Angry Dukes sounds off

UPDATE

Rays  executive vice president Andrew Friedman said Tuesday night team officials had "disappointment and frustration" that the  Dukes issues has caused such a distraction, and that the sentiment "extends all the way throughout the organization.'' He also said team officials spoke with Dukes today after hearing of the radio spot.

ORIGINAL REPORT
An angry-sounding Elijah Dukes called Ron Diaz's and Ian Beckles' radio show on WDAE 620-AM early this morning to address the recent controversies and accusations by his estranged wife, NiShea Gilbert.

Among other things, Dukes said if he hadn't left Gilbert he would be in jail because she would have provoked him into attacking her:

"I know if I stayed with her I'd physically be in prison because she provoked me by hitting me,'' Dukes said. "She done hit me across the head with a picture frame and everything. I hate that because I told my kids I would never go back to jail for no domestic violence.

"I have made strides. I maybe, I probably, have an anger problem but I manage my anger and I know how to get rid of some of the problems to my anger.''

When Dukes was asked if he "needed help,'' he said:

(Times photo: Brian Cassella. Click to enlarge.)

"No, I don’t need no help. Everybody needs guidance. Do I need guidance? Yes, I need guidance. Sometimes you need somebody to talk to. But do I need help? No, I don’t need help.

"How many times have I ever shot someone? How many times have I ever stabbed someone? How many times have I gone to jail for brutally beating someone? Never. I went to jail for breaking a remote control (in a previous domestic case).''

Dukes admitted that the recent issues (specifically being ordered by a judge to not see his kids with Gilbert for a year) are the reason for his extended slump on the field, which has led to him losing his job as the starting centerfielder and raising the question if the Rays will soon demote him to the minors or release him. He was not in the lineup for a seventh straight day on Tuesday.

"I am in a bit of a slump because I've got all this other stuff going on,'' he said. "You know how hard it is to be away from your kids when you've always been with your kids. Does anybody  know how that feels?"

He also said he is not the father of a baby with a former foster child at his step-grandmother's house, though admitted they did have a one-time relationship.

Dukes said he hadn't addressed any of the previous reports or accusations by his estranged wife, but decided to call in to the station after hearing about a caller claiming Dukes admitted to him during an anger management session that Dukes' mother had smoked crack:

(Pictured: Phyllis Dukes, mother of Elijah Dukes. Times photo - Kathleen Flynn)

"I don’t talk about this stuff because I'm not one of those people who have to get even,'' Dukes said. "Just like the Bible says, If you know it's not true you don't have to say anything and I haven't been saying anything. But I will say something about this situation with my mom out my mouth, because everyone knows I do love my mom. And I am tough on my mom but I know for fact I never told nobody my mom smoked crack because that would be a lie on my behalf. She never told me and I never caught her.''

The Rays are in Arizona, and Dukes made the call shortly after 7 a.m. Arizona time, when most players are sleeping. The Rays play again tonight.

He also accused Gilbert of trying to "steal my money" and made this observation:

"I had to go through a lot to get to where I am today. All I want to say is that every time you get to the top you always have those hyenas who want to knock you down as a lion. ... I have come a long way. ... Nobody's going to bring me down with all these accusations they're making about me.''

His comments were exclusive to the radio station, which has been airing interviews from his relatives and Gilbert over the last week.

Listen to the audio, located at 620wdae.com.

Comments

[Michael DeAngelis]

What is there to defend, in my eyes he had a great opportunity and what comes around goes around. I dont know if he is guilty or not, I only want to know him as a player of baseball, nothing else. He is gathering a lot of press and air time for a player hitting under 200. Sorry mr Dukes, it time to go

[Sue]

Wow, try taking responsibility for your actions for once!

[donna]

Dukes can't take responsibility; he was never taught how. All answers to Dukes problems lie in his upbringing with his mother. She never gave him the tools he needed to become a person of responsibility. He will continue on this path until he learns what responsibility is.

[Jamie]

This guy is useless...

[JR]

Glad to hear Elijah fighting back. Everyone seems to be an expert about his personal life, which has nothing to do with baseball by the way. I like how he pointed out that he has never killed anyone, beaten anyone, etc. but people portray him as some sort of monster. He is one of the most talented prospects in all of baseball playing in his hometown and his town has turned their back on him. Gary Sheffield made errors on purpose in Milwaukee to force a trade when he was young and had very similar anger issues. He is going to the Hall of Fame. Elijah is a great competitor and wants to win. Lets not run him out of his hometown. Lets help him and he will help us reach the top of the mountain top in the baseball world.

