’d respond if a friend said something similar to what Barkley said tonight. And then challenge yourself to ask the same of yourself if a stranger (or “celebrity”) said that. I hope the answers are the same. Everyone should be held accountable.
— Alexi McCammond (@alexi) November 20, 2019
The reporter also retweeted ESPN writer Steve Smith highlighting past comments from Barkley, which he said were said in jest, about beating his wife:
“As a star for the Philadelphia 76ers, Barkley apologized for saying after a victory that ‘this is a game that, if you lose, you go home and beat your wife and kids. Did you see my wife jumping up and down at the end of the game? That’s because she knew I wasn’t going to beat her,'” The Washington Post reported. “Asked by a reporter if he wanted to rethink that comment, he replied, ‘Nah. Print it.'”
Regardless if folks take offensive to Barkley’s off-color jokes, the NBA legend was vocal in going after professional sports organizations for their poor handling of domestic abuse from their players.
“In 2014, he called for both the NBA and NFL to have more strict policy regarding sexual assault,” Heavy.com noted. After a player is suspended for his first offensive, a second offensive should leave him banned from the league, he argued.
“They dropped the ball on this domestic violence thing,” Barkley said of the NFL, according to Sports Illustrated. “I am very disappointed in Roger Goodell and [NFL Players Assn. Executive Director] DeMaurice Smith. What they should have done is very simple: The first time you hit a woman, you get suspended. You let the legal process play out but you are suspended. The second time you hit a woman you are banned for life.”