Comments on: Issel crosses the line

By: David Cramer

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

I am quite upset by the the suspension of Dan Issel. What gives a person the right to harass Dan verbally and get away with it leaving Dan to carry all the blame. If anything, the person at the game who yelled out to Dan is just as much to blame as Dan is.
As for the Hispanic Community coming down on Dan for saying racial comments, ervery day I hear racial comments towards whites, blacks and other groups from hispanics. Apparently the hispanic community has the right to insult anyone they please yet the rest of us have no rights to answer back.

By: aswitzer

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

David - yes, I’ve heard that side of the argument too. My take on it is that in Dan’s position, he has a greater responsibility than the rest of us do to the community because he represents the organization of the Denver Nuggets. It’s part of the burden of his position - that he has to be perfect. If you or I said the same thing (I hope we never would) then we would be in the wrong, but we would not make national news. So, I agree with the suspension, because it does send the message that this sort of thing is not tolerated. In a perfect world, the fan that taunted Dan would be punished fairly also, but he still didn’t deserve the ethnic slur that he incited from Dan.

By: Carlos A. Martinez

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

While I do not agree with the reaction Issel had with the fan, I don’t think that firing him for one mistake is the right call.
Had Issel not apologized, then maybe there would be reason to persue this further.
This is being blown out of more than it has to be and I believe that at some point many people use duragatory remarks, do they expect to lose their job or be punished harshly? What no one has come out and reported is what this individual was saying to Issel to have him react in this fashion. I don’t care what the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce thinks about this incident, if they can’t accept an apology from a person who has a spotless track record otherwise, then their head of structure need to be replaced. Issel made a mistake and as a 100% American-Mexican, I believe he has reacted accordingly and there is no more to be discussed on this matter. I will fight anyone on this topic for the Denver Nuggets. Punishment has been assessed and that is all that is necessary for me.