[DPF]

When will the Rays admit they made a mistake with Navarro? He doesn't hit, nor work well with the pitchers.

[JC]

Why is he still around the team? He is nothing more then a common criminal. He has 5 kids now, probably 6 with this new one. HE & HIS FAMILY ARE STRAIGHT GHETTO!!!!!!

[Ron]

If he's made it to the top of the mountain batting .191, then perhaps he should jump off that mountain. He is a spoiled, self-centered moron who does not represent the Tampa Bay Devil Rays very well. Cut him, trade him or demote him, but this team does not need a .191 hitter who thinks he's already reached the pinnacle. He is a loser and an embarrasment.

[Nick]

Wow, there is a huge kiddie porn ring busted, 31 children saved, and THIS, THIS!!! is on the front page? The SPTIMES is going after Dukes, and it is obvious by now.

[HJ]

How many kids and and ex's will you have by age 30. Nobody is keeping you down except the one in your mirror. Tampa Bay has enough problems with or without you but less if you take a job flipping burgers.

[George S.]

It's very sad to see someone with as much potential as him throwing his life away...........

[Joe]

Ya think the Times will retract the things that you wrote about Dukes?
Nah! Too much fun ruining a person's life in the press. This whole thing is like Duke Lacross all over again. Time for the SPT to take responsibility for their slanted, irresponsible journalism!

[Jeremy]

Just read the comment above and you'll see how absolutely stupid this whole situation is... "in my eyes he had a great opportunity and what comes around goes around. I dont know if he is guilty or not". Okay, if you don't know if someone is guilty, then how do you know they had something bad coming to them. People like to see others' hardship, and Elijah is a rich, black, local athlete who is just being himself. Maybe he isn't perfect, but none of you, NONE OF YOU, know who the man is or what he is like behind closed doors. You see him at the Trop and not at home, so until you see these "injustices" live and direct, keep in mind that it would stink to be accused of something and have nothing to combat the issue except a lot of he said, she said, and rabid reporters writing second hand inuendos. How many people in Tampa Bay are going through the same situation as Elijah Dukes and his family?...how many of them have to do it in the public eye?...how hard would that be to put up with, without losing your temper?...THINK ABOUT IT!

[JP]

"Angry Dukes", "denied doing anything wrong"? I heard a 22 year old sounding defensive about all that has been sent his way in accusations, and frustration over the predetermined guilt that has been passed on him. For a 22 year old I thought he handled himself pretty well. None of the judges posting here have probably been attacked by heresay in a public forum and had their personal life from teenager on up evaluated in the local newspaper. He is still a kid, and I was impressed by his candor and devotion to his children. Keep beating him up if you choose, but he is right; none of us really know what has happened in his life, not what transpired between he and his wife. Judging has become much too common without any real knowledge of the facts.

[Former Rays Fan]

Stu, get this clown off your team! He is making YOU look like an idiot. This petulant punk is like a cement collar around the whole team---dragging the whole ship down. Character does mean something, and this thug has none.

[Eric]

It is pretty sad how the TIMES is trying to completely destroy this guy. He has not landed a hand on anyone yet he is a monster. I am sure the wife provokes him to no end. Let the guy live his life. I could see if we had some sort of evidence to go off of.. But this is beyond dumb. I agree DUKES LACROSSE all over again...

[Kelly]

I think people should listen to him and look at the arrest records. His wife was the one arrested for hitting him. I like how the times never mentioned how she had been arrested for domestic violence. Why don't the times, do some real research and then print the story.

[Bill]

All you bleeding-heart apologists need to LISTEN to this interview! If anything, the Times has been leniant in reporting this. Dukes is an idiot punk who blames everybody else and the rest of this one-sided "interview" is inaudible ghetto mumbo-jumbo. My God, what a brain dead worthless turd.
Dump him!

[Joe]

Requiring a newspaper to report the entire story is now considered being a "bleeding heart"?

Perhaps the Times can slam you, Bill with half reported stories disguised as journalism, with the intent to run you out of town. Maybe then you won't be so quick to judge a guy when you don't care to know the entire story.

