Beckham's jersey tears 2 Hawaii kids apart

[Lei Liko]

Source (http://honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080424/NEWS01/804240382/1001)

A benevolent gesture by soccer star David Beckham has ended in legal wrangling for two boys and their families over a jersey belonging to the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder.

The parents of the boys, ages 9 and 10, have retained attorneys, and letters threatening a lawsuit have been sent back and forth.

For the first time in three years, the boys' friendship is in peril and the parents aren't speaking, a situation the general manager for the Galaxy, former soccer star Alexi Lalas, yesterday called a "pity."

"There are things certainly more important than soccer and David Beckham, and I say that as a huge supporter of both soccer and David," said Lalas, in a telephone interview from Los Angeles. "Even David Beckham isn't worth ruining a friendship that could possibly last a lifetime."

The parents got lawyers involved. I feel for the two boys. There's more to life than a stupid Beckham jersey, and it's unfortunate that their parents are saying otherwise.

Auwe. Shame on the Hos and the Kerrs. :rolleyes:

[Mike_Lowery]

smh...these kids should throw away that jersey and settle things themselves to show their parents how silly the whole thing is. Will David Beckham pay your rent?

[Lei Liko]

smh...these kids should throw away that jersey and settle things themselves to show their parents how silly the whole thing is. Will David Beckham pay your rent?

Becks should demand to have that jersey back.

Legal fees aren't cheap. It's just a damn jersey.

[zztype]

http://zztype.com/dropbox/beckham_jersey.jpg

The culprit?

[tutusue]

Becks should demand to have that jersey back.[...]
Exactly <high 5>!
What kind of an example are those 4 parents setting? :mad:

[tutusue]

http://zztype.com/dropbox/beckham_jersey.jpg

The culprit?
Oh wait...check out Mike_Lowrey's avatar. Maybe he should swap it out for this photo! :D

[scrivener]

Stupid fricking parents. Asshole parents. If I were the parent of either of those boys I would demand that the jersey be given to the other. What the frick do these idiots think they are teaching their kids?

And what kind of fricking lawyer takes a case like that?

[Sharilyn]

If I could, I'd rip that shirt to shreds. But then, the parents would probably sue me, huh?

[tutusue]

[...]And what kind of fricking lawyer takes a case like that?
One who doesn't take the case on a contingency and finds idiot clients who are willing to pay a retainer for a ridiculously stupid case. Why not? Lawyers have bills to pay, too, and if idiots want to throw their money away, well, if I was a lawyer I'd take it, too!!! :p

I'm currently watching someone file multiple, absolutely stupid lawsuits...throwing them around like they're ping pong balls in a lottery drawing. I've heard a lot of bad mouthing going on about the attorney. And I say...why not bleed the idiot plaintiff who absolutely deserves to be bled?!

Taking cases on a contingency is a whole different ball game, however.

[Jim75]

Yeah, definitely a shame.

When I was in 2nd grade, one of my friends was teasing me in his mom's car after a cub scout meeting. The next day at school, during lunch, we were taunting each other and my big brother and some of his friends goaded us into fighting. My mom was out of town visiting my grandparents and my dad decided to make a pass by the school. He must've had some kind of telepathy going. Anyway, he broke up the proceedings and me and my friend were made to sit together on a wooden bench outside the classroom after class had started. My friend eventually offered to shake my hand while we were sitting there and he had one of those tin, wind-up joy buzzers in his hand. We had it all sorted out in the course of a half hour or so. Forty three years later were still good friends.

When I saw this story my story popped into my memory, so I thought I'd type it up as it's kind of related.

[Da Rolling Eye]

Stupid fricking parents. Asshole parents. If I were the parent of either of those boys I would demand that the jersey be given to the other. What the frick do these idiots think they are teaching their kids?

And what kind of fricking lawyer takes a case like that?
Whoa, Scriv, c'mon, tell us how you really feel dude. :D

We signed Mel up for a season of soccer. She didn't want to return and we couldn't blame her. Amazing....the attitudes of some of the parents and kids. It's only a damned game!....and this was for the 6 to 8 yr. old division. :mad:

Mel wants to play lacrosse, now. :confused:

[Walkoff Balk]

Have the opposing parents on each side of River Street Canal. Then, toss the jersey in the middle of the canal, and whoever gets it first, wins.

