Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2002 6:26 pm Post subject: kiss
Yup, I just read both articles on them. Here is the most detailed article:
Their story: Iversons open up about last summer
by John Smallwood
ALLEN IVERSON was relaxed. Wearing a Sixers sweat suit, accented with his dazzling array of platinum and diamond jewelry, the man known as "The Answer" was ready to speak his mind.
If Tawanna Iverson was nervous, she never let it show - although this was clearly not her scene. Despite being married to one of the most popular athletes on the planet, she always has been more comfortable in the background, away from the white-hot glare that has been a fixture in her husband's life almost since the moment they met as high schoolers in Virginia.
During a turbulent summer, however, any haven that Tawanna Iverson had hoped to maintain was swept away in the maelstrom of controversy that followed Allen's arrest for allegedly threatening with a gun two men he suspected of harboring Tawanna in a West Philadelphia apartment following a domestic dispute.
Their private life was turned into a public spectacle, opened raw for consumption and scrutiny.
Even though the judicial process ran its course and all charges against Allen were dropped, life for the Iversons had been altered, possibly forever.
For more than an hour yesterday at the team's practice facility, the Iversons openly discussed what happened this summer - for the first time since Allen was accused - and how it has affected their lives. Occasionally injecting playful banter, they addressed a number of issues. Among them:
Allen's newfound fear of Philadelphia, and that some police officers might be out to get him.
The feeling that their family's privacy had been invaded by the round-the-clock surveillance of their home in Gladwyne.
That the media did not get the facts straight.
How Allen Iverson explains the media's treatment of him, and how he wishes they would leave his wife and children alone.
How the family's lifestyle has changed due to security concerns.
How Tawanna sees Allen.
The media circus
"I wasn't shocked by any of it because that's the way it's been with me," said Allen. "I can't even say since I've been in the league. It's been that way with me since the world has known Allen Iverson, as far as high school, college and up to this point right now. It seems like I've always had a microscope on my life and everything that I've been through, dealt with.
"It was just a horrible experience having people outside of my house, 24 hours. Helicopters flying over my house because of something I was accused of. My kids not being able to go outside and play because of the media coverage...
"The media makes you and they break you. It's as simple as that. It was a bad experience for [Tawanna] because she ain't never been one to speak to the media, deal with the media or anything like that. But when the incident happened, she was the top story. It was just a bad experience overall."
Tawanna got a harsh lesson in Media Blitz 101.
For a time, the Iversons said they virtually felt like prisoners in their own home, with an endless wave of media members acting like 24-hour guards watching their every move.
"I felt like the media was ridiculous," Tawanna said. "I mean, they sat outside my house, like [Allen] said, but you wouldn't know they were there until 11 and 12 o'clock at night, shining bright lights into my house. It was just crazy, and at the same time I felt it was, of course, just an invasion of privacy that stemmed from something that never happened."
Stories were run alleging that the incident began with a domestic dispute and that Allen had thrown Tawanna out of their home.
"I was never thrown out of the house naked," Tawanna said.
Tawanna said being thrust into the media spotlight was something she never wanted. "That's something he's dealt with, but I never had to deal with it," she said. "That was something that was just way over my head. I have much more respect for what he goes through, him or anyone who has celebrity status. It's something I never wanted to go through. I keep to myself. What's in my house stays in my house. I don't flaunt my kids in front of the camera. I don't flaunt myself in front of the camera. If I choose to speak, that's on my time.
"If I choose to be in front of the camera, that's on my time. Not to just be blasted. The media hiding in the bushes, taking pictures of me, trespassing on my property. Then when we were outside, they say we were 'putting on a show,' because we were in our yard with our family...I don't know, that must not be a normal thing. But that's what we did.
"It wasn't a show - or maybe it was a show to whoever was watching on television."
The Iversons said it appeared to them that the media tried to make it look like their family was making light of what was happening.
"We had a party?" Allen said, with a quizzical look. "The night before I turned myself in [to the police], they said we had a party. I mean, why would we be having a party? That's nothing to party over."
