August 29, 2024 • 27 mins
Join Jay Harris as he leads you into the dark world of religious cults and murder. Some athletes just break bad, but Robert Rozier may take the prize for baddest of them all. He may have gotten his start in the NFL, but would soon find himself weighed down by a darkness few can imagine.
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome back to playing dirty sports scandals. It's me Jay Harris,
a veteran ESPN sportscaster, and you're dedicated Barista, ready as
ever to serve up another chilling blend of talent and transgression.
Today's tale on Tap packs a devastating punch because we're
exploring the dark corners of a twisted and tragic saga.
(00:29):
The story of Robert Rosier life really is like blending juice. Sometimes,
just when you're trying to keep the lid on things,
everything explodes into an uncontainable mess. But while I can
(00:51):
wipe down this delicious disaster, no harm done. The same
certainty can't be said for Robert Rogier's shocking life trajectory,
which unraveled, leaving devastation and blood in its wake. So
who exactly is Robert Rosier? While Robert started his life
(01:13):
under the vast Alaskan skies of Anchorage on July twenty ninth,
nineteen fifty five, but the expansiveness of his geography belied
the restrictions of his upbringing, which revolved around the discipline
cadence of his father's military routine. It wasn't long before
his dad, Robert senior, but known as Bob, received a
(01:34):
new posting and the family was uprooted from Alaska to California.
Robert Rosier seemed like he was made for California, after all.
He was a rising star his formative years at Cordova
High School in Rancho, Cordova, a part of the Sacramento
metropolitan area, painted a picture of a young man destined
for professional athletics. At six foot three and two hundred
(01:57):
and forty pounds, Robert slayd on the grid ee for
the Cordova Lancers and was celebrated as All League, All Conference,
All Northern California. He was also an incredible track and
field talent, and some of his high school feats included
a high jump of six feet seven inches, a vertical
leap of ten feet, sprinting the forty yard dash in
(02:18):
four point seven seconds, and bench pressing a formidable three
hundred and seventy five pounds. Cordova High School's athletic department
likely couldn't believe its luck to have Robert Rogier on
its side, but Cordova High School's academic department was almost
certainly less than enthusiastic about the sport. Sea wonder kid.
(02:39):
For all his athletic abilities, Robert couldn't cut it academically.
He managed only a one point three to two GPA
and ultimately didn't graduate. Undeterred, Robert picked himself up and
headed to Gray's Harbor College in Aberdeen, Washington. Here, Robert
continued to shine athletically. In fact, he was so impressive
(03:01):
that he caught the eye of Mike White, the football
coach at the University of California Berkeley. Coach White asked
him to try out, and just like that, Robert Rosier,
who hadn't come close to passing high school, was now
representing one of the most prestigious public universities in the
United States on the gridiron. But even though this sounds
(03:21):
like a one hundred and eighty degree life turnaround for
Robert Rogier, the reality was that his move from Washington
back to California in the nineteen seventies put him smack
in the middle of some contentious historic events, and these
events would dangerously imprint on his impressionable young adult mind.
From battles over policing in America and marijuana usage to
(03:43):
apartheid in South Africa, the Berkeley community agitated denouncing racism
and gross misuse of power by authorities. Bear in mind
that the nineteen seventies opened with serious divisions within the
United States, sparked by the assassination of doctor Martin Luther
King Junior in Memphis on April fourth, nineteen sixty eight.
(04:06):
This tension was compounded by the largely unfavored Vietnam War
raging in the early nineteen seventies, with protests sometimes turning violent.
For example, in the spring of nineteen seventy, the Ohio
National Guard shot and killed four protesters at Kent State University,
shocking the nation. When National guardsmen shot four arn armed
(04:26):
students at Kent State, virtually the entire system of higher
education shuddered and stopped, wrote Nancy Gibbs, an American essayist,
presidential historian, and former managing editor for Time Magazine, And
she was right. For protesters across the United States, the
Kent State massacre epitomized the sobering reality truly Americans were
(04:49):
in the midst of a war at home. It was
into this stalled and broken system, weighed down by racial
unrest and discord, that Robert Rogier kicked off his football
career as a defensive end at UC Berkeley. On the surface,
his time at university mirrored his high school experience. Robert
was a phenomenal football player, making waves on the gridiron
(05:12):
even of schools like Alabama, Nebraska, and USC dominated the
sports scene. Even though he wasn't playing for one of
these powerhouses, Robert Rosier was sufficiently strong to generate interest
from NFL scouts. UC Berkeley's team captain and Robert's roommate,
Ralph de Loach, described him straight up as the best
athlete on the team, and according to Ralph, it was
(05:35):
remarkable that Robert's athletic prowess never faltered since he struggled
off the field with alleged drug use and traffic infractions.
Robert also became increasingly political during his time at Berkeley,
as this was a period marked by a significant social
unrest and racial tensions, with frequent protests and clashes over
civil rights. Writer and civil rights activist James Balwin once
(05:58):
said that to be black and conscious in America is
to be in a constant state of rage, and within
Robert Rogier this rage was clearly brewing. That rage, no doubt,
also connected to his academic performance, which was once again
insufficient to graduate. Despite concerns about his personal behavior and
(06:22):
his continued academic failure, Robert Rosier was so talented on
the football field that the NFL would not be deterred.
