The quickest way for a local lawmaker to go national these days is to say something offensive on Twitter. And while most people will forget the name almost instantly, Google remembers forever. The latest to clown himself using social media is State Rep. Pat Garofalo, a Republican from Minnesota, who thinks the NBA is full of thugs.
After Garofalo’s tweet caught fire last night, thanks to its not-subtle racist undertones, he said in a statement, “I was talking about the NBA’s high arrest rate and that their punishment for positive drugs tests are weaker than other leagues. No intent beyond that. The culture among many pro athletes that they are above the law is the problem, not people like me pointing that problem out.”
NBA blogger Kevin Draper has a pretty thorough dismantling of that excuse here. (Spoiler: The facts don’t match Garofalo’s claims.)
He doesn’t seem so sure himself:
