Prince Fielders Father Cecil Fielder

I'm not condoning Cecil, but I never understand it when people say he stole money from Prince. He negotiated his contract, and took a cut like any agent would.
As for saying Cecil didn't have to mention his son, or even say anything at all, I don't think any of us know whether or not he or the reporter brought up the issue, or if he was first contacted by the reporter to talk about gambling and whatnot. For most of us this is old news, but this is an AP story, which is geared more toward the common person. The rift between the two was a pretty notable story in the sportsworld last year, and given that it's spring training and Prince is one of the biggest young superstars in the league, perhaps the AP saw a story there. Cecil's quotes were probably little more than the answers to the reporter's questions.
And what's more, I don't think he said anything bad, either. The "grow up" stuff might sound harsh, but I'm willing to bet that any father whose 23 year-old son refuses to talk to him over what is mostly, in the big picture of life, minor stuff would say the same. I mean what is it that Prince is really mad about? Their parent's divorce, his embarrassment over his father's gambling problems, and his belief that his father "stole" when he really did what any other agent would do. I know we like to defend our own superstar, but I have to say I'm surprised at how quick people are to claim Prince is in the right without even putting themselves in Cecil's shoes.
That's not to say Cecil's right, either. I actually think both are in the wrong. Certainly I don't know what's going on inside that family, but as far as everything that's come out of this - including Prince's sister still having a relationship with Cecil - that's just my opinion. Both are stubborn, headstrong guys who'll fire off when the topic is brought up. And the media will just keep eating it up for as long as Prince is a star.