Listen to the podcast-it's completely different then the selected quotes purposely pulled to slant a picture of Dukes that is, based on the podcast I heard, outrageous.

Why doesn't the Times mention his wife's alleged thievery that Dukes talks about, or the fact that he has always taken care of his kids, or that this entire mess is brought about because of a divorce?

It's disgusting. A total Duke Lacross journalistic slam job. It's time the Devil Rays discontinued advertising with the Times until they decide to perform their job-fair reporting-not slam jobs to run people out of town.

[A Teacher]

As a school teacher, I can certainly relate to many kids who were in the same nurturing environment that Dukes experienced. It is so easy for us to point a finger to Dukes. Why do we as a society, including the media, to give a blessing to Dukes' family and encourage him to seek an appropriate guidance. St. Pete Times can do a great service to find ways to help Dukes' familities instead of pointing fingers and present too many negativities to your readers. If Mr. Dukes can resolve all of the issues he is facing now, would he be more grateful for how we make him (including each of us) be a better person?

We all do need a "caring" heart to support unfortunate people.

[John]

Why are so many people going after the Times? Do you guys read other papers or listen to the radio? Same stuff. And if one side is talking (gilbert) and the other is not (dukes), all you have to go on is one side. Dukes finally talked today, but unlike his family, Dukes ranted frantically and only confirmed that he has an anger problem. The rest of his family didn't sound like that and all of them said they think he might have a problem with anger even while they defended him. From all the interviews, I think Gilbert is no saint even though she tries to act like one. But Dukes has problems and his problems are his own. There's a reason other teams won't give the DRays anything close to what Dukes' talent would merit in a trade.

[joe mccrary]

one thing we know he is a loser so far, but he is still young, and all this he said she said stuff, proabaly alot on truth on both sides, whatever. one thing nobodys going to argue, to all these women he is the GOLDEN GOOSE. he keeps hitting a baseball and he ain't heard the last of these women.

[ANTHONY]

L O S E R !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ron]

JR, Gary Sheffield is never going to the Baseball Hall of Fame, unless he buys a ticket.

[Sad Rays fan]

Dukes, true to form, is blaming everyone but himself. For anyone to say the Times is to blame for his problems, get a life. Easy way to solve the Dukes issue: immediate unconditional release. They have made it clear in Durham he is not welcome there either---I guess that is the Durham papers fault too.

[JPD]

Dukes made it pretty clear, his performance is affected by the difficulties in his personal life. Does anyone think those difficulties are going away? The Rays have no choice, pro baseball teams are not counseling services, it did not work with Josh Hamilton, and it won't work with Dukes.

[kenny]

what is it with everyone saying he cant play? if he would have been playing this whole time he would have the same amount of homers as pena and 3 times the walks. i would bat him in the 2 hole. every real baseball fan knows batting avg isnt even close to the most important hitting stat. its all about obp, ops, and slugging. dukes has them all. and another thing, gomes is hot right now, what about a month from now? all hes doing is costing us runs out in right. crawford, dukes and young is the outfield of the future.

[EJ]

Forget Anger Management, lets try a basic english class first...At least we could then understand his tirades.

[John]

Kenny, good points about how the average fan over-values batting average, and the importance of OBP, OPS, and SLG. Dukes doesn't get enough credit for his ability to draw walks and see alot of pitches... But, Dukes still has a bad OBP (.320) and SLG (.393), which means his OPS stinks too. You still have to hit some. A .191 average stinks and it does mean something.

[joemama]

Uh, can you say 'Darryl Strawberry'?
the problem here is 2 ghetto crackheads
with too much money-fire this tard!

[Von Zipper]

Elijah needs help. He also deserves a second chance once he gets his affairs in order and life on track. A demotion to AAA Durham (change of scenery) and some some family/life counseling might do some good.

[Duane]

Elijah's issues more or less seem to stem from his sense of entitlement. It was Duke's who went out of his way to bash the Rays organization for not pulling him up to the majors sooner and it's been nothing but bad press sense he arrived.
Domestic violence reported and threatened - as reported by teachers and administrators at his wife's work and now the accusations of a pregnancy that he says "isn't his" but he did have an affair. It's like saying "I lit the matches but I didn't cause the fire"
When will Elijah start showing that he is mature, responsible and ready to become a major league ball player and not a major league screw up?

