Hoosier Whiteness and the Indiana Pacers

Between October 2006 and January 2008, seven different players of the Indiana Pacers (National Basketball Association, NBA) were implicated in a number of off-court events that sparked the anxieties of those within and outside the organization. Brought under scrutiny for their possession and/or use of marijuana, David Harrison and Shawne Williams’ names were cast on the public realm. Harrison was caught violating the NBA's drug policy, while Williams was pulled over for ‘driving infractions’ leading police officers to eventually find the substance in his car. ¹ Overlooking the deeper set of politics under which these players were constructed as criminals and/or miscreants (e.g. the NBA drug policy and its castigation of recreational drug use as opposed to performance enhancing drugs; ‘driving while black’), many commentators decidedly chastised Pacers’ athletes for what they considered to be irresponsible, juvenile, or delinquent behaviour. Shawne Williams’ name was, once again, brought forth to the public as he housed a childhood friend who was suspected of murder. ² Similarly, an alleged rape took place in the home of Marquis Daniels during a small party, where he was not found to be involved. ³ Jamaal Tinsley was shot at, and chased down, in his vehicle after leaving a nightclub on one occasion; and was also involved in a separate incident along with Daniels, Stephen Jackson, and Jimmy Hunter (whereby a car purposely struck Jackson in the parking lot of a different establishment). ⁴ Lastly, an alleged altercation took place at a third nightclub, after a man attempted to steal the coats belonging to Tinsley, Daniels, and Keith McLeod. ⁵