The Saint Louis Cardinals, now the Arizona Cardinals, saw potential
in the young UC Berkeley athlete and drafted Robert in
nineteen seventy nine in the ninth round with the two
hundred and twenty eighth overall pick. Despite being chosen, this
(06:45):
may well have felt like yet another slight to the
impassioned Robert since being picked two hundred and twenty eight,
this hardly ideal. To put it into perspective, the best
college players get taken in the first and second round
of the NFL draft teak. Typically those are the players
everyone believes will actually succeed in the league. When players
are picked up in the very late rounds, like Robert
(07:08):
Rogier was, it means that they're talented but might get
drafted only to be cut in training camp. Some of
these picks won't ever play it down in the NFL
when all is said and done. Of course, some teams
get a steal at these high rounds as well. Famously
the New England Patriots, selecting Tom Brady at pick number
one ninety nine. Robert Rogier entered the NFL without a
(07:30):
degree and against the odds in nineteen seventy nine, in
an era for the sport that reflected what was going
on in the country at large. In many ways, the
league was marked by fierce rivalries, iconic players, and evolving
strategies that were shaping the modern game. In fact, looking
back on it now, much of how the defense tackled
(07:52):
then would be in blatant violation of the rules today.
Football equipment also wasn't nearly as protective and sophisticated as
it is now, not by a long shot. This was
truly the time of smash mouth football, and the players
had to be incredibly tough. It was common to see
bloody NFL uniforms in the nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties,
(08:13):
and someone weighing in at two hundred and forty pounds
like Robert Rosier, with his speed and explosive capability, was
almost certainly intimidating coming at the smaller runners and quarterbacks.
It was a good time to be a defensive lineman
like Robert Rosier, who could pressure the quarterback and disrupt
evolving offenses. Notably, between nineteen sixty eight and nineteen seventy five,
(08:36):
San Francisco forty nine Ers coach Bill Walsh pioneered and
perfected what's called the West Coast offense, which emphasized short,
horizontal passing routes as an extension of the running game.
This innovative approach revolutionized offensive play throughout the NFL and
made Robert Rogier's defensive position on the field indispensable. But
(08:56):
while Robert was in an optimal position for nineteen seventy nine,
the team he'd been drafted into had some serious performance issues.
The Saint Louis Cardinals, led by coach Bud Wilkinson, had
ended the previous nineteen seventy eight season with a crushing
six to ten record. Would Robert Rogier's addition to the team,
him taking the field wearing jersey number seventy five, make
(09:17):
enough of a difference to turn the Cardinals luck around?
In a word, no. Robert played in six games for
the Saint Louis Cardinals, never starting in a game, and,
according to Gridiron Heroics, was allegedly let go due to
problematic behaviors. Before completing the season. There's no definitive insight
as to what those objectionable behaviors were, as very few
(09:41):
of Robert's former teammates have spoken about him publicly, but
people pill claims he was pink slipped by the Cardinals
for offenses involving drugs. In any event, Robert Rogier was
cut loose and in need of work, so he took
his talents north to the Canadian Football League in nineteen eighty,
suiting up for teams like the Hamilton Tiger Cats in
the Saskatchewan Roughriders. But again, Robert's time in Canada was
(10:05):
riddled with problems. This time his dirty playing involved financial
fraud rather than drugs, with Robert writing twenty to thirty
thousand dollars worth of bad checks. Keep in mind that
back in the early nineteen eighties, checks used to be
a main form of payment before credit cards became the
standard in the early two thousands, and most checks for regular,
(10:26):
everyday purchases weren't verified on site. The account information was
read off the check provided, and then the store reached
out to the bank. This process often took several days,
which is why people use check books to keep track
of their account balances. The delays involved with cashing checks
made it relatively easy to bounce them, although not typically
for five figures like Robert Rogier did. His reckless behavior
(10:50):
led to a staggering thirty two warrants for fraud issued
against him by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In November
nineteen eighty six, after leaving the Canadian Football League under
a cloud of criminality, Robert Rogier managed to return to
the NFL yet again, signing with the Oakland Raiders. The
(11:11):
Oakland Raiders were known as the bad Boys of the NFL.
According to the Bleacher Report from the notoriously mean nineteen
eighty three Raiders player Lyle Alzado, who once said, if
me and King Kong went into the alley, only one
of us would come out, and it wouldn't be the monkey.
To safety George Atkinson who violently smashed Pittsburgh Steelers player
(11:32):
Lynn Swan with a brutal and concussion inducing hit to
the head, the Oakland Raiders were widely viewed as thugs,
talented thugs, but thugs. Nonetheless, given Robert Rogier's storied history,
his pick up by the Oakland Raiders seemed to sync
with his career trajectory and represented what was almost certainly
(11:53):
his last chance in the NFL. The Raiders franchise had
a reputation for rehabilitating difficult players, to the guidance of
owner Al Davis and a coaching staff experienced in managing
diverse personalities. This was likely by design, since al Davis
himself was anything but easy. He thrived on conflict, and
(12:13):
his team picks reflected that. According to Sports Illustrated reporter
John Wertheim, al Davis was an acquired taste, even as
loyalists today choose their words with a pain precision when
discussing his personality. Difficult genius is a phrase in common rotation.
Some go further, like Frank Hawkins, a top NFL executive
(12:34):
in the nineties, and the two thousands who said Al
was prickly, which can be shortened to prick and I'm
one of the ones who liked Al. So if any
team could change Robert Rogier's journey for the better, many
people were betting it was Al Davis's Oakland Raiders. It
was literally part of the team's strategy to give second
(12:55):
chances to talented players who had struggled with personal and
professional issues. Else square, but Robert Rogier just couldn't get
his act together again. His time with the Raiders, like
everywhere else, was short lived. He failed to make a
significant impact on the gridiron, and within just two weeks,
Robert found himself released from the team. And since the
(13:18):
Oakland Raiders was largely considered the last chance saloon for
difficult players, his dismissal effectively marked the end of his
professional football career. After all, if the Raiders had found
Robert's challenges too great to overcome, who else would dare
to take him on? Now? Robert Rosier, who already identified
(13:38):
strongly as a twice failed student and oppressed black man
in America and a misdemeanor criminal, had lost the purpose
he spent his youth and adult life pursuing football was
a closed door, and Robert Rosier's future looked bleaker than ever.
