D'Angelo Russell, former Ohio State Buckeye, has been the recent focus of the sports world. At the age of 20, Russell has already found himself in the headlines multiple times, from declaring that he was the best player in his draft class to filming Nick Young—a fellow Los Angeles Lakers teammate—admitting infidelity in his relationship with Iggy Azalea.
Since the video was leaked onto the internet, D'Angelo Russell has been ostracized from his teammates, criticized by the media, and dubbed as the immature, unknowing, typical Millennial that does not fully understand the ramifications and dangers of the connectedness of this generation. And those people are not wrong; Russell obviously coerced Young into admitting his guilt, and was even careless enough with the video for it to be posted on the internet. Yes, D'Angelo Russell should be ostracized from his teammates; manipulating a teammate in the way that he did was wrong, as Young did not even know he was being taped. However, fully placing the blame on Russell ignores the act itself that should be scandalous: the infidelity of Nick Young.
In the video, Young admits to having relations with a woman that was 19 years old and that he met in a nightclub. To put things in perspective, Nick Young is 30 years old and is engaged to Iggy Azalea. It is not clear how Young ended up with this 19-year-old girl, but it is a clear possibility that Young's fame and fortune were factors in attracting the attention of this 19-year-old. The rallying offensive towards D'Angelo Russell is more of a rallying defensive of the acts of Nick Young; one ESPN journalist admitted their shock to the lack of criticism towards Nick Young.This is not the first time Nick Young has been in the news recently; a woman—Alexis Jones—recently filed charges against Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson, as they are accused of making sexual, vulgar gestures towards Jones and her 68-year-old mother. Young's actions have been dismissed by the organization he plays for and by the public; the team has cited "different interpretations" as to why there has been no disciplinary action for Young.
When it comes to Nick Young, there seems to be a numbness toward the actions that he has committed. When did infidelity and other sexual harassment cases become less important than the 20-year-old who doesn't fully understand the consequences of a cell phone? Believe it or not, sports has pointed out a glaring problem within our culture today, as issues of sexual harassment continue to be pushed under the rug. Since 1991, the percentage of sexual harassment cases that have been deemed as having no reasonable cause to have occurred has risen by 12 percent. Nick Young embodies a problem that has continued throughout sports; athletes have continued to have the ability to push their dirt under the rug, as if it doesn't even exist.
D'Angelo Russell absolutely made a mistake, but many are comparing him to the likes of Michael Vick, Greg Hardy, and Ray Rice; Vick participated in dog fighting, and both Hardy and Rice were suspended for domestic abuse. The mistakes of a typical millennial with a cell phone do not compare to that of the previous athletes. There is visible locker-room tension, as Russell has been ignored and ostracized for what he has done; many are even saying that he will be looking for a new team once the season is over.
This situation has shown the impact that sports can have on society, as a crucial flaw in our culture has been pointed out; apparently, sexual harassment and infidelity are still not worth taking a stand against. D'Angelo Russell is not the black sheep; he is merely the scapegoat that allows us to ignore the real issues at hand.