[Senor]

His Sweet Thang is showin him disrespect, plain and simple.

[Jim]

Baseball or any sports "gift" or any "gift" of some ability does not relieve one of being a decent human being. The uneducated slob he appears to be is disgusting and the Rays should be ashamed to have him on the payroll, but hey, it's MLB, 'nuff said.

[cs]

Can we please get rid of him before the Red Sox come to town so that I can see a game. I can't support the DR's with this idiot on the team.

[Joy]

Anger management, plus he already has four kids (by 3 different mothers?-now maybe four) at a too young age. Not setting a very good example for his younger fans and/or children. He needs to grow up, get a vasectomy and some much needed counseling. Also, how far did he get in school?

[Dana]

"And I am tough on my mom but I know for fact I never told nobody my mom smoked crack because that would be a lie on my behalf."

If she hasn't done crack or other things illegal, then why does he need to be tough on her?

I listened to that whole interview and the kid definitely has anger issues. he's shown it in the minors (with teammates, coaches and management) and who's to say it's going to get any better here?

Hate to see the talent he has go to waste, but it's time to either cut him lose or finally get him the absolute help he needs before putting him back on the field.

[Single in St. Pete]

Wow! His mom is kinda cute! Is she single?

[BA]

Sounds like he needs condom managment!

[DJ]

His ex is making this worse. She didn't press charges. She asked for a restraining order and she got it. He's not allowed to contact her or their two kids for one year. She has no business continuing to go on the radio and talking about things like how Dukes told her his mother smoked crack. It didn't sound like Dukes was lying when he said he never said his mom smoked crack. If anything it sounded like he said his mom sold crack, which his mom later confirmed on the same show. Dukes probably sees that as his mother doing what she had to do to support her kids as opposed to just being a crack head. Most of the world might not see the difference, but Dukes' ex knows Dukes thinks there is a big difference. And she knows going on the radio saying his mom smoked crack is going to enrage him and his family. The more she talks, no matter how eloquently, the less I believe. Like Chris Rock said, "I aint saying you should hit a woman, but I understand."

[Frank]

Behind all of Elijah's ranting and raving, I heard an out-of-bounds, talented young man who has SOME sense of right and wrong. Unfortunately, young African-American men in the good old USA are still second-class citizens without the privilege of basic education and the social framework I enjoy as a white male. Anyone disagree, I'll take you to the second class schools filled w/minorities I have seen in Hillsborough County.

He is an adult and must assume responsibilty for his actions. So who is there to guide him? Whether you like it or not, he is from our community. Looks like no one from the Devil Rays - he is a piece to be hidden away until traded. These boys from New York sure did have a gooood education.

Looking at the comments here and listening to my buddies comments that the only issue is condom class for Dukes, well........ the issues are much larger than this frenzy that pays so many in the media.

Before I heard this interview, I was all over this guy as worthless. Now I heard a lost young man who has had opportunity (hopefully, not lost). Is there someone that will push him to grow as a human being? Or are we just caught in our voyeuristic travels?

Frank

[Mike]

Joe, the difference between Elijah and Duke lacross is that the Duke players were innocent. Elijah is guilty of being a ghetto retard!

[Bill]

The rays only option at this point is to release him. no team is going to trade for him or pick him up off the streets. and he cant be sent to the minors because durham and montgomery have already said they wont accept him. let someone on the team who appreciates the priveledge of being a major league baseball player

[Barrymac83]

my new T shirt

GOMES NOT GOONS

[Barrymac83]

really!!!
i think the rays are still regretting losing Hamilton and don't want to make the same mistake with Dukes (letting them go and they turn up somewhere else and do good).at this point its far beyond being a good baseball player...and a good TEAM .if they release him that will mean he can't pay child suport and we'll have 5 ,i mean now 6 more kids on welware.
the owners aren't concerned with team image of the team,just the product they are invested in building & relocating /selling.
i feel better now

[What a PUNK]

The $350,000.00 Dukes is making to play six months of baseball is probably more than he will see total for the rest of his life! Do you think he would still have his $6hr car wash job if he acted the way he does now? Why special treatment? Because he can sometimes hit a baseball. Put him up to the same standards all Americans are. Let him go out to the real world and try to make it with that attitude. It is certain he would be in jail within days.