Yes, Jazz fans, your own Karl Malone impregnated a girl when she was only thirteen years old. That's statutory rape. And yet he's a local hero to many.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/080507

Quote: "Roger Clemens' alleged seedy indiscretions -- including a possible sexual relationship with a 15-year-old -- are nothing compared to what Malone has done. Malone reportedly impregnated Bell's mother when she was 13 and he was a sophomore at Louisiana Tech. Malone is lucky Chris Hansen wasn't around and he didn't have to answer to the authorities."

I don't know where Malone and Bell's mother had intercourse, but the jurisdictions with which I'm familiar presume a 13 year old is incapable of consenting to intercourse. Therefore, the law classifies the act as rape.

I read the quote from Jemele Hill's story in Mars' post. Then I read the entire story. Hill said,

"What matters most is that Bell triumphed in spite of how his father behaved."

Let's focus on that, rather than on Malone's inappropriate behavior.

This does look VERY bad for Karl. Good for Bell for being able to move past it.

I've learned to admire athletes only for what they do on the field because they often fall short in their values.

To quote the bard, R. Kelly, "My mind's telling me no, but my body, my body's telling me yes!"

Being from the Portland area this greatly disappoints me to learn the Karl Malone actually did qualify to be a dues paying member of the Portland JailBlazers. What a lost opportunity for Portland.