Donald Jackson

Fourth Down and Twenty Five Years to Go: the African American Athlete and the Justice System Donald Jackson

In a book that is destined to generate heated debate and social analysis, notedsports attorney Donald Maurice Jackson attacks the high incidence ofcriminality and irresponsible conduct among African American athletes aswell as the root causes of their inappropriate behavior. Discrimination,selectively harsh treatment, outright racism, irresponsible conduct, breakdownin the African American family which factor most frequently lands AfricanAmerican athletes behind bars? From youth leagues to colleges, from highschools to professional sports leagues, Jackson attacks these issues head onand dispenses blame where blame is due. His exhaustive research and uniqueknowledge of sports results in a work that will have lasting relevance in thesports world. This hard hitting book exposes the underbelly of the sports world and the alltoo common consequences felt by African American athletes that are all toooften entirely unprepared to deal with the consequences of their stardom. Arethe "perpetrators" in effect "victims" of their own fame?Fourth Down and Twenty Five Years to Go is a groundbreaking and exhaustivelook into the links between athletic stardom, RACE, fame, money and thelegal system. The findings are alarming. Is America ready for a book that looks so intensely, so honestly-so uniquely-at theissues of race, media and sport? Thanks to Don Jackson, we're all about to find out.-Gregg Doyel, National Columnist, CBS Sportsline.com