Basketball card and evidence (John Rosenberger/Twitter)?
Evidence can come in mysterious ways. DNA on pizza crust, the fur of a dog owned by a perpetrator, the fiber from a shirt. This may have been the first and only time that evidence for a crime could be garnered from a basketball card. And wasn’t used.
For generation Z and younger, there used to be collectible sports cards with a photo of a player and other information like their name, the team they played for, and fun facts depending on the sport and card production company. This was before the internet and instant access to all athletes images and information.
Which Basketball Card?
The basketball card in question is Mark Jackson, the former guard of the New York Knicks at the time of the card in question, his rookie season.
You may have seen Jackson during his incredibly long NBA career, from 1987 to 2004. The guard played for the Knicks, the Clippers, the Pacers, the Nuggets, the Jazz, and the Rockets. Jackson also played one year in Canada as a Toronto Rapper.
If that doesn’t ring a bell, you may recall him as the Golden State Warriors coach. Or as a broadcast commentator for ABC and ESPN. Jackson was one of the recent casualties of the ESPN layoffs.
Why Was The Basketball Card Important?
The importance of the basketball card can range from a cool relic of history to a finger pointing directly at the convicted murderers in the photo’s guilt.
Jackson is not the murderer in question. The Menendez brothers sitting in the front row of the New York Knicks game in the background of the card are the aforementioned life takers.
Why is that significant? The specific timing of the card. This photo was taken during the 1989-1990 season, after the brothers had killed their parents. It was also before they were arrested for the crime and taken into custody.
To be specific, it was during the brother’s supposed grieving period that they spent a large portion of their parent’s insurance payouts as a result of their death. Two true crime fans dug around in 2018 trying to find evidence of the brother’s “spending spree.” They saw in court evidence that the brothers had purchased Madison Garden Knicks tickets.
From there, they tried to find photo proof. Their search ended with them digging through “junk” basketball cards on eBay, and they struck gold when they found Mark Jackson’s rookie year card.
Perhaps they thought the brothers just bought front-row Knicks tickets and then decided not to go? That would be less logical than murdering your parents.
Menendez Brothers Case
This photo would have done little to support or disprove the state’s evidence against the Menendez brothers. Some individuals, like the true crime enthusiasts who found the card, buy into the insurance money being the brother’s primary motive.
The incredibly derogatory prosecution suggested money, and the Menendez brother’s father insisted on “too much tennis, not enough hugs.”
Unfortunately, this could not be further from the truth. Evidence indicated that Mr. Menendez gave too many hugs of the frontal variety.
Some questionable calls from the judge and a total lack of understanding of child abuse of that specific variety, particularly perpetuated against boys, were sorely misunderstood in the late 80s and early 90s.
Would the brothers be believed in today’s climate now that we understand that people can snap from long-term traumatic abuse? And that boys can be victims of their fathers in that specific way? It’s hard to say. But it would be great to see.
Recent evidence that came to light included Eric Menendez’s letter to his cousin that mentions the abuse he suffered from his father, as well as a man coming forward indicating that Menendez victimized him in the same way that he allegedly victimized his sons.
If they are awarded a new trial, the basketball card may be front and center in the trial evidence. The prosecution will need more of that since they can’t use the same stereotypes and misconceptions they relied heavily on in the 1980s and 1990s.
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