Jesse James' Father Speaks Out: Denies He Abused Jesse James

As would be expected, Jesse James' father, Larry James, spoke out yesterday regarding the allegations that he had abused Jesse as a child. Mr. James vehemently denied the story occurred as Jesse said it happened and his step-mother, Janina James Coan, went so far as to call the accusations, "crap."

But, Jess James' sister, Julie James England, also spoke out yesterday, according to TMZ.com, and said it was true. Julie said that both she and Jesse suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their father and that their mother did as well.

As these stories usually go, there is the "he said/she said" element because everyone has their own point of view on how the facts fit together to make the truth. But, I have serious doubts that Jesse James would risk more of his reputation being damaged by going on national television to lie.

Some have already called Jesse's interview nothing more than a "whine fest" and perhaps there is/was a certain element of self-pity involved. Personally, I found Jesse to be credible and sincere and he seemed to be extremely contrite and remorseful for what he had done.

Perhaps the ultimate pay-off actually went to Jesse because he wanted to clear his name and absolve himself of any accusations that he was a racist. It's pretty tough to privately face up to your wrong doings on any given day.

But, to have your failures splashed across the front page of every newspaper and television screen world-wide has surely got to be a pretty tough row to hoe. So, in that regard, I can completely understand his motivation.

Perhaps it's the mommy in me that wants to feel compassion and sensitivity toward Jesse James. Or maybe it is my awareness that my own past is pretty shady and full of shameful behavior and so I do not feel I'm in much of a position to throw rocks.

Whatever the reason, I certainly feel a lot of compassion toward Jesse James and don't slight him one iota for wanting to speak out, clear his name and set the record straight about what he did or didn't do. He is human after all, tattoos and all.

Sources:

RadarOnline
TMZ
Associated Content