Tawanna supported that belief: "What gets me is [the media] took family support and turned it into, you know, a party. We had a party with beer, but how would you know unless you were trespassing on our property?"
Allen said the media crush reconfirmed his belief that some of the things written about him are only done to sell newspapers and increase ratings.
"I just feel that because it's me, and because everything I've been through in my life," he said. "I don't really look at the media like they're just harsh to me because they hate me. It's just because it's their livelihood. It's the way they eat, the way they have to survive...
"When you talk about something negative, it just sells papers. That's what the whole thing is about. I don't really think people in the media are as bad as they act. It's just their job. It's just the way life is. Quote me the same way I'm saying it: 'The world is just f---ed up that way.' That's just the way it is."
Perception, expectations
Allen has been criticized for the way he dresses, the way he speaks, the way he wears his hair, the company he keeps. What happened this summer only gave his critics another opportunity to ask, "What doesn't he get?"
"I see it, but I'm me," Allen said. "I'm a human being, man. I make mistakes like everybody else. I try to live my life as positive as I can. I mean, some things, I just can't control. People say what they want to say. It's always going to be like that. I know people look at my life with a microscope, but some things I can't control.
"Some people in this world are just mean. That's just what it is. That's something I have to accept. That's not something I'm new to...It's been like that."
Tawanna said that what Allen's critics don't see are all the good things he does. And it particularly bothers her when people imply that her husband takes for granted all that he has.
"That's not accurate," she said, "but that's what the media does to him. He's very appreciative, and what the world doesn't see is that he's a wonderful father and husband. He's appreciative of that, also.
"But he's not like everybody else. He doesn't come from - although we live on the Main Line - where our next-door neighbor who might have lived on the Main Line all his life comes from. Just because we live in a, well, it's public knowledge now, $2.5 million house doesn't mean [Allen] has to act like the next man who lives in a $2.5 million house.
"Where he comes from built him into who he is. I don't come from where Allen comes from. We're not the same person. People are different. I can't expect him to like exactly what I like. He can't expect me to like exactly what he likes. People need to understand that about other people in this world. It's not about 'I don't act like that, or if I were him, I would have done it this way.' It's not about that.
"He makes mistakes, and he learns and grows from those mistakes. That's how I look at it. I can't say there's been a time when he hasn't been appreciative of what he has. He loves his family and friends. He's very loyal to them. If he didn't appreciate them, he wouldn't do things for them. If he didn't appreciate his career, that some people say was given to him but is something he's worked for all of his life, he wouldn't be where he is.
"Yes, he plays for 76ers, but he also gives to charities. He has a foundation. Does things for the Boys & Girls Club. He wouldn't be that person if he didn't appreciate what he has."
"What? You don't tell me that s---," Allen playfully said. "You make me feel good. Type that up for me."
Domestic issues
The Iversons didn't try to hide the fact that, like all couples, sometimes they argue. It's just that most couples' arguments won't make the national news.
"First of all, it's not nobody's business,"" Allen said. "It's as simple as that."
Quickly jumping in Tawanna added, "Anything that goes on between the two of us."
"Me and my wife have been together for 10 ½ years," Allen said. "We've been in a million fights. I'd be wrong if I ask you, 'What's up with you and your girl?' 'What's up with your relationship?' 'When's the last time you and her got in a fight?'...
"I'd be a fool to say, 'I don't get into it with Tawanna. I never get in a fight with her ever in life.' But am I in there putting a foot in her ass or anything like that? No, never."
Tawanna was clear to point out that when Allen said "fights" he meant the couple had lots of arguments.
"[Allen] says we've had a million fights, but if you're going to put that in the paper, say 'arguments' because somebody can take 'fight' and turn it into something physical," Tawanna said. "Of course, I've felt the need [to say those things never happened], but I don't put my face on camera and call you to have an interview with me about something that didn't happen."
The Iversons said too many rumors were turned into stories.
