FanHouse DemetriusBell

Kudos to Jemele Hill of ESPN.com for writing a great column about Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Demetrius Bell and the famous father who had nothing to do with him, Karl Malone.

The Bills picked Bell in the seventh round of the NFL draft, and several media outlets reported that Bell was the son of Malone, the NBA great. But not every outlet made clear that Malone was a deadbeat dad who hadn't been there for his son, and hardly any followed up on the report, which first appeared in the Buffalo News, that Bell's mother was 13 years old when she gave birth.

That news would make Malone not just a deadbeat dad but also a criminal, and it was shocking that ESPN and the rest of the mainstream sports media completely ignored it. The Buffalo News and Los Angeles Times were the only media newspapers that reported it, and as far as I know it has never been mentioned on television.

Maybe Hill's column will change that. Bell is from all accounts a fine young man whose life story should be told. And that story isn't complete unless it includes disturbing details about his father.

Previously on FanHouse:
Offensive Tackle Demetrius Bell, Son of Deadbeat Dad Karl Malone, Drafted by Bills
Report: Mother of Buffalo Bills Player Was 12 or 13 When Karl Malone Got Her Pregnant
Why Is Mainstream Media Ignoring Statutory Rape Allegations Against Karl Malone?

When we learned that Buffalo Bills draft pick Demetrius Bell was the son of NBA legend Karl Malone, and that Malone played no part in Bell's upbringing, it was a story that made a lot of people sad. And then when the Buffalo News reported that Bell's mother was 12 or 13 when Malone got her pregnant, it was a story that made a lot of people angry.

But it's a story that the mainstream media has almost completely ignored. As far as I can tell, only two newspapers, the Buffalo News and Los Angeles Times, have made any mention of the report that Gloria Bell was 13 years old when she gave birth to Demetrius. A couple of other news sources, including BET.com, have mentioned the story, but I have been unable to find it mentioned in Sports Illustrated or on ESPN or ABC or TNT or Fox or any of the other media outlets that cover the NFL or the NBA.

Malone was 20 when Demetrius Bell was conceived. It is a very serious crime for a 20-year-old man to have sex with a 12- or 13-year-old girl. I can't say whether Malone committed that crime -- I don't have a DNA test or a birth certificate -- but no one has disputed the original Buffalo News report.

An all-time NBA great committing a sex crime that resulted in the birth of a boy who is now in the NFL would seem like the kind of thing the media would be all over. Why is this story being thoroughly ignored?

We've previously noted the story of Demetrius Bell, the offensive tackle who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills on Sunday and who spent his entire childhood without any support from his father -- NBA star Karl Malone.

But as bad as being a deadbeat dad makes Malone look, this column by Allen Wilson of the Buffalo News makes him look worse:

Bell is the son of Malone, but the Mailman had no role in Bell's success except passing along athletic genes.

The two have had very little contact during Bell's life. His mother, Gloria Bell, reportedly was only 13 years old and Malone a college sophomore at Louisiana Tech when Demetrius was born. Malone might have served jail time had her family asked the district attorney to file criminal charges.

So far, Malone has said nothing publicly about Bell. But he needs to now. Wilson's column accuses him of a very serious crime -- sex with a 12- or 13-year-old girl -- and Malone needs to explain himself.

Buffalo Bills 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (11): Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
Round 2 (41): James Hardy, WR, Indiana
Round 3 (72): Chris Ellis, DE, Virginia Tech
Round 4 (114): Reggie Corner, CB, Akron
Round 4 (132): Derek Fine, TE, Kansas
Round 5 (147): Alvin Bowen, OLB, Iowa State
Round 6 (179): Xavier Omon, RB, Northern Missouri State
Round 7 (219): Demetrius Bell, OT, Northwestern State (LA)
Round 7 (224): Steve Johnson, WR, Kentucky
Round 7 (251): Kennard Cox, CB, Pittsburgh

The Good: Not only was Buffalo able to land the cornerback they so desperately needed, they were also able to land the big-time wide receiver they coveted as well. Both Leodis McKelvin and James Hardy will come in and have an immediate impact for the Bills, giving them two dimensions they were lacking last year. Additionally, Derek Fine was a tremendous value pick in round four and will likely add some quality depth to Buffalo's currently shallow tight end position.

The Bad: Outside of McKelvin and Hardy, many of the players Buffalo drafted have several question marks. Can Ellis become a more consistent player at the next level? Is Corner's size (or lack thereof) a major concern? Is Bowen big enough to play every down? And does Bell have enough game experience to offer any significant value? Those are some rather concerning questions ...

The Grade: B-. At the very least, Buffalo got two solid starters out of the draft and a lot of depth. Some of the other players will most likely realize their talent and reward the Bills, while the rest will eventually fade away into nothing. It wasn't an outstanding draft by any means, but it certainly wasn't a poor one either.

Click here to read other draft grades.

The Buffalo Bills picked Northwestern State offensive tackle Demetrius Bell on Sunday in the seventh round of the NFL draft. Seventh-round offensive linemen rarely get any attention.

But Bell is getting a lot of attention today because of his famous father, NBA legend Karl Malone. And Bell says the genetics of a great athlete is all he ever got from that famous father.

When they met for the first time, Bell was 18, and Malone delivered a harsh message that, according to several reports, amounted to, "It's too late for me to be your father, and you'll earn your money on your own."

Charming. There is one nice piece of news in all this: Bell has become close to his half-sister Cheryl Ford, a WNBA player who is another one of Malone's children out of wedlock. Bell calls Ford the biggest influence on his football career.