It's good to be "King." Well, most of the time, anyway.
In recent days, the crown has laid heavy on the head of former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal. On top of suffering a nearly life-threatening staph infection in his knee, Lawal was also suspended for a positive drug test for anabolic steroids.
The plot grew even thicker within the past week when Lawal appeared before the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to defend himself against the charges. During the hearing, Lawal was asked by NSAC Commissioner Pat Lundvall if he "speaks English," a question that incensed and offended the former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler.
Lawal went so far as to blast Lundvall and the Commission, calling her a "racist bitch" on Twitter:
@KingMoFH: "I honestly feel like Lundvall was a racist b---- asking me if I can read or speak english. Go on somewhere with that bulls--- b**ch!!!"
Lundvall appeared on HDNet's "Inside MMA," yesterday (April 2, 2012), to discuss the hearing and explain her reasoning behind asking her now infamous line of questioning:
"I was not upset, and I never considered it to be derogatory. What I was doing was laying the classic or standard foundation for the gentleman to make sure that he understood the form that he was signing, that it was designed to be a truthful statement and that the information he was supposed to put on the form was supposed to be true and correct."
According to Lundvall, the loaded question wasn't personal. In fact, it's one that she asks on a regular basis with athletes who have been in similar predicaments:
"From my perspective, I've used that standard line of questioning for each and every athlete that has come before us, when their candor on their pre-fight questionnaire has been an issue. On occasion, we do have fighters that come before us, that have indicated their trainers or maybe someone who was with them at the time or a manager has filled out the form -- that they don't read English, that they don't understand English, which maybe a second or a third language for them. What we try to do is to ensure that, if we're going to be taking that into account, that they do understand what it is that they're signing and that they have read it."
It ended up being too little, too late (as most fans now know that Lawal was cut by Zuffa immediately after his comments), but "King Mo" did make a statement, apologizing to Lundvall and the NSAC.
According to Lundvall, the apology is news to her:
"Well, number one: Mr. Lawal has not contacted me. But, if he did, I would take his call, and I very much would be happy to hear from him. To the extent that you have now informed me of something, I was not aware that he had expressed an apology. I'm thankful that he has, and I wish him the very best and was so happy also to learn in that you just reported that the staph infection in his knee has cleared up."
At this point in time, it's unknown exactly what will become of Lawal and his career. Rumors have swirled as to where he will end up, but only time will tell where the truth lies.
In the meantime, MMAmania.com will keep you updated on the situation as news becomes available.
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