It was the Greek philosopher Aristotle who said, it is
(14:01):
during our darkest moments that we must focus to see
the light. And for many people the allure of structured
religion in difficult times is a great comfort and buoys
them to future success. But for Robert Rosier, structured faith
was destined to be his inglorious downfall. After his stint
with the Oakland Raiders, Robert Rosier took off to Miami
(14:23):
for a new start, but he kept falling into a deeper,
darker pit, and at the bottom of the pit, a
serpent lay in wait for him. Yahweh Ben Yahweh. Long
before meeting Robert Rogier in nineteen eighty two, Yahweh ben
Yahweh had carved his own, darkened, tumultuous path. Born with
(14:45):
the name Hulan Mitchell Junior on October twenty seventh, nineteen
thirty five, he was one of fifteen children born to
deeply religious parents, Helon Mitchell Senior, who served as the
minister of the Antioch Church of God in Christ and
En at Oklahoma, and Pearl O. Mitchell, who accompanied the
congregation as a pianist. After an early life marked by
(15:06):
strong religious influences, Helon Mitchell Junior's path took him far
beyond Oklahoma when he joined the military. His time in
the military expanded his horizons and tested his spiritual convictions.
When Heulon came out of the service, he briefly pursued
legal studies at the University of Oklahoma, a choice that
hinted at his interest in systems of authority and governance,
(15:27):
but he did not graduate from law school and instead
moved to Atlanta in the nineteen sixties, where his trajectory
would be forever changed when he joined the Nation of Islam.
The Nation of Islam is a black nationalist organization which
focuses on the African diaspora, and especially on African Americans.
While the organization describes itself as Islamic, its religious tenets
(15:49):
differ from mainstream Islamic traditions. In fact, the Nation of
Islam teaches that there has been a succession of mortal gods,
each a black man named Allah, of whom far Muhammad
is the most recent. Believers claim that a scientist named
Yakub created the lesser white race, which is why, according
to the Nation of Islam, white's lack inner divinity, are
(16:10):
intrinsically violent and have achieved global dominance through brutality. In
other words, the Nation of Islam sets itself up in
direct opposition to the white dominated society of the United
States and campaigns for the creation of an independent African
American nation state. Nation of Islam followers think that Fard
Muhammad will soon return aboard a spaceship, the Mother Plane,
(16:32):
to wipe out the white race and establish a black utopia.
As with all religions, the Nation of Islam is controversial.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the Nation of
Islam as a hate group, while its members lawed the
organization for cleaning up crumbling black neighborhoods and promoting self
help and discipline for the young. Helon mitchell junior membership
(16:54):
in the Nation of Islam provided an opportunity to immerse
himself in Black nationalism and religious firms. Undeniably, his time
as part of the Nation of Islam flock shaped his beliefs.
But as the nineteen sixties drew on, Helon decided to
redirect his spiritual quest towards Christianity, with a particular emphasis
on faith healing. He broke with the Nation of Islam
(17:16):
and reinvented himself as Father Mitchell. Using the moniker Father Mitchell,
Heulon positioned himself as a charismatic and controversial faith leader,
like Father Divine and Samuel Father Jehoviah Morris. Both of
these men were prominent African American ministers known for their
claims of divinity they touted that they were literally the
conduit between God and their congregations. By the time Helon
(17:40):
Mitchell Junior arrived in Miami in nineteen seventy eight, he
was fired up and ready to establish his own congregation.
His most influential and notorious chapter had begun, drawing members
from the city's Black Hebrew Israelite congregations. Helon founded the
Nation of Yahweh and renamed himself yet again. Long longer
would he go by Father Mitchell. From now on he
(18:02):
will be called Yahweh ben Yahweh, which means God, Son
of God. Yahweh envisioned himself as a messianic figure, promising
salvation and unity to his followers. The Nation of Yahweh's
doctrine emphasized the belief that God and all the prophets
of the Bible were black, and the Blacks would gain
the knowledge of their true history through him. Yahweh ben
(18:26):
Yahweh characterized Whites and Jews as infidels and oppressors, stressing
that his followers must be loyal to him and the
beliefs he eschewed since he was the son of God.
Praise Yahweh. He declared, You've got to love me. If
you don't love me, you're a lying hypocrite. You're a
snake if you don't love me. Despite his fierce rhetoric
(18:48):
at the outset, Yahweh Ben Yahweh achieved significant respect in
many Florida communities. His business and charity efforts, which included
buying and renovating dilapidated properties to improve life conditions in
poor neighborhoods, was so notable that then Miami Mayor Xavier
Suarez established Yahweh Bin Yahweh Day on October seventh, nineteen ninety,
(19:11):
promising empowerment and spiritual salvation to the African American community.
Yahweh Bin Yahweh quickly gathered a significant following. To understand
why the allure of the nation of Yahweh was so powerful,
it's important to consider what was happening in Miami at
this time. Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance agent, had been
(19:33):
beaten to death by police officers following a high speed
chase in December nineteen seventy nine. The incident took place
after Arthur McDuffie allegedly ran a red light on his motorcycle.
The chase led to a brutal altercation where Arthur was
severely beaten by the officers, resulting in his death a
few days later on December twenty one, nineteen seventy nine.
