PHILADELPHIA – On Saturday, Nov. 11, Philadelphia 76ers wing Kelly Oubre Jr. was struck by a driver—who fled the scene—while out near his apartment, according to authorities. Oubre was hospitalized due to the injuries sustained. However, he was thankfully in stable condition for the entirety of his stay, which, again thankfully, was short.
In the days that have since followed, Philadelphia police have begun carrying out an investigation into the incident, the early results of which are what brings us together.
According to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Police Department has yet to find any
photo or video evidence of the incident. Once the Inquirer published the article, the masses began to run away with the concept, speculating why that was, in large part, due to the headline of the article.
“Surveillance video does not show hit-and-run against Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. in Center City, police say,” ran the headline. Phrased as a conclusive result, instead of representing the situation as the ongoing investigation as it is, readers would have to dive into the actual article to learn that Sgt. Eric Gripp, a department spokesperson, and the Philadelphia Police Department were not accusing Oubre of anything, but the same could not be said about the masses.
Asking one not to judge a book by its cover should not be too much to ask, but that is not the world we live in, which led to the fallout from that article.
Self-proclaimed detectives, investigators, and trauma specialists began to run with a plethora of theories. The theories themselves do not deserve mention, but each new speculative assumption was more reprehensible than the last.
The desire for drama is naturally human. From entertainment to people gaslighting as if it were a legitimate profession, drama has become such a common theme in life that, for many, it has become an addiction.
Those who desire to build a story to more than it is for dramatic effect are not only acting in a manner reckless of Oubre, which unfortunately is common as athletes are often seen and treated as less-than-human, but of those who have suffered through what Oubre has, and what others have accused him of suffering through.
Beginning, as we should, with the incident, according to Oubre, fatal motor vehicle incidents have long been an issue, and it is no different today. The very same day that Oubre was struck, six people lost their lives in a separate crash in Houston, Texas. Among those was former NFL cornerback D.J. Hayden, which is why the story made national headlines, but the ugly truth is that it happens every day as nearly 43,000 people lost their lives in motor vehicle-related incidents last year.
In Philadelphia, the city has already endured more fatal hit-and-runs than in 2022, according to police and PennDOT data via WHYY. These are lives that are lost every day. Sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and nearly Kelly Oubre.
For many, that loss of life or potential of loss of life is easily pushed to the side as they have no direct tie to the situation. By maintaining that distance between themselves and the situation, it becomes easy to disassociate from the gravity of the situation. This also applies to the speculation behind the early results of the investigation around the incident involving Kelly Oubre.
The speculative ideas around what “really” happened to Oubre are again not deserving of any merit. However, it is important to call to attention how irresponsible it is to make several of the claims that were made.
First, the core concept that Oubre must be lying because there is yet to be any photo or video evidence uncovered is a fallacy. It is entirely possible that Oubre, who is notably new to the area, could not remember his exact location in the hours after the incident when he spoke with Philadelphia police. It is also entirely possible that Oubre, having gone through a traumatic experience such as being hit by a car, was a bit shaken up when recounting what had happened.
Then there’s the ignorant assumption that this situation is a domestic violence matter, which people shamefully phrase as though they’re advocates for male victims. Surely, some are earnest, though foolish, but many simply are looking for the attention that comes with promoting splashy accusations regardless of the impact that can have on those involved in both Oubre’s situation and actual domestic violence issues.
The ripple effects of uninformedly accusing one of committing acts of domestic violence can have unspeakable consequences. In an era when people are perfectly comfortable lobbing verbal grenades, only to then hide under the rocks from whence they came, hurling accusations without thought has unfortunately become commonplace.
Without a shred of evidence, people put information such as this out there to serve their own purposes, whether that is in an effort to be first on an idea, to create a public image of themselves as a champion for victims, or simply to stir the pot.
While this attitude is all too common in society today, the correct way to tackle this issue is far kinder, simpler, and more sensical. That is, by not creating an unnecessarily dramatic atmosphere around the original matter.
Regarding this incident, we all should take the approach of Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, who spoke on the matter ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Boston Celtics, saying, “I don’t have any reason not to believe him.”
When asked again, Nurse reiterated his initial point, saying, “Listen, like I said before, I believe Kelly at his word. I don’t have any other conversations or anything right now to comment on. I’m concentrating on this game. If some more evidence or anything else comes to light, we will handle it when it comes to light.”
The desire for a story should not create the story. We all should strive to avoid creating unnecessary drama and conflict, especially in traumatic situations such as this. Until there is anything concrete to suggest otherwise, Oubre should be taken at his word as he has not given anyone a reason to act to the contrary.
