Hey, DeAndre! A man’s word still means something in Texas

Longtime Fort Worth attorney Jim Lane says that every night, he asks his 8-year-old son, Jake, “When it’s all said and done, the only thing a man has left is what?”

“He’ll look at me and say, ‘His word, Daddy,’” Lane said.

Lane said he was raised the same way.

“Write all the contracts you want. You can hire all the powerful attorneys you want to get you out of them,” Lane said. “But when you shake a man’s hand and look him in the eye — or a woman’s — you ought to keep your word.”

Howard “Pete” Young, who shines shoes in downtown Fort Worth, used to work as a heavy-equipment operator. About 10 years ago, he said, he was offered a job that paid $125 a day, and he took it to mean that he would work eight hours a day, five days a week.

“Sounded like a good job,” Young said.

Once he started the job, it turned out to be 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

“I took him for his word, but he didn’t do me right,” said Young, who quit that job after a few months.

Many people are sharing — on Twitter, radio talk shows and the street — similar thoughts about DeAndre Jordan’s eleventh-hour decision to back out of his agreement with the Dallas Mavericks and re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jordan, who grew up in Houston and played college basketball at Texas A&M, had given Mavs owner Mark Cuban his word that he would sign a four-year, $80 million contract with Dallas. But he had second thoughts and holed up in his Houston home with his buddies from the Clippers. Early Thursday, he signed a new deal with L.A., where he has spent his entire NBA career.

Besides backing out of the deal with Dallas, Jordan is being shredded for apparently not telling the Mavericks of his decision and refusing to take calls or text messages from Cuban.

Former NBA star Clyde Drexler, who played at the University of Houston, tweeted, “Why are you playing with people’s time and money? Your word is as valuable as your free throw shooting.”

ESPN radio personality Mike Greenberg called Jordan’s actions “pathetic.”

North Texans react

Locally, folks mostly agreed that a man’s word should be enough and that Jordan’s behavior was petty and juvenile, though some said that it’s a sign of the times and that he had a right to sign with the Clippers.

Here’s what a few had to say:

“You should live up to your word. A handshake still means something here in the Stockyards. When you say yes, it’s as good as a contract.” — Gary Brinkley, general manager of the Stockyards Station in Fort Worth

“Once upon a time, a man’s word meant a lot, but now, you cannot count on it. I think what he did was selfish. The Mavericks trusted and believed in him, but he did not have any trust in himself. To him, it was a mind game. It will catch back up with him.” — Fort Worth youth basketball coach Cynthia Guillory

“A man’s reputation goes a long way. Whether in the professional or casual environment, a mutual agreement between two parties is understood to be unbreakable. DeAndre Jordan not only damaged his reputation, he lost his ‘street cred.’” — Joe Robles Jr., a student at Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth

“I think in this day and age a man’s signature is not enough. I don’t know how you hope to keep a millionaire athlete to his word. It is low, but it’s business. It is the way they do business. There is no loyalty to team or organization anymore. The days are gone when people thought they had an obligation.” — Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson, who also works as a football referee and an instant-replay official for the Big 12 and Mountain West conferences

“DeAndre can stay in L.A. for all I care. But I tell you what, he better sell his house in Houston. He don’t deserve to live in Texas anymore. A real Texan keeps his word.” —Eric Paz, an engineer for Stryker Communications in Fort Worth. Originally from Atlanta, he considers the Mavericks his second-favorite NBA team behind the Hawks.

“For me personally, if I make a verbal agreement, that is my word. But that is not necessarily true for all people in all situations.” — Pat Linares, interim superintendent of the Fort Worth school district

“They say in college recruiting that the kid has committed to a verbal agreement. After a kid has committed, colleges still come after them. When DeAndre Jordan verbally agreed to come to the Mavericks, it was their job to hold him until 11 p.m. when players could sign. Everyone has the right to change their mind.” — Anthony Criss, football coach at Arlington Sam Houston High School

“Yes, a man’s word should be enough. But unfortunately, we have a society that is full of boys pretending to be men, and a man’s word usually means very little. Throw in the fact that my favorite team’s trajectory for the next several years has completely changed, and I’m very disappointed and angry about the result.” — Trenton Carothers of Early, a Mavs fan who works as a credit analyst

“Your word should be your bond, especially when it comes to contractual issues. A new precedent has been set. It is going to change what goes on between the teams.” — Parker County Judge Mark Riley

“In such a highly publicized situation, with as much thought as you should put into it before making a decision of that magnitude, it doesn’t seem right that you can back out.” — Arlington Councilwoman Kathyrn Wilemon

“In a perfect world, it [your word] should be good enough. But when you’re talking business on that level, it is not. Contract lawyers are well-paid for a reason.” — Caleb Gremmer, a Mansfield resident and San Antonio Spurs fan

“Trust isn’t just a word; it’s a value. It defines who a person is and if they can be depended upon to do what they say. When a man gives his word, he’s asking you to trust him and that you can depend on him to follow through. When he reverses course, that trust evaporates and harms his brand: He can no longer be depended upon. Better to find out now than after a multimillion-dollar contract is signed. ” — Andy Crim, executive director of professional and continuing education at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth

Staff writers Max B. Baker, Sandra Baker, Yamil Berard, Deanna Boyd, Dustin Dangli, Gordon Dickson, Mitch Mitchell, Diane Smith and Mark Smith contributed to this report.

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Hey, DeAndre! A man’s word still means something in Texas."