(19:55):
This horrifying event, made more unbearable by the subsequent acqui
of the officers involved in Arthur McDuffie's death in May
nineteen eighty, sparked significant public outrage and led to a
series of violent riots in Miami. This riotous environment, fueled
by heightened racial tension and disillusionment, provided fertile ground for
(20:17):
figures like Yahweh ben Yahweh to rise to prominence amongst
the distressed African American population of Miami. But sadly, the
option Yahweh ben Yahweh provided was a facade. His teachings,
which started as his interpretations of Biblical texts emphasizing black
superiority and racial unity, soon veered into controlling and violent practices.
(20:42):
Inside the Temple where Yahweh ben yahwe preached, a facility
at twenty seven to sixty six Northwest sixty second Street
called the Temple of Love, a doctrine of devotion had
turned dangerous. By December nineteen eighty, members of the Nation
of Yahweh, believing they were led by a divine figure,
found themselves ensnared in unthinkable acts due to severe intimidation
(21:04):
and violence. Living within the Temple of Love facility, members
of the Nation of Yahweh soon came to realize that
their leader demanded absolute devotion from his followers. This is,
of course typical of cults, and the end result is
almost always utter devastation. I felt cheated out of my
(21:26):
children's lives, one former member of the Nation of Yahweh lamented,
reflecting on the deep personal sacrifices made in the name
of faith. In the Temple of Love. Followers clad and
white lived communally, adhering strictly to Yahweh Ben Yahweh's teachings
and often brutal directives. The men in Yahweh ben Yahweh's
congregation were not only required to serve in his security detail,
(21:50):
but also had to participate in enforcing discipline within the group.
A select group of ten was chosen to be his
personal bodyguards, armed with stainless steel masts, symbolizing the underlying
threat of violence that pervaded the so called Temple of Love.
In a particularly disturbing display of power, yahwe Ben Yahweh
(22:11):
once lined up all the men and demanded they dropped
their pants. He wanted to see who was circumcised and
who was not, recounted Khalil Amani, a former member of
the nation of Yahweh who escaped and has since moved
to Denver. For those who were not circumcised, Yahweh ben
Yahweh took it upon himself to perform the circumcisions, asserting
(22:34):
his dominion in the most intimate and invasive way possible. Reportedly,
he brutally circumcised the men with a machette. This savage
imposition of control reflected a deeper descent into autocracy, with
the men's compliance underscoring their complete submission to Yahweh ben
Yahweh's increasingly despotic rule. The shift from a supportive religious
(22:58):
community to a regimo mented an oppressive cult was stark,
marking a significant transformation under Yahweh ben Yahweh's leadership, where
the early promises of empowerment and redemption were gradually replaced
by exploitation and fear. This exploitation extended to financial extortion
from followers who were sent into the streets with a
(23:20):
mandate to collect ten dollars daily. Failing to meet this
quota had severe repercussions. If they failed, they were brought
into a cafeteria that came to be known as the
Room of Understanding. Former Nation of Yahweh member Khalil Amani
told People magazine the punishment for non compliance was harsh
and humiliating. Basically, you're on a concrete floor with a
(23:44):
thin layer of carpet, Khalil explained. You were made to
kneel down on your knees and keep your back straight
for four or five hours in that room. There were
also guards with sticks that made sure you stayed like
you were supposed to. According to The New York Times,
the followers were also tasked with raising funds by selling
(24:05):
various products branded by Yahweh himself, including beverages and beauty items.
The revenue generated from these sales and member contributions was
then channeled into acquiring real estate assets like apartment complexes, hotels,
and grocery stores, which were reportedly worth nine million dollars
by nineteen ninety. Rick Ross, a renowned expert on cult behaviors,
(24:29):
characterizes the evolution of Yahweh Ben Yahweh's organization as a
classic case. He explained, these cults operate on a bait
and switch tactic. They attract people with promises of empowerment
and community service, but the reality behind closed doors is
one of extreme violence and strict control. They prey on vulnerabilities,
(24:51):
drawing in those most in need of hope, and then
ensnaring them in a web of manipulation. This manipulative environment
became painfully personal for former member Khalil Amani, who discovered
that his wife was sexually abused within the confines of
the Temple of Love. Khalil learned about a so called
midwife class that was happening within the communal living facility.
(25:15):
It was a weekly secretive meeting led by yahwe Ben Yahweh.
In these sessions, female members were subjected to genital examinations
and bizarre rituals under the guise of prenatal care, which
disturbingly included oral genital contact as a supposed life saving
measure for unborn children. Khalil later discovered that these exploitative
(25:39):
practices extended to full on coercive sexual intercourse encounters, with
Yahweh Ben Yahweh asking women if they would accept the
King's seed Khalil found out that yahwe Ben Yahweh had
been sexually involved with his wife, among many others, and
this portrayal was devastating. It underscored the profound corruption and
(26:00):
moral decay at the heart of the cult, a far
cry from the community upliftment and spiritual salvation once promised.
As the nation of Yahweh's facade of community improvement fell away,
what remained was a cult that exploited its members physically, emotionally,
and financially. Yet Yahweh Ben Yahweh's charisma and authoritative leadership
(26:21):
mesmerized many, and especially the vulnerable and the lost, like
former NFL player Robert Rosier, who it seemed had been
searching for something his whole life. So what happened when
Robert Rosier met Yahweh Ben Yahweh in nineteen eighty two.
Tune in next week for another episode of Playing Dirty
Sports Scandals were I Jay Harris will serve up the
(26:44):
bloodiest brew to date. Playing Dirty Sports Scandals is a
production of Dan Patrick Productions, Never Ever Productions and Workhouse
Media from executive producers Dan Patrick, Paul Anderson, Nick Panella,
(27:08):
Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary, Hosted by Jay Harris, Written
and produced by Jen Brown, Francie Haiks, Maya Glickman, and
Jennifer Clay.