"The media can write anything they want whether it's accurate or not," Allen said. "A lot of people will look at that and say, 'Damn, Allen did that, or Tawanna did that.' Some of the things I heard in the media. I heard she was cheating on me. I heard she was cheating on me with my own cousin - a whole bunch of s---. The reason I'm hurt is I'm hurt for [Tawanna]. They're saying this s--- about [Tawanna], and it's something she didn't do.
"That was the bad part of this situation. I've been in stuff before where I knew I was innocent and didn't do what they said I did, but I've never been in a situation where they took someone that I love and treated them like they treat me.
"I can deal with somebody lying about me, but not her. The thing that makes me feel bad is that I brought Tawanna into this whole thing. She's not the type of person who wants to be out there: 'I'm Allen Iverson's wife. I'm doing this. I'm doing that. Take pictures of me.' She always plays the back seat, and when she's finally brought out, it's in a negative way.
"If you want to say anything about my wife, talk about what she does for me. Talk about how she helps me. Allen Iverson's life ain't easy and without Tawanna Iverson, it would be that much harder. Without her, I don't know what I would be. I don't know where I would be. I don't think I could have gotten this far without my wife. There's no way in the world I would be where I'm at without her. It's as simple as that."
Their children
As difficult as it is for them to have to live a life in the spotlight, the Iversons said their biggest concern about this summer is how it affected their children, Tiaura (7) and Allen II (4).
"I think we've grown closer as a family," she said.
"We have two kids to raise, and we're trying to raise them as normal kids. Yes, they are the kids of Allen Iverson, star of the 76ers, but we raise normal kids. They shouldn't have to walk around on eggshells and not be able to be kids."
Allen conceded that the media blitz this summer hit in the only place he is vulnerable: his family.
"This is the worst feeling in the world," he said. "I can deal with all of the crazy s--- they say about me. I can honestly deal with anything except [attacks on his family]. My family, that's what I'm living for. I'm living to provide for my wife and my kids. That's the only thing I feel like I want to defend myself for: my family.
"The old stories about my friends, I can say, 'All right, y'all can go whatever distance you want with that. That's old news.' But when it comes to questioning how I feel about my family, that really bothers me because that's the only reason I'm here. I'm selfish in that sense.
"This situation I went through this summer is about a woman I've been with all of my life. That's me. Allen Iverson and Tawanna Iverson, that's me. I've got two sides and she's my other side."
Things have changed
The Iversons said you cannot go through what they went through this summer and not have your lifestyle change.
Again, it has most affected Tawanna, who no longer has any semblance of the privacy she so cherished.
"I don't like to go out," she said. "Normal things, like going to the grocery store and pumping my own gas, that was fine with me. But that's not cool with me anymore. Everywhere I go, I've got to hear, 'There she is. That's Iverson's wife.' If they didn't know before, they know now.
"It's hard because I'm not used to that. It's something he's used to, but not me. He's celebrity. I'm married to him. I didn't work on being out in the limelight or being a star. That's not me.
"Our lifestyle has changed since this summer. Everybody knows our address. We're getting letters from inmates. I get letters from people telling me they were at my house this weekend. That's crazy. It's like a tourist spot now. We don't have any type of privacy now."
In fact, they are in the process of selling the Gladwyne house and moving to Villanova.
And Allen says to increase attention on Tawanna makes him afraid for her.
"I always worry about her," he said. "She doesn't sit with everybody else anymore at games. She sits in a box now. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people who walk up to her have good intentions. A lot of the fans see Tawanna Iverson and just want to say hi.
"But now you've got women who are jealous as hell of her, who will come up and say anything to her. I'll walk out with her after a game and there are women screaming, 'Allen, she just wants you for your money. You should get with me.' And 'Allen, she ain't s---.' They say things to her for nothing.
"That's why I respect her so much. I wonder if I walked out with her and somebody said, 'Tawanna, he's just with you because you got money,' I'd flip the hell out. But she bites her tongue, and sometimes that's hard for her."
