Has the AP moved a photo of Zidane's headbutt?

Driving home I was listening to Fox Sports Radio and the buffoon who was hosting it was saying that the media, especially "the four-letter network" wasn't hard enough on Zidane. If he were a black American athlete, the host said, he would have been vilified to no end. Instead, because Zidane is white (a few callers pointed out Zidane was North African, but the host maintained he was white) there was a lot of talk about how great his career was and not enough about what a thug he is.
Is this another idiotic opinion from another idiotic sports talk radio host or does he really have a point?

 

It's Fox Sports Radio = idiot.

See their entire lineup (except Tony Bruno).

 

I happen to think Tony Bruno is an idiot, too. About 10 years ago when he got violently angry when somebody called Troy Aikman a "great quarterback" that convinced me he was a moron.

 

Wow, one (1) hotheaded action during a game is enough to get somebody branded a "thug" these days? People might tear an ACL with knee-jerk reactions that violent.

Of course, we are talking about a sports talk radio host so I'm not shocked.

 

Zidane has been kicked out of two World Cup matches and one Champions League match for violent incidents similar to today's. Those are his major transgressions as far as on-the-field is concerned. (I believe he's pretty private off the pitch, and hasn't stirred up much trouble there.) ... Charles Barkley, as one example, had incidents on par with these, on and off the court (throwing a guy through a window, is the most famous one.)

Zidane's not a "thug" any more than Charles Barkley is. He's got a temper, that's for sure, and this was a bonehead move, as we all know. His flareups certainly came out at the wrong time and on the world's biggest stages.

As far as Zidane's ethnicity, he is a native of France, born and raised in the projects of northern Marseille to parents of Algerian descent. He was eligible to play for Algeria in international play, but the Algerian coach wouldn't let him on the team back in '94. He is also a Muslim, albeit a nonpracticing one, and if you understand the heavy racial tension in France between Muslims and non-Muslims, and between French descendants and Algerian descendents, it might give some context to why a racial slur would set him off pretty quick (if indeed that is what Materazzi said to Zidane, as is the rumor.)

None of that justifies the headbutt, let alone condones it, but that might help give it some context.

 

Actually, while I suspect the host had no idea, you can make a pretty good argument that Zidane is indeed a "thug". He has a history of stupid violence, including a stomping incident in the 1998 World Cup and a previous headbutt in the 2000 European Champions League.

 

I'd forgotten about the others. But, honestly, are three incidents enough to warrant the "thug" label? How many elbows and shoulders has Shaq thrown over the years?

If this was Zidane's last match, it's a horrible way to end a career. But I don't think it will be his legacy.

 

Reportedly ... just reportedly ... both today's incident and the 2000 Champions League incident were both reportedly in response to racial slurs. Obviously, Zidane is sensitive to that. I'm not sure about the '98 WCup stomping, although Beckham got a red card that year, too, so maybe it was just a tournament for star ejections.

Apparently, you can get his goat that way, and Materazzi baited him into it. He got the captain kicked out, so he did his job, just like a pest in hockey. It's sad because you want to see both teams at their best fight it out to the end, but unfortunately, we didn't get that.

 

It will not be his legacy, but one of the images we'll be reminded of when we hear his name is him walking off the field and going past the trophy. I had forgotten about the '98 incident, but I wasn't alone, ABC did as well.

Buck, I would hope someone on the field dropping an n-bomb at a black player is never considered "part of the game". There's a line between gamesmenship and douchebaggery.

 

Maybe not 99%, but certainly 90%

 

The ones who followed the World Cup will. Of the readers who care enough about soccer to even glance at the story, a very high percentage will know who he is.

 

Agreed. If Materazzi baited him with a racial slur, that goes way beyond gamesmanship.