Welcome back to playing dirty sports scandals. It's me Jay Harris,
a veteran ESPN sportscaster, and you're dedicated Barista, ready as
ever to serve up another chilling blend of talent and transgression.
Today's tale on Tap packs a devastating punch because we're
exploring the dark corners of a twisted and tragic saga.
(00:29):
The story of Robert Rosier life really is like blending juice. Sometimes,
just when you're trying to keep the lid on things,
everything explodes into an uncontainable mess. But while I can
(00:51):
wipe down this delicious disaster, no harm done. The same
certainty can't be said for Robert Rogier's shocking life trajectory,
which unraveled, leaving devastation and blood in its wake. So
who exactly is Robert Rosier? While Robert started his life
(01:13):
under the vast Alaskan skies of Anchorage on July twenty ninth,
nineteen fifty five, but the expansiveness of his geography belied
the restrictions of his upbringing, which revolved around the discipline
cadence of his father's military routine. It wasn't long before
his dad, Robert senior, but known as Bob, received a
(01:34):
new posting and the family was uprooted from Alaska to California.
Robert Rosier seemed like he was made for California, after all.
He was a rising star his formative years at Cordova
High School in Rancho, Cordova, a part of the Sacramento
metropolitan area, painted a picture of a young man destined
for professional athletics. At six foot three and two hundred
(01:57):
and forty pounds, Robert slayd on the grid ee for
the Cordova Lancers and was celebrated as All League, All Conference,
All Northern California. He was also an incredible track and
field talent, and some of his high school feats included
a high jump of six feet seven inches, a vertical
leap of ten feet, sprinting the forty yard dash in
(02:18):
four point seven seconds, and bench pressing a formidable three
hundred and seventy five pounds. Cordova High School's athletic department
likely couldn't believe its luck to have Robert Rogier on
its side, but Cordova High School's academic department was almost
certainly less than enthusiastic about the sport. Sea wonder kid.
(02:39):
For all his athletic abilities, Robert couldn't cut it academically.
He managed only a one point three to two GPA
and ultimately didn't graduate. Undeterred, Robert picked himself up and
headed to Gray's Harbor College in Aberdeen, Washington. Here, Robert
continued to shine athletically. In fact, he was so impressive
(03:01):
that he caught the eye of Mike White, the football
coach at the University of California Berkeley. Coach White asked
him to try out, and just like that, Robert Rosier,
who hadn't come close to passing high school, was now
representing one of the most prestigious public universities in the
United States on the gridiron. But even though this sounds
(03:21):
like a one hundred and eighty degree life turnaround for
Robert Rogier, the reality was that his move from Washington
back to California in the nineteen seventies put him smack
in the middle of some contentious historic events, and these
events would dangerously imprint on his impressionable young adult mind.
From battles over policing in America and marijuana usage to
(03:43):
apartheid in South Africa, the Berkeley community agitated denouncing racism
and gross misuse of power by authorities. Bear in mind
that the nineteen seventies opened with serious divisions within the
United States, sparked by the assassination of doctor Martin Luther
King Junior in Memphis on April fourth, nineteen sixty eight.
(04:06):
This tension was compounded by the largely unfavored Vietnam War
raging in the early nineteen seventies, with protests sometimes turning violent.
For example, in the spring of nineteen seventy, the Ohio
National Guard shot and killed four protesters at Kent State University,
shocking the nation. When National guardsmen shot four arn armed
(04:26):
students at Kent State, virtually the entire system of higher
education shuddered and stopped, wrote Nancy Gibbs, an American essayist,
presidential historian, and former managing editor for Time Magazine, And
she was right. For protesters across the United States, the
Kent State massacre epitomized the sobering reality truly Americans were
(04:49):
in the midst of a war at home. It was
into this stalled and broken system, weighed down by racial
unrest and discord, that Robert Rogier kicked off his football
career as a defensive end at UC Berkeley. On the surface,
his time at university mirrored his high school experience. Robert
was a phenomenal football player, making waves on the gridiron
(05:12):
even of schools like Alabama, Nebraska, and USC dominated the
sports scene. Even though he wasn't playing for one of
these powerhouses, Robert Rosier was sufficiently strong to generate interest
from NFL scouts. UC Berkeley's team captain and Robert's roommate,
Ralph de Loach, described him straight up as the best
athlete on the team, and according to Ralph, it was
(05:35):
remarkable that Robert's athletic prowess never faltered since he struggled
off the field with alleged drug use and traffic infractions.
Robert also became increasingly political during his time at Berkeley,
as this was a period marked by a significant social
unrest and racial tensions, with frequent protests and clashes over
civil rights. Writer and civil rights activist James Balwin once
(05:58):
said that to be black and conscious in America is
to be in a constant state of rage, and within
Robert Rogier this rage was clearly brewing. That rage, no doubt,
also connected to his academic performance, which was once again
insufficient to graduate. Despite concerns about his personal behavior and
(06:22):
his continued academic failure, Robert Rosier was so talented on
the football field that the NFL would not be deterred.
