Floyd Mayweather’s baby mama drama: Who’s to blame?

OPINION - How could the boxing champion get caught in Instagram photos in the bed of his former partner?...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Earlier this month, boxer Floyd Mayweather was in the news for his (expected) triumph over boxing opponent Robert Guerrero. And last week, Mayweather, no stranger to attention seeking, made headlines again, but in a way he probably never expected.

On Mother’s Day, he paid a visit to his ex Josie Harris, who is mother to three of his four children. Harris has also appeared on the  reality show Starter Wives Confidential exposing her ongoing “relationship” with Mayweather, and on May 1 Harris gave an interview to Yahoo sports explaining that they’ve had “one intimate encounter” since he served time for assaulting her in front of their children.

This is also despite Mayweather’s engagement to another woman, Shantel Jackson, who lives with Mayweather. Anyway, Mayweather and Harris — recently it seems —  wound up in a bed together. As he slept, Harris snapped a picture of him that was posted to Instagram on Mother’s Day.

Mayweather’s fiancee allegedly strikes back

This, however, is not when things stop being crazy. Mayweather’s fiancee, who of course heard about the pictures, if not saw them, has not made a public statement about her fiancé being pictured in the bed with his ex. But she did offer a response, of sorts.

After Harris’s picture with Floyd surfaced, Jackson posted a mini-photo essay on Intsagram, documenting her life with Floyd. The images included a walk-in closet the size of a garage, a series of expensive designer bags displayed (and protected) like precious artifacts in a museum, and a vintage luxury vehicle. Media Takeout interpreted her images as a way of saying to Harris, “you may have his [penis], but I have his pockets.”

Who’s causing the baby mama drama?

Somehow, Mayweather and Jackson went pretty much unscathed in the court of public reaction on this matter. Most people didn’t notice it. The overwhelming take for those who cared seemed to be that Mayweather was just doing what men do, and that Jackson was somehow “winning” (cue Charlie Sheen) by having access to Mayweather’s money. Harris took the brunt of the blame for being sloppy and causing “baby mama drama” by posting the picture of herself sharing a bed with Floyd in the first place.

I took all that in and scratched my head, thinking, “huh?”

So-called “baby mamas” — I prefer “ex” or “mother of my children”— get a bad rap. In typical blame-the-woman fashion, they take the heat for whatever messy encounters that may come about with the fathers of their children. Some deserve it. Some don’t.

It’s everybody’s fault — including Mayweather

In this situation here, everyone’s at fault, including Jackson.

Let me explain: Harris and Mayweather share three children together, so they have to have some interaction. That’s fine. But there’s no excuse for him, a committed man, being laid up in a bed when she is present, and certainly not with her. He’s got enough money for when the “itis” hits to go get himself a room.

Harris, knowing that the father of her children is in another relationship, had no reason getting in the bed. And clearly her intent when posting the picture was to imply that she was having a very “happy” Mother’s Day, and to put Mayweather’s girlfriend on notice about the activities.

About that girlfriend: some said Jackson was “keeping it classy” by not engaging in a social media war of words with Harris about the photo. However, photos of acquisitions purchased by her philandering fiancee don’t really give the impression of class. What it does imply is that she’ll put up with anything for a paycheck. And if that’s the case, so be it. But there was no need to essentially “say” your pride is for sale on social media.

They should keep it confidential

Maybe all parties involved have an understanding that I just don’t, well, understand. If that’s the case, I’d wish they’d just keep it private instead of confusing the rest of us and making themselves look so messy in the process.

But here is at least one documented case in which a man with “baby mama drama” has to take some responsibility for doing it to himself.

Demetria L. Lucas is the author of “A Belle in Brooklyn: The Go-to Girl for Advice on Living Your Best Single Life” (Atria), in stores now. Follow her on Twitter @abelleinbk.

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