Top Recruit Williams makes Bad Decision

Today’s generation of athletes is held to a higher standard, especially if they have a high media presence.
Mikey Williams is one of the nation’s top basketball recruits coming out of high school who committed to Memphis University. Recently, he was arrested on five counts of assault with a deadly weapon using a firearm, this could tank all his hard work throughout his short career. He was a rising basketball star with a high media presence across multiple platforms and also was going to be a future top NBA draft pick, but now his future is uncertain because he made the wrong choices. He made a bad decision and he should face the consequences of his actions and hopefully receive a second chance to redeem himself to his family, basketball fans, and the Memphis Tigers.
Unfortunately, anytime this new generation of athletes receives opportunities of a lifetime to create better lives for themselves and their families, they make wrong decisions that make their hard work, and careers go down the drain. The media plays an essential role in influencing our rising athletes because of the media presence across different platforms. I find that athletes that come from a middle-class or higher-class background with a two-parent home are more likely to get sucked into a life they’ve never been around or part of putting themselves in danger versus an athlete that comes from a perverted neighborhood with fewer resources to succeed will push for a better future for themselves and their families.
As a former athlete, my goal was to always create a better life for my family and me. Even though I came from a one-parent home in a low-class neighborhood, I’ve always had family around to keep me focused on my path to success and not get sucked into a life that wasn’t meant for me.
Watching my environment, and growing up in the neighborhood I did, motivated me even more to succeed and to make sure I never have to fall to any other options while reaching my future.
Growing up, we all made bad decisions, but what is important is that we learn from them. Mikey made a terrible choice, and he must be prepared to suffer the consequences, and it is disheartening because he became another number in the system when it didn’t have to be that way. However, I would love to see him get a second chance because he is talented, and one mistake shouldn’t define a person. A message to all athletes and people is that opportunities don’t come easy and be prepared to separate yourself from people who slow you down.