The Saint Louis Cardinals, now the Arizona Cardinals, saw potential
in the young UC Berkeley athlete and drafted Robert in
nineteen seventy nine in the ninth round with the two
hundred and twenty eighth overall pick. Despite being chosen, this
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may well have felt like yet another slight to the
impassioned Robert since being picked two hundred and twenty eight,
this hardly ideal. To put it into perspective, the best
college players get taken in the first and second round
of the NFL draft teak. Typically those are the players
everyone believes will actually succeed in the league. When players
are picked up in the very late rounds, like Robert
(07:08):
Rogier was, it means that they're talented but might get
drafted only to be cut in training camp. Some of
these picks won't ever play it down in the NFL
when all is said and done. Of course, some teams
get a steal at these high rounds as well. Famously
the New England Patriots, selecting Tom Brady at pick number
one ninety nine. Robert Rogier entered the NFL without a
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degree and against the odds in nineteen seventy nine, in
an era for the sport that reflected what was going
on in the country at large. In many ways, the
league was marked by fierce rivalries, iconic players, and evolving
strategies that were shaping the modern game. In fact, looking
back on it now, much of how the defense tackled
(07:52):
then would be in blatant violation of the rules today.
Football equipment also wasn't nearly as protective and sophisticated as
it is now, not by a long shot. This was
truly the time of smash mouth football, and the players
had to be incredibly tough. It was common to see
bloody NFL uniforms in the nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties,
(08:13):
and someone weighing in at two hundred and forty pounds
like Robert Rosier, with his speed and explosive capability, was
almost certainly intimidating coming at the smaller runners and quarterbacks.
It was a good time to be a defensive lineman
like Robert Rosier, who could pressure the quarterback and disrupt
evolving offenses. Notably, between nineteen sixty eight and nineteen seventy five,
(08:36):
San Francisco forty nine Ers coach Bill Walsh pioneered and
perfected what's called the West Coast offense, which emphasized short,
horizontal passing routes as an extension of the running game.
This innovative approach revolutionized offensive play throughout the NFL and
made Robert Rogier's defensive position on the field indispensable. But
(08:56):
while Robert was in an optimal position for nineteen seventy nine,
the team he'd been drafted into had some serious performance issues.
The Saint Louis Cardinals, led by coach Bud Wilkinson, had
ended the previous nineteen seventy eight season with a crushing
six to ten record. Would Robert Rogier's addition to the team,
him taking the field wearing jersey number seventy five, make
(09:17):
enough of a difference to turn the Cardinals luck around?
In a word, no. Robert played in six games for
the Saint Louis Cardinals, never starting in a game, and,
according to Gridiron Heroics, was allegedly let go due to
problematic behaviors. Before completing the season. There's no definitive insight
as to what those objectionable behaviors were, as very few
(09:41):
of Robert's former teammates have spoken about him publicly, but
people pill claims he was pink slipped by the Cardinals
for offenses involving drugs. In any event, Robert Rogier was
cut loose and in need of work, so he took
his talents north to the Canadian Football League in nineteen eighty,
suiting up for teams like the Hamilton Tiger Cats in
the Saskatchewan Roughriders. But again, Robert's time in Canada was
(10:05):
riddled with problems. This time his dirty playing involved financial
fraud rather than drugs, with Robert writing twenty to thirty
thousand dollars worth of bad checks. Keep in mind that
back in the early nineteen eighties, checks used to be
a main form of payment before credit cards became the
standard in the early two thousands, and most checks for regular,
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everyday purchases weren't verified on site. The account information was
read off the check provided, and then the store reached
out to the bank. This process often took several days,
which is why people use check books to keep track
of their account balances. The delays involved with cashing checks
made it relatively easy to bounce them, although not typically
for five figures like Robert Rogier did. His reckless behavior
(10:50):
led to a staggering thirty two warrants for fraud issued
against him by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In November
nineteen eighty six, after leaving the Canadian Football League under
a cloud of criminality, Robert Rogier managed to return to
the NFL yet again, signing with the Oakland Raiders. The
(11:11):
Oakland Raiders were known as the bad Boys of the NFL.
According to the Bleacher Report from the notoriously mean nineteen
eighty three Raiders player Lyle Alzado, who once said, if
me and King Kong went into the alley, only one
of us would come out, and it wouldn't be the monkey.
To safety George Atkinson who violently smashed Pittsburgh Steelers player
(11:32):
Lynn Swan with a brutal and concussion inducing hit to
the head, the Oakland Raiders were widely viewed as thugs,
talented thugs, but thugs. Nonetheless, given Robert Rogier's storied history,
his pick up by the Oakland Raiders seemed to sync
with his career trajectory and represented what was almost certainly
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his last chance in the NFL. The Raiders franchise had
a reputation for rehabilitating difficult players, to the guidance of
owner Al Davis and a coaching staff experienced in managing
diverse personalities. This was likely by design, since al Davis
himself was anything but easy. He thrived on conflict, and
(12:13):
his team picks reflected that. According to Sports Illustrated reporter
John Wertheim, al Davis was an acquired taste, even as
loyalists today choose their words with a pain precision when
discussing his personality. Difficult genius is a phrase in common rotation.
Some go further, like Frank Hawkins, a top NFL executive
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in the nineties, and the two thousands who said Al
was prickly, which can be shortened to prick and I'm
one of the ones who liked Al. So if any
team could change Robert Rogier's journey for the better, many
people were betting it was Al Davis's Oakland Raiders. It
was literally part of the team's strategy to give second
(12:55):
chances to talented players who had struggled with personal and
professional issues. Else square, but Robert Rogier just couldn't get
his act together again. His time with the Raiders, like
everywhere else, was short lived. He failed to make a
significant impact on the gridiron, and within just two weeks,
Robert found himself released from the team. And since the
(13:18):
Oakland Raiders was largely considered the last chance saloon for
difficult players, his dismissal effectively marked the end of his
professional football career. After all, if the Raiders had found
Robert's challenges too great to overcome, who else would dare
to take him on? Now? Robert Rosier, who already identified
(13:38):
strongly as a twice failed student and oppressed black man
in America and a misdemeanor criminal, had lost the purpose
he spent his youth and adult life pursuing football was
a closed door, and Robert Rosier's future looked bleaker than ever.
