Former NBA star, Charles Barkley, now a NBA analyst for TNT, appeared as a guest on ESPN Radio’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” and discussed Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel throwing a water bottle at a fan after being heckled by him for two hours.
Barkley stuck up for Manziel and was unapologetic when he stated that he was arrested eight times for hitting fans and said “every single one of them deserved it” in arguing that disrespectful fans should get beat up because they have no right to harass athletes.
“First of all, he’s got punk friends. They should have beat this guy down from the beginning. You know, I’m not one of those people who thinks you have to kiss up to the fans. If they disrespect you, I made no bones, I’ve been arrested eight times for punching fans and every single time they deserved it and I’m not going to kiss down to anybody. Just because I played basketball, you don’t have the right to insult me.”
“Some of these people would spit on you if they could,” he added. “Some of them don’t like you because you’re rich or successful; some of them don’t like you because you’re black. If they harass you, you have the human right to beat them down, plain and simple.”
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