City of Brotherly Love?
Since he was drafted by the Sixers in 1996, Allen Iverson has always maintained he wanted to play his entire career in Philadelphia. During the times of trade talks, he always said he wanted to stay.
But after this summer, he said he felt something about Philadelphia he never had before: fear.
"That's one of the main things I wanted to talk about," he said. "I want to be in Philadelphia, but I'm scared now to be in Philadelphia.
"I've heard about police officers toasting to Allen Iverson's next felony conviction. I'm hearing about police officers saying I'm involved with this, that and the third.
"It scares me because I know that if there's any crooked cops out there, they can do anything. A crooked cop can do anything. Allen Iverson can end up dead tomorrow if a crooked cop wants him dead. It's as simple as that.
"I have news cameras following me everywhere, following my wife, following my kids, following my friends, just to see what type of activity is going on. It really scares me, man.
"If you tell me I'd have to go through this in any city if I had to go there, I'd rather be in Philadelphia. I've never been through it anywhere else except Philadelphia. I don't know if it would be worse someplace else. But it's like that here."
Tawanna said she now feels as if there is an active campaign by some members in the media to get Allen.
"Anything it takes now," she said. "I mean, I stay at home. I'm a housewife. I raise my kids. I don't have a nanny to raise my kids. Where I go, my kids go...If they can take Tawanna Iverson, take that name and run with, then, yeah [they'll do anything]. I know the type of person I am...He knows the type of person I am.
"It might not matter to him how the media looks at him, but there are fans that love him. Kids might change their minds about him, and that matters."
Last word
As the conversation wound down, the Iversons ended by saying they weren't angry anymore. They didn't even hold a grudge against the media they feel persecuted them.
"This is just the way it's going to be," Allen said. "It's a bad thing, but it's our thing. It's our life and we have to deal with it. There are people in far worse situations than we have. You just have to deal with life for what it is.
"My grandma always told me God is not going to put you through anything that you cannot handle. It's as simple as that. You can handle anything. It hurt sometimes. People can be mean and vicious to you sometimes.
"But I've got to be Allen Iverson for the rest of my life, and she's got to be Tawanna Iverson. It's as simple as that. You've got to live with whatever it is.
"I'm willing to deal with it. What doesn't kill can't do nothing to me. If it don't kill me, I'm good. I'm straight.
"People think I live my life for Allen Iverson. I live for Tawanna Iverson and them two kids. That's what I live my life for. That's all I've got. That's all I care about. I may stumble, but I promise you I won't fall."
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2002 10:15 pm Post subject: kiss
now what do you people that said she cheated on him with his cousin and all them terrible things yall said about tawanna have to say and to all the people saying that they didn't like without even knowing what really happen and like someone said the truth will come out and it did
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2002 10:19 pm Post subject: kiss
now what do you people who said that tawanna cheated on him with his cousin and said all those terrible things about her have say and to the people who said that they didn't like her anymore without even knowing the truth
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2002 10:57 pm Post subject: kiss
As far as I'm concern, I hope the media laids to rest this whole incident. However, it doesn't answer my question of what exactly took place than night.I wanted to hear their version of the story. Yes, Allen and Tawanna get into arguments. I believe that but does she always leave the house and he goes looking for her??? I don't know about that. Since their lawyer urged them to finally speak out,who is to say they didn't somewhat rehearse what they wanted to say for the media because he was present when they were giving the interview. I'm just saying. Yet I agree with them about the media and their privacy being violated. On my part, this whole incident is null and void. If anything further is to come out in regards to the incident then it will.I just hope everything works out and the media finally stops harassing the Iversons.
Joined: Jun 19, 2002 Posts: 153 Location: St. Louis
Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2002 2:00 am Post subject: kiss
Aughhh I feel like a punk yall I'm about to cry dude. I'm glad that I never jumped to conclusions on the situation because if I did then I would be salty right about now. That was a long ass article but it was well worth it. Aughhh