It was the Greek philosopher Aristotle who said, it is
(14:01):
during our darkest moments that we must focus to see
the light. And for many people the allure of structured
religion in difficult times is a great comfort and buoys
them to future success. But for Robert Rosier, structured faith
was destined to be his inglorious downfall. After his stint
with the Oakland Raiders, Robert Rosier took off to Miami
(14:23):
for a new start, but he kept falling into a deeper,
darker pit, and at the bottom of the pit, a
serpent lay in wait for him. Yahweh Ben Yahweh. Long
before meeting Robert Rogier in nineteen eighty two, Yahweh ben
Yahweh had carved his own, darkened, tumultuous path. Born with
(14:45):
the name Hulan Mitchell Junior on October twenty seventh, nineteen
thirty five, he was one of fifteen children born to
deeply religious parents, Helon Mitchell Senior, who served as the
minister of the Antioch Church of God in Christ and
En at Oklahoma, and Pearl O. Mitchell, who accompanied the
congregation as a pianist. After an early life marked by
(15:06):
strong religious influences, Helon Mitchell Junior's path took him far
beyond Oklahoma when he joined the military. His time in
the military expanded his horizons and tested his spiritual convictions.
When Heulon came out of the service, he briefly pursued
legal studies at the University of Oklahoma, a choice that
hinted at his interest in systems of authority and governance,
(15:27):
but he did not graduate from law school and instead
moved to Atlanta in the nineteen sixties, where his trajectory
would be forever changed when he joined the Nation of Islam.
The Nation of Islam is a black nationalist organization which
focuses on the African diaspora, and especially on African Americans.
While the organization describes itself as Islamic, its religious tenets
(15:49):
differ from mainstream Islamic traditions. In fact, the Nation of
Islam teaches that there has been a succession of mortal gods,
each a black man named Allah, of whom far Muhammad
is the most recent. Believers claim that a scientist named
Yakub created the lesser white race, which is why, according
to the Nation of Islam, white's lack inner divinity, are
(16:10):
intrinsically violent and have achieved global dominance through brutality. In
other words, the Nation of Islam sets itself up in
direct opposition to the white dominated society of the United
States and campaigns for the creation of an independent African
American nation state. Nation of Islam followers think that Fard
Muhammad will soon return aboard a spaceship, the Mother Plane,
(16:32):
to wipe out the white race and establish a black utopia.
As with all religions, the Nation of Islam is controversial.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the Nation of
Islam as a hate group, while its members lawed the
organization for cleaning up crumbling black neighborhoods and promoting self
help and discipline for the young. Helon mitchell junior membership
(16:54):
in the Nation of Islam provided an opportunity to immerse
himself in Black nationalism and religious firms. Undeniably, his time
as part of the Nation of Islam flock shaped his beliefs.
But as the nineteen sixties drew on, Helon decided to
redirect his spiritual quest towards Christianity, with a particular emphasis
on faith healing. He broke with the Nation of Islam
(17:16):
and reinvented himself as Father Mitchell. Using the moniker Father Mitchell,
Heulon positioned himself as a charismatic and controversial faith leader,
like Father Divine and Samuel Father Jehoviah Morris. Both of
these men were prominent African American ministers known for their
claims of divinity they touted that they were literally the
conduit between God and their congregations. By the time Helon
(17:40):
Mitchell Junior arrived in Miami in nineteen seventy eight, he
was fired up and ready to establish his own congregation.
His most influential and notorious chapter had begun, drawing members
from the city's Black Hebrew Israelite congregations. Helon founded the
Nation of Yahweh and renamed himself yet again. Long longer
would he go by Father Mitchell. From now on he
(18:02):
will be called Yahweh ben Yahweh, which means God, Son
of God. Yahweh envisioned himself as a messianic figure, promising
salvation and unity to his followers. The Nation of Yahweh's
doctrine emphasized the belief that God and all the prophets
of the Bible were black, and the Blacks would gain
the knowledge of their true history through him. Yahweh ben
(18:26):
Yahweh characterized Whites and Jews as infidels and oppressors, stressing
that his followers must be loyal to him and the
beliefs he eschewed since he was the son of God.
Praise Yahweh. He declared, You've got to love me. If
you don't love me, you're a lying hypocrite. You're a
snake if you don't love me. Despite his fierce rhetoric
(18:48):
at the outset, Yahweh Ben Yahweh achieved significant respect in
many Florida communities. His business and charity efforts, which included
buying and renovating dilapidated properties to improve life conditions in
poor neighborhoods, was so notable that then Miami Mayor Xavier
Suarez established Yahweh Bin Yahweh Day on October seventh, nineteen ninety,
(19:11):
promising empowerment and spiritual salvation to the African American community.
Yahweh Bin Yahweh quickly gathered a significant following. To understand
why the allure of the nation of Yahweh was so powerful,
it's important to consider what was happening in Miami at
this time. Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance agent, had been
(19:33):
beaten to death by police officers following a high speed
chase in December nineteen seventy nine. The incident took place
after Arthur McDuffie allegedly ran a red light on his motorcycle.
The chase led to a brutal altercation where Arthur was
severely beaten by the officers, resulting in his death a
few days later on December twenty one, nineteen seventy nine.
