Jemele Tells Us The Good, The Bad, And Ugly About Her Father

Jemele Hill is one of the few prominent black female sports writers in our country, and she presently writes for ESPN.com. In her most recent article Hill writes about her father Jerel Brickerson who will be retiring soon due to a severe back condition.

The Ugly is that Jemele was robbed of time with her father due to his heroin addiction, and honestly explains that she was angry for a long time, but accepted his flaws, and moved on to developing a relationship with him.

The Bad is that Jerel Brickerson was a decent hockey player as young teenager in Detroit, but urban decay took it's toll and robbed him of opportunities that are provided to youngsters who live in more affluent areas. Brickerson subsequently fell victim to the lure of the streets, a lure that left him unfit to be a father to daughter.

The Good is that Jerel Brickerson has been clean and sober for 23 years, which means that he began turning his life around at age 40. He managed to obtain a master's degree and give back by counseling other addicts.

Jerel Brickerson retires from his job as a bartender at Joe Louis Arena's Olympia Club after 20 years, having reclaimed his life, and overcoming drug addiction. He's obviously made his daughter very proud for allowing her to reclaim a relationship with dad.