Candidate Chris Christie once tried to brush aside Rutgers athletics’ dysfunction as governor
My issue with Chris Christie is from his days when he abrogated his sworn duties as N.J.’s governor to become a State Troopers-escorted semi-regular in Manhattan on WFAN.
nypost.com
By Phil Mushnick
The following is not, nor is it intended to be, a paid or unsolicited political message. And as President Harry Truman said, “I don’t care what they call me, as long as it’s not true.”
Truman, incidentally, despite a reputation as incorruptible, owed his political life to a corrupt Democratic Party machine run by Tom Pendergast who, before he was convicted for income tax evasion, ruled Kansas City and much of Missouri, from which Truman was chosen to serve Pendergast’s interests as a judge then as a U.S. Senator.
But as Bryson DeChambeau said of his Saudi government golf benefactors and suspected royal mob behind the 9/11 attacks that murdered 3,000 Americans, “Nobody’s perfect.”
But this one’s about a dishonorable man who last week declared his candidacy for President of the United States, former N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, the latest among slim pickings to give the job a shot.
Christie’s dishonor I can personally attest to as a sportswriter. It has nothing to do with the rank arrogance and self-entitlement with which he closed the state beaches, as per safety precautions then, that same day, brought his family for a day on the Jersey beach.
And it has nothing to do with the fact that he threw his weight fully behind the successful presidential campaign of Donald Trump, only to now deride Trump as a name-calling, reprehensible brat and self-supremacist.
Many of us, not nearly as plugged in as Christie, knew that about Trump 35 years ago for his USFL wrecking, his self-serving promotion of Atlantic City casino boxing — remember the “Thank You, Mr, Trump,” promotions for the 1988 Mike Tyson-Leon Spinks calamity? — and his eagerness to play the in-ring, pay-per-view fool for twisted Vince McMahon’s twisted pro wrestling shows.
Trump’s casino-side boxing matches included the ring announcer ignoring the former champs in attendance in favor of introducing “close, personal friends of Mr. Trump” who included Carl Icahn and Jesse Jackson.
He had no known political allegiance then, when I began to refer to him in this space as “Sportsman Donald.”
Then there was the more recent “sports” episode when Trump cheated his Florida golf club members by winning a championship with bogus scores.
My issue with Christie is from his days when he abrogated his sworn duties as N.J.’s governor to become a State Troopers-escorted semi-regular in Manhattan on WFAN with kindred spirit Mike Francesa, thus abandoning his constituents to serve his ego.
Then coach Kyle Flood leads Rutgers out on the field in 2015.
AP
n 2015, I wrote about how Rutgers, in trying to compete for Big Ten football glory — and with taxpayers’ funding — had scandalized itself:
“Despite finishing 0-9 in conference, credit Rutgers football for doing all it can to prove it’s serious about being in the Big Ten.
“First, there were those six felony arrests of RU players for crimes including home invasion assaults and armed robbery. Given that he wasn’t a victim, Gov. Christie excused the perps as kids just being kids.”
Christie’s response:
“I see I am referenced in your column on Rutgers football. Can I please have the quote from me that excused the students who were charged as ‘kids just being kids’? I don’t remember ever saying anything close to that and would be interested in your source for that characterization.”
So I sent it to him. His quote had appeared in, among other newspapers, New Jersey’s largest, the Star-Ledger:
“Sure, Mr. Governor. I refer you to what you were widely quoted on:
“[It read], ‘You guys can micromanage Rutgers. I have a president there. I have a Board of Governors. If they need my help or my advice, they’ll call. If I see something that I think is completely outrageous, I’ll call them.
‘They’re dealing with disciplinary problems with teenagers. This is not shocking, you know. I’m a father of four and having difficulty with teenagers is the normal course on a college campus.
‘The breathless media coverage of all of this — and every time there’s a problem or some indication of a problem, some deep-seated problem at Rutgers — you guys gotta find something else to do.’ ”
I added that, “Among the recruits arrested on felony charges was a 21-year-old ‘teenager.’ ”
Christie replied: “And all are being dealt with appropriately by Rutgers and law enforcement authorities. The implication of your column was that I did not care, when, in fact, we ensured that all the students were dealt with directly by all authorities without any special treatment.
“I guess I should not be shocked that the results and the actions by law enforcement to date (including indictments and jail) were not mentioned — that would undercut the point you were trying to make.”
My reply: “Mr. Governor, You asked me for evidence of your position, clearly upset that I’d fabricated it. I provided it. Your response strikes me as disingenuous.”
And thus ended my correspondence on the matter with the latest slim pickings candidate for the highest office in the land, President of the United States.................
This might end up on LOTS. But I'll post it here for now.
