Stephen Jackson on D'Angelo Russell: 'Snitches get stitches'

The thing about the truth is it's not subjective. We all have to face it, whether we want to or not. 

It's often been said that you don't have to believe in the law of gravity, but you'll have to deal with it if you jump off the top of the Empire State building. So, while we can debate who was more wrong between Lakers teammates D'Angelo Russell and Nick Young in the aftermath of a video, shot by the rookie, in which the veteran admits to cheating on fiance rapper Iggy Azalea during a conversation he thought was private until the cow comes home. However, one truth prevails—what Russell did was potentially damaging to health. Former NBA player turned ESPN personality and certified O.G. Stephen Jackson added a needed perspective Tuesday, when he reminded Russell and the public that, "Snitches get stitches." 

MORE: Rookies of the Year 1990-2015 | Russell's teammates won't be Lakers long 

rpmsports18: Stephen Jackson, OG. ESPN SportsCenter https://t.co/kUpgoOkq3m pic.twitter.com/EA4TnxmMpi

— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) March 30, 2016

You don't expect that from your teammates," said Jackson, who played 14 years in the league for eight different franchises. "It's a new day in basketball. I don't understand. It's supposed be a brotherhood." 

Let's be clear. 

'Snitches get stitches' is the code of the streets. However, the guiding principle is nearly universally shared among professional athletes. 

"Anything that goes on in the locker room, on the road, you keep it as a team, as a family" Jackson added. "It doesn't get out." 

While the consequences aren't nearly as dier in sports (Typically, informants in the underworld wind up six feet under.), they may lead to fisticuffs. Jackson isn't just some washed up former player, talking like he's big and bad  but wouldn't actually bust a grape. He's on a short list of players from the modern era who are about that life (See: Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, Matt Barnes and Udonis Haslem). Run back the tape of the one-hitter quitter he stroked a fan with in the infamous "Malace at the Palace" for visual evidence. 

Here's footage of him choking out former all-star Steve Francis inside a Houston night club. 

He later explained the incident to Dan Le Batard and Bomani Jones on "Highly Questionable." 

Russell's already being ostracized by his teammates. It's an incident that's going to take some time for him to recover from. He's going to have to prove himself as a guy who can be trusted in the locker room moving forward. 

He is lucky he isn't in the NFL. Nick Young won't put his hands on him. Had it been someone else, lets say Metta World Peace back in his Ron Artest days, he might have had medical issues to deal with as well as professional ones.