A human rights group is asking that Dennis Rodman be thrown out of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for what it calls his "coddling" of the North Korean regime.
"Dennis Rodman's complacency and coddling of Kim Jong Un romanticizes and makes light of how risky North Korea is to its own people and Americans who travel there", the foundation's executive director, Marion Smith, told USA Today.
Now, Change.org has made a decision to start a petition to expel Rodman from the Pro Basketblal Hall of Fame due to his chummy relationship with the powers to be in North Korea.
"The barbarous treatment received by this young American at the hands of his North Korean captors is sadly not a unique act". North Korea has a history of mistreatment of its own people but especially American tourists, whether through torture or forced hard labor. Rodman has described North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un as a "friend for life".
Smith said Rodman's expulsion from the Hall of Fame would benefit the sport, and suggested a link between Rodman's visit and the timing of Warmbier's release.
"This is about trying to bridge a gap to a country that people say is so bad". Clearly, Rodman's actions have tarnished the name and reputation of basketball and it is time that he is removed from the Hall of Fame. The release of Warmbier was apparently unrelated to the Worm's arrival.
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We've reached out to the Hall of Fame for comment, and we'll update here if they respond. Few players are removed once inducted.
"According to the Hall's Board of Trustees, a candidate may be removed if he or she 'has damaged the integrity of the game of basketball, '" the petition reads, though it refers to candidates under consideration for induction and not those who are already members. Although there was a cry for his removal after the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, O.J. Simpson, who was found not guilty of the crimes, remains enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "We don't have time to talk about the Hall of Fame".
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation started the petition on Tuesday and has over 700 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.
"Rodman has always been known for his eccentricities, but this has gone too far", the petition states.
While calls demanding his removal from the Hall of Fame are growing, it's unclear whether they'll have any effect.
"Removing Rodman from the Hall of Fame will send a message that all Americans are united against this regime", Smith told CNN.
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