Many Bloggers Owe Derrick Coleman an Apology
I recently shared with you a story about all of the good work that Derrick Coleman has been doing in Detroit since he retired from the NBA. It was surprising and disturbing to see recent posts by several bloggers stating--in a mocking fashion--that Coleman is in dire financial straits. Those posts came after someone found an ad for "The Derrick Coleman Estate Sale" and simply assumed that this meant that Coleman is having financial problems. Apparently, no one bothered to actually contact Coleman or the company that is conducting the sale in order figure out what is really going on before rushing to be the first to lampoon Coleman.The truth--as reported in the Detroit Free Press today--is that Coleman is not going bankrupt and is not having financial problems. He is selling furniture from his New Jersey home, a residence he purchased when he played for the Philadelphia 76ers; that furniture has been in storage since Coleman moved back to his native Michigan. Sherwood Studios, which is conducting the sale, has furnished Coleman's homes since he became an NBA player; Dave Bing introduced Coleman to Mark Morganroth, the owner of Sherwood Studios.
This is yet another example of why I have repeatedly said that I'd rather be the last person to report a story if that is what it takes to actually get the facts straight so that I can make appropriate, relevant and accurate commentary about it. It is unfortunate that so many bloggers are so desperate to generate page views with snarky comments that they rush to make posts before getting their facts straight. Hopefully, the bad publicity that they generated about Coleman will not negatively impact his ability to continue to work to revitalize inner city Detroit.
Labels: Dave Bing, Derrick Coleman
posted by David Friedman @ 5:12 PM
4 Comments:
Inferior bloggers jump to conclusions quicker than a 20 second timeout.
Like maybe Vecsey and the heart transplant scenario.
So if he still has money, why is the huge mansion he owned on White Lake MI up for sale as a foreclosure and has been completely trashed and is becoming an eyesore on the Lake?
Anonymous:
I did this post in December 2008. Since that time, some of the investments that Coleman made to try to help revitalize Detroit went bad and apparently he had to declare bankruptcy earlier this year. That does not excuse other media outlets for falsely reporting about Coleman's financial status in 2008.
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