(19:55):
This horrifying event, made more unbearable by the subsequent acqui
of the officers involved in Arthur McDuffie's death in May
nineteen eighty, sparked significant public outrage and led to a
series of violent riots in Miami. This riotous environment, fueled
by heightened racial tension and disillusionment, provided fertile ground for
(20:17):
figures like Yahweh ben Yahweh to rise to prominence amongst
the distressed African American population of Miami. But sadly, the
option Yahweh ben Yahweh provided was a facade. His teachings,
which started as his interpretations of Biblical texts emphasizing black
superiority and racial unity, soon veered into controlling and violent practices.
(20:42):
Inside the Temple where Yahweh ben yahwe preached, a facility
at twenty seven to sixty six Northwest sixty second Street
called the Temple of Love, a doctrine of devotion had
turned dangerous. By December nineteen eighty, members of the Nation
of Yahweh, believing they were led by a divine figure,
found themselves ensnared in unthinkable acts due to severe intimidation
(21:04):
and violence. Living within the Temple of Love facility, members
of the Nation of Yahweh soon came to realize that
their leader demanded absolute devotion from his followers. This is,
of course typical of cults, and the end result is
almost always utter devastation. I felt cheated out of my
(21:26):
children's lives, one former member of the Nation of Yahweh lamented,
reflecting on the deep personal sacrifices made in the name
of faith. In the Temple of Love. Followers clad and
white lived communally, adhering strictly to Yahweh Ben Yahweh's teachings
and often brutal directives. The men in Yahweh ben Yahweh's
congregation were not only required to serve in his security detail,
(21:50):
but also had to participate in enforcing discipline within the group.
A select group of ten was chosen to be his
personal bodyguards, armed with stainless steel masts, symbolizing the underlying
threat of violence that pervaded the so called Temple of Love.
In a particularly disturbing display of power, yahwe Ben Yahweh
(22:11):
once lined up all the men and demanded they dropped
their pants. He wanted to see who was circumcised and
who was not, recounted Khalil Amani, a former member of
the nation of Yahweh who escaped and has since moved
to Denver. For those who were not circumcised, Yahweh ben
Yahweh took it upon himself to perform the circumcisions, asserting
(22:34):
his dominion in the most intimate and invasive way possible. Reportedly,
he brutally circumcised the men with a machette. This savage
imposition of control reflected a deeper descent into autocracy, with
the men's compliance underscoring their complete submission to Yahweh ben
Yahweh's increasingly despotic rule. The shift from a supportive religious
(22:58):
community to a regimo mented an oppressive cult was stark,
marking a significant transformation under Yahweh ben Yahweh's leadership, where
the early promises of empowerment and redemption were gradually replaced
by exploitation and fear. This exploitation extended to financial extortion
from followers who were sent into the streets with a
(23:20):
mandate to collect ten dollars daily. Failing to meet this
quota had severe repercussions. If they failed, they were brought
into a cafeteria that came to be known as the
Room of Understanding. Former Nation of Yahweh member Khalil Amani
told People magazine the punishment for non compliance was harsh
and humiliating. Basically, you're on a concrete floor with a
(23:44):
thin layer of carpet, Khalil explained. You were made to
kneel down on your knees and keep your back straight
for four or five hours in that room. There were
also guards with sticks that made sure you stayed like
you were supposed to. According to The New York Times,
the followers were also tasked with raising funds by selling
(24:05):
various products branded by Yahweh himself, including beverages and beauty items.
The revenue generated from these sales and member contributions was
then channeled into acquiring real estate assets like apartment complexes, hotels,
and grocery stores, which were reportedly worth nine million dollars
by nineteen ninety. Rick Ross, a renowned expert on cult behaviors,
(24:29):
characterizes the evolution of Yahweh Ben Yahweh's organization as a
classic case. He explained, these cults operate on a bait
and switch tactic. They attract people with promises of empowerment
and community service, but the reality behind closed doors is
one of extreme violence and strict control. They prey on vulnerabilities,
(24:51):
drawing in those most in need of hope, and then
ensnaring them in a web of manipulation. This manipulative environment
became painfully personal for former member Khalil Amani, who discovered
that his wife was sexually abused within the confines of
the Temple of Love. Khalil learned about a so called
midwife class that was happening within the communal living facility.
(25:15):
It was a weekly secretive meeting led by yahwe Ben Yahweh.
In these sessions, female members were subjected to genital examinations
and bizarre rituals under the guise of prenatal care, which
disturbingly included oral genital contact as a supposed life saving
measure for unborn children. Khalil later discovered that these exploitative
(25:39):
practices extended to full on coercive sexual intercourse encounters, with
Yahweh Ben Yahweh asking women if they would accept the
King's seed Khalil found out that yahwe Ben Yahweh had
been sexually involved with his wife, among many others, and
this portrayal was devastating. It underscored the profound corruption and
(26:00):
moral decay at the heart of the cult, a far
cry from the community upliftment and spiritual salvation once promised.
As the nation of Yahweh's facade of community improvement fell away,
what remained was a cult that exploited its members physically, emotionally,
and financially. Yet Yahweh Ben Yahweh's charisma and authoritative leadership
(26:21):
mesmerized many, and especially the vulnerable and the lost, like
former NFL player Robert Rosier, who it seemed had been
searching for something his whole life. So what happened when
Robert Rosier met Yahweh Ben Yahweh in nineteen eighty two.
Tune in next week for another episode of Playing Dirty
Sports Scandals were I Jay Harris will serve up the
(26:44):
bloodiest brew to date. Playing Dirty Sports Scandals is a
production of Dan Patrick Productions, Never Ever Productions and Workhouse
Media from executive producers Dan Patrick, Paul Anderson, Nick Panella,
(27:08):
Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary, Hosted by Jay Harris, Written
and produced by Jen Brown, Francie Haiks, Maya Glickman, and
Jennifer Clay.
Host
Jay Harris
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