[zztype]

Mel wants to play lacrosse, now. :confused:

Lacrosse: Gateway to Rugby!

Argh, argh, argh! :D

[Keaiwa]

Auwe! They should just sell the shirt and split the income, or donate it to charity... or both!

Teaching the kids to go to court and all shows no aloha.:mad:

[GeckoGeek]

There's a valuable lesson to be learned here.

The question is how long (and how much money spent on lawyers) will it take for one side to learn it?

I have a feeling that both sides are getting an earful now that it's hit the paper.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Pettiness isn't a birthright, but a honed skill, and these idiot parents are turning their darling little Smeagols into Gollums, fighting over their preeeeccciiiioooousssss.

The jersey is bad luck.

Burn it.

[alohabear]

This sounds like a plot for Bend It Like Beckham 2: Auwe Soccer!:(

[Bobinator]

How sad. Now both parents will lose friends AND attorney's fees. I think one of the smarter things to do in this case would be for both families to donate the jersey to a museum or other venue where the shirt can be displayed in a glass case. The names of both boys could be posted on a plaque as the donors. That would last many years. They could also have the donation appraised and have it claimed as a tax write-off or something. Some entity could also offer to buy it and set up trust funds for the boy's college education or something.

[cezanne]

And what kind of fricking lawyer takes a case like that?

Lanikai Eggman? :D

[Frankie's Market]

Seemingly lost in all this discussion is the 2nd jersey (supposedly signed by Beckham) that the Ho family gave to the Kerrs.

Thinking the situation was resolved, the Kerrs dropped the issue until the next night, when the Hos offered the Kerrs' son another jersey, this one allegedly signed by Beckham during the intermission of the Galaxy game on Feb. 23.

The Kerrs say the signature looked forged. The Hos said they know someone who gained access to Beckham while he was in the locker room, and the jersey is authentic.

Just my opinion, but if the Hos are being on the level and the autographed jersey they have given to the Kerrs is authentic, then I don't see why things shouldn't stand as they are. The Kerrs are probably not qualified to judge whether Beckham's signature is genuine or not. That needs to be assessed by a qualified signature authenticator. Of course, there's a fee involved. But if the two families split the fee, I can't imagine that costing more than attorney's fees in a lawsuit.

[oceanpacific]

The so-called "adults" are behaving like children ............... :eek:

[scrivener]

Just my opinion, but if the Hos are being on the level and the autographed jersey they have given to the Kerrs is authentic, then I don't see why things shouldn't stand as they are. The Kerrs are probably not qualified to judge whether Beckham's signature is genuine or not. That needs to be assessed by a qualified signature authenticator. Of course, there's a fee involved. But if the two families split the fee, I can't imagine that costing more than attorney's fees in a lawsuit.
If the second jersey's just as good, why don't the Hos keep it and give the Kerrs the original?

[Frankie's Market]

If the second jersey's just as good, why don't the Hos keep it and give the Kerrs the original?

Excellent point. Why not, if the Hos were being honest in the whole thing? Somebody should ask them.

I'm far from being an expert when it comes to sports memorabilia, but I wonder which is more valuable? An autographed jersey or a game-used jersey? In many cases, I would imagine the latter is more rare and difficult to obtain. But if anyone planned on selling it for top value, wouldn't there be considerable expense involved in authenticating it as a genuine game-used item? There's a lot of phony "game used" gear being sold on eBay and memorabilia shows.

[scrivener]

I have said this elsewhere, but I guess I'll say it here, too, since it sounds like a lot of folks want to find some compromise that makes both parties happy. If either of these boys were my kid, I would make him give the jersey to his friend, and if he complained or whined about it, I'd ground him until he could look me in the eye and say he was happy he did it. There is one peaceful solution: One family has to submit. What I can't believe is that the argument isn't over which boy has the privilege of giving the shirt to the other.