LeBron James

Is is fair to ask that Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James take a position on the Tamir Rice case? Chris Haynes weighs in on the matter with his own personal story.

(Kathy Willens)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - LeBron James has never been shy to give his take on matters of social and racial injustice.

His resume includes orchestrating his Miami Heat teammates to pose for a picture wearing hoodies in 2012 to support Trayvon Martin, who was shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida; and his taking of the court in Brooklyn sporting an "I can't breathe" T-shirt in 2014 in memory of Eric Garner, who was choked to death by a New York cop.

When educated on a controversial subject, James expresses himself, something few athletes dare to do.

That has left some puzzled as to why James didn't have much to say regarding 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was gunned down by a Cleveland police officer after he had been seen pointing what turned out to be an Airsoft pellet gun at people in a recreational center in November of 2014.

If James were going to speak strongly on an incident, you would think it'd be on a nationally recognized tragedy in his own backyard. On Tuesday, James said he wasn't educated enough on the issue to give a proper response.

"For me, I've always been a guy who's taken pride in knowledge of every situation that I've ever spoken on," James said. "And to be honest, I haven't really been on top of this issue, so it's hard for me to comment."

Considering Rice was murdered over a year ago and the officer who pulled the trigger was not indicted this week, James rubbed some people the wrong way.

There are African-American activists and media members urging him to step up and show his support for Rice and his family. Some are even requesting that he sit out games until justice is done.

As the only African-American covering the Cavaliers on a full-time basis, I felt an obligation to dive into James' handling of the Rice case.

But first, I must dive into my own shortcomings.

It was July 2, 2013. I was two years into my position of covering the Portland Trail Blazers for Comcast SportsNet Northwest. I had just moved into my home two days earlier. It was the start of the free-agency frenzy, and Las Vegas Summer League was right around the corner. I called my co-worker, Peter Socotch, around 11 p.m. to get him caught up on the news I was working on.

When I talk on the phone for a long period of time, I tend to pace back and forth, so I decided to take my conversation outside. Directly across the street from my house was a light rail railroad track. The track was wedged in the middle of two one-way streets. On each side of the track was a gravel area 8-10 feet wide. I decided to walk along that gravel area while talking on the phone. I paced back in forth in front of my house that was about 15 feet away.

As I was on the phone, I saw a police car on the opposite side of the road slow down as it came my way, and then speed up to catch the green light at the intersection. I knew the cop was going to make a U-turn and come toward me, but I didn't know why.

As I suspected, the cop pulled up to me and flashed the high beams in my face. The male officer, who was white, stepped out of the car and informed me that I was on private property and asked what I was doing over here. I explained that my house was right across the street, as I pointed in its direction. I told him I had come out there to talk to my co-worker so I wouldn't disturb my kids, who were asleep.

I told Socotch I would call him back, but he replied "no" and said to keep him on the phone. That was smart. The officer approached me and asked to see my identification, to which I said, "Officer, is this really necessary? My house is right here."

He demanded I show some form of I.D., and I wanted to know why he was going down this path. He said it was because I was trespassing, and he needed to look up who I was. That's when he asked, "Do you have a warrant I should know about?"

I was baffled. I knew where this was going. I'm 6-foot-2, 195 pounds and dark as they come. My attire was a white tank top, black shorts and basketball shoes. I believed I was being racially profiled.

I said, "Officer, I'm not that dude you think I am." At this point, another cop arrived for backup and the situation escalated. I said repeatedly that this isn't necessary. "You must have a warrant," he said again. I then handed over my I.D. and he instructed me to sit on the curb.

"Haynes appeared to be angry," the officer wrote in his police report. "His voice had an edge to it, his eyes were narrowed." Sure, as if I'm supposed to be cheerful.

This, I just didn't get. This was my treatment all because I chose to walk outside and talk on the phone? Why was I being handled like a criminal? Once I started questioning why I had to sit on the curb, he said, "That's it," and that I was being arrested for Interfering with Public Transportation.

"Haynes was taller than both [my partner] and I and appeared to be in good physical condition," wrote the arresting officer. "Haynes' demeanor was similar to other people I have encountered who eventually either ran away or fought with police, and I had absolutely no desire to engage in a foot pursuit or a fight with him."

The second officer then took my phone out of my hand and I screamed to Peter to call my wife before he hung the phone up. My wife had no clue what was happening. All she knew was I was outside on the phone.

I'm not the most flexible person, so the officer had a little trouble bending my arms backward for handcuffing.

"I felt Haynes' muscles tense as I did this, so I told him to stop resisting," he added in his report. "Haynes replied that he was not resisting."

Once cuffed, he escorted me to the backseat of his patrol car and then he hopped in the front. He asked for the third time if I had any warrants. This time I didn't respond. He then asked what I did for a living and I said I cover the Portland Trail Blazers for Comcast SportsNet.

Upon hearing this, he pulled out his cell phone to look me up. Once I popped up on the Google search engine, he turned his radio to a FM station and put the volume on high so I couldn't hear anything. He stepped outside the car and called somebody. He realized I wasn't the target he was hoping he had snatched up. He knew he had made a mistake, but it was too late. He had to continue on.

Just before he was to take off, my wife came out running. Peter managed to get a hold of her. She asked the officer why her husband was being sent to jail and he said because I was trespassing. She was dumbfounded.

I was taken into custody, forced to take a mug shot and wasn't released until after 3 a.m. I felt degraded, humiliated, embarrassed. I knew I had to tell my employer the following day, but I was petrified of the reaction.

I felt guilty even though I had done nothing wrong. Would they believe I was innocent? Would they stand by me? I had a year left on my contract. I didn't want this situation to jeopardize my future.

They turned out to be supportive and said they would help in any way, which took a load of stress off. Dwight Jaynes, CSN's columnist and a mentor to me, kept my spirits up and constantly checked on me during the ordeal. I pleaded not guilty a few days later and a trial was set for a September date. I was determined not to let this officer get away with the anguish he put my family through.

At court it was the State of Oregon vs. Chris Haynes, and I was acquitted. Exonerated.

In the trial that lasted about 30 minutes, the officer told the judge that he was concerned for my safety in hanging around the track. But if he was so concerned, then why didn't he just tell me to leave the premises? The judge even asked him, "What did Haynes do when you told him to go back across the street to his house?" "No, I didn't ask him to leave," he responded.

"Well, two issues with the case, Mr. Tucker," the judge said to the officer's attorney. "One is the way it's charged. It's a public-transit vehicle, not applicable; or a station. So that's a bit of a stretch to say that that's a station, that gravel area. My second issue is -- and I don't know if that's just a charging problem -- but my second issue is obviously on the knowingly [that he was on private property].

"I find Mr. Haynes completely credible. I mean, I find you both credible but you know it seems pretty clear that there is no sign that says it's unlawful to be present there. The gravel does look to be wide enough that it's not a safe place to be. I can understand the officer's concern and I can understand Mr. Haynes' frustration with the situation. And so given those issues, I am going to acquit Mr. Haynes."

My next step was whether to sue, and I even hired a fantastic lawyer who specializes in these sorts of civil cases.

But I backed out. I knew if I went through with it, everything would get out. My company would be connected to the situation. They said they would stand by me, but I feared the case could get nasty and might force them to change their stance.

My inner circle said I should let it go, and their reasoning was that I had already won in court. They said I didn't need the drama that would be attached to the lawsuit. I've got a wife and four daughters, they said. Think about them, your career, your future as a journalist.

My wife, Charlotte, was adamant that I take action, but I didn't listen.

To this day, I regret not going through with it. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about it. I was what you would call a "local celebrity" in that city. I was on television everyday and had built up a reputation, but I was thinking selfishly.

When I informed my lawyer of my decision, he was disappointed. He said if a person of my stature doesn't take a stand against racial injustice, a so-called average person wouldn't stand a chance out there. That stuck with me, and with each incident that appears to be racially motivated, it disturbs and haunts me even further.

I was told the deadline to file a lawsuit has since passed, so I have decided to share my story for the first time and help raise awareness and hopefully make a difference.

I missed an opportunity to make change. It's something I'm not proud of.

Now, when it comes to those advocating that James miss games for a cause, would you have the guts to take off from your job and risk putting your family in jeopardy of struggling?

Of course, James would be fine financially if he did act on it, but if we're going to ask a high-caliber celebrity to make a huge sacrifice, we have to be willing to do the same thing.

So, while I was surprised by James' comment about not being educated on the Rice incident, I can't call him on it, because a few years ago, I stayed silent. Some would argue that I did the right thing; some would argue I missed an opportunity.

Did James miss an opportunity when it comes to Rice? Only he knows the answer to that, but in the end, it's his life and his decision.

We all have our own decisions to make.