Oh, the great and powerful Bro Code.
It is as cherished as the unwritten rules of baseball. You know, the one book that details the fact that flipping a bat after a home run is uncalled for and frowned upon by the baseball gods.
The Bro Code was broken this week and D’Angelo Russell should be burned at the stake in the minds of many around the NBA. Russell videoed teammate Nick Young discussing how Young has cheated on his girlfriend and pop star, Iggy Azalea.
Not only did Russell video this talk, the tape somehow made it out to the public.
This 20-year-old rookie broke the Bro Code. Many talking heads around the sports world claim Russell cannot be trusted ever again and might as well find a new career path.
The Bro Code deep down really means nothing. It means about as much as those unwritten rules in baseball.
One of the unwritten rules found on the Internet, so it is actually written, is you cannot steal a base when your team is crushing the opponent.
So when does this apply? Does a team have to be up four runs with two innings left in a game? Is it five runs?
Yes, Russell was in the wrong and quickly apologized for his actions. He said he was sick about the video and that he wishes “this never happened.”
His apology came off sincere. So why still slam this young man that just turned 20 on Feb. 23? He is not even old enough to buy booze. People make mistakes and I would be shocked if he does not continue to work hard to prove he can be trusted by teammates.
I once in the last year almost held a grudge because of the Bro Code.
A longtime friend of mine started to date a girl I had dated. They started dating within a very short time after the break up.
The easy thing to do was to hate them both because the unwritten rule of buddies is you never date a friend’s ex, especially so quickly after the two split.
These rules are no way to live your life. So with the Bro Code pushed aside, instead of only have one friend, I have two friends who found each other and are happy.
Who was I to stop them from dating if that is what they really felt made their lives complete?
I wasn’t going to let the Bro Code run my life and neither should the L.A. Lakers and its budding star Russell.
Things happen in life and mistakes get made. It is how you respond to those mistakes that really show what kind of person you are.
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Gabriel Pruett can be reached at 721-2436 or gabe.pruett@panews.com On Twitter: @PaNewsGabe