September 24th 2023.
Louisiana Tech recently honored basketball star Karl Malone, alongside other legendary athletes such as Fred Dean, Teresa Weatherspoon, Kim Mulkey, Terry Bradshaw, and Willie Roaf. These athletes were all immortalized in bronze statues, yet the honoring of Malone has not come without controversy.
In 1983, when Malone was a sophomore at Louisiana Tech, he reportedly impregnated a 13-year-old, Gloria Bell. Malone was 20 years old. He denied fathering the child and, when meeting his son, Demetress Bell 17 years later, he told him he would have to make his own way in life. Despite this, the two eventually reconciled and Demetress appeared alongside Malone and his other six children at the ceremony.
The controversy surrounding Malone's past resurfaced when Louisiana Tech's history professor Drew McKevitt called into question the message the university was sending by honoring Malone. McKevitt asked, “I wonder what message the university believes it sends to our students when it installs a statue on our campus of a wealthy and famous man who sexually abused a minor when he was a star athlete.”
When asked about it during festivities around the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, where Malone was honored for his contributions to the Utah Jazz franchise, he said, “I’m not discussing any of that. I don’t care. That’s my life, it’s my personal life, and I’ll deal with that like I’ve had to deal with everything. So… whatever.”
Louisiana Tech's administration attempted to keep the topic on sports. Eric Wood, Louisiana Tech's athletic director, and Jim Henderson, the president of the University of Louisiana System, which includes Louisiana Tech, offered their insight. Henderson said, “The university is recognizing former student-athletes who have been inducted into the highest professional halls of fame.”
This statement is reflective of Malone's desire to move on from his past and to not dwell on it. Though the controversy surrounding his past will always remain, he is determined to move forward.
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