Donovan McNabb's Agent Responds to Bernard Hopkins

Recently, Bernard Hopkins made headlines by insulting former Philadelphia Eagles and current (for now) Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb. Bashing McNabb is nothing new for Hopkins, nor is controversy via his public statements. Here's what he said:

"Forget this," Hopkins said, pointing to his own dark skin. "He's got a suntan. That's all."

... "Why do you think McNabb felt he was betrayed? Because McNabb is the guy in the house, while everybody else is on the field. He's the one who got the extra coat. The extra servings. 'You're our boy,' " Hopkins said, patting a reporter on the back in illustration. "He thought he was one of them."

Hopkins' comments stirred up mild chatter in the larger sports world, but I think most of the boxing media and fans just brushed it off. Again, it's nothing new. Bernard is Bernard. You take him for what he is, and sometimes he comes off like a jerk (I try to keep the front page family-friendly).

Today, McNabb's agent Fletcher Smith responded:

Ill-informed statements such as the perplexing one Mr. Hopkins muttered recently are dangerous and irresponsible. It perpetuates a maliciously inaccurate stereotype that insinuates those African-Americans who have access to a wider variety of resources are somehow culturally different than their brethren.

... Donovan’s parents are proud Americans who worked hard to give their sons the best childhood they could provide. He is unapologetically proud of sacrifices they made for him. Donovan and his brother were raised to be hard-working African-American men who were taught to believe in themselves.

It is vital that we extinguish this brand of willful ignorance and instill in the minds of African-American youth regardless of the parental makeup of your household they can become anything they wish if they work hard and make the right decisions in life.

I wish Mr. Hopkins luck in his upcoming fight.

I don't think there's a whole lot to add to that. It was only a matter of time, and McNabb as usual takes what some would consider the high road by not responding personally. I suppose some would prefer that he just told Bernard Hopkins to cram it, but that was never likely. This is as much response as you're going to get, but it's something, anyway.