By Jackie Kallen
The latest reports on TMZ.com claim that Floyd Mayweather suspected two of his employees of stealing jewelry from him and he had them kidnapped and nearly beaten to death.
In our country you are assumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. So we can’t go around calling Floyd the mastermind of a major assault and kidnapping plot. At least not yet.
It’s hard to believe that a man at his stage in life with all his wealth and power would expose himself to a serious charge like this. Supposedly the two men were doing some construction work on Floyd’s home. Some jewelry went missing and he accused them of lifting it. He lured them to a specific location and his boys taught these men a very painful lesson.
The reports claim that both men were hospitalized for days with broken arms and legs. They swore that they didn’t steal anything and it turns out that they were most likely telling the truth. But they got beaten badly in the meantime.
I have no idea if this story is accurate. I imagine the facts will unfold in the near future. The men may come forth and tell their story. Or Floyd’s machine will nip it in the bud and offer these men a ridiculous settlement to just quietly go away.
Floyd is reportedly worth in excess of $170 million. Giving these guys a few million apiece would be like buying a few new cars. Floyd won’t miss the cash and it may be enough to soothe healing bones. As we all know–money talks. And “Money” talks.
The men have allegedly hired a high-power attorney. It looks like they know that there could be a huge payday in their future. Not that a settlement will take away their pain and suffering. But Floyd surely knows that kidnapping and attempted murder are serious charges that could derail his May 3 fight, as well as the rest of his career. So he may try to compensate these men with an offer they can’t refuse.
It is a very frightening story in a lot of ways. If there is any truth to it–it is horrific. Jewelry can be replaced. Trashing human beings with bats and other weapons is not the answer. Especially when there is no proof that the men were guilty.
If it is not true, it is a mean-spirited and ugly attack against a very wealthy man who has ruffled a lot of feathers on his journey to the top. He is an easy mark and has the available money to pay people off to simple go away.
There seems to be some credibility to these accusations, though. The two men were allegedly beaten so badly that they were barely alive when they got to the hospital. They are now hell-bent on evening the score.
Stay tuned. This story is not over yet. So let’s not pass judgement until all the facts are in.