Reggie Bush: Absentee Fathers Leads to Violence in Black Community

Former NFL running back Reggie Bush feels a big reason for the problem of violence in black neighborhoods, is a dearth of fathers.

According to the Institute for Family Studies, about 70% of black children were born out of wedlock in 2018.

In the aftermath of the murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle in Los Angeles earlier this month, FS1 had a panel discussion on the debate show Speak For Yourself, on how to reduce violence in the black community. The panel consisted of Bush, former NFL receiver Greg Jennings, ex-NBA star Stephen Jackson, and host Jason Whitlock, all African-American.

“So to me, we’ve got to get back to the foundation at home with the parenting,” said Bush, a former USC star. “A lot of boys who I grew up with didn’t have their dads. A lot of guys I knew in the NFL didn’t have their dads growing up. So for me, I learned from a lot of the men through football. Football became that father for me because that is where other men there. The issue with that is I’m learning from other men who are just as broken as me.”

Whitlock agreed with Bush.

“If you don’t restore the family, it’s hard to correct anything, it’s hard to produce anything positive,” Whitlock said.

Bush said what drove him to be a great football player was resentment toward his absent father.

Read more here