Guerdwich Montimere back in the news

We spent far too many words on the Jerry Joseph/Guerdwich Montimere story last summer.

Long story short, 16 year old Jerry Joseph showed up out of the blue in Odessa, TX, in 2009, enrolled in high school, and became a basketball phenom in the region. The only problem? He appears to actually be Guerdwich Montimere, a former high school star from Florida that already finished his high school career. Making matters worse, he slept with his girlfriend in Odessa who was 15, which makes him a rapist since the girl wasn't of age to consent.

Yuck. Right?


Anyway, reading through those old posts, the first thought in everyone's head is almost assuredly going to be that this Montimere fella is scum. Assuming Joseph is, in fact, Montimere (the fingerprint match is pretty damning evidence), its easy to hate the guy that took advantage of an unsuspecting town and deceived the people that did everything in their power to help him.

But that's not the end of the story.

In the latest GQ, Michael Mooney profiled Montimere and, well, it doesn't exactly paint him in a different light, but it should show you that there is more to this than a simple long con. I almost feel bad for Montimere.

The bottom line is that there is one of two things going on here. Either Montimere truly believes that he is Joseph -- in which case the man is suffering from some sort of amnesia or dementia -- or he had such a traumatic and miserable experience as Montimere that he couldn't stand the thought of continuing to live his own life. Even if Montimere is nothing but a pathological liar and a con man, there's something to be said for how pathetic it is to try and recapture high school glory again.

Do I think about how different my athletic career could have been if I gave a damn for four years or if I put in the work and knew what I knew now? Absolutely. Would I ever consider trying to relive that high school experience in a different area? Hell no.

Throwing a wrench in the situation is just how good of a kid Joseph appeared to be. He won over a family, a school system, and an entire town with his personality and charm. The mother of his girlfriend -- the girl that is theoretically the victim of Joseph's statutory rape -- says that he is still welcomed in their home and that she has no qualms with the relationship, even if its with Montimer and not Joseph.

I feel bad for the people of Odessa, particularly those that were duped by Montimere.

But I feel worse for Montimere, himself.

Regardless of what actually happened, he deserves your pity.