Odds on Professor Gates, Sgt. Crowley Having Beer at White House

In order to diffuse the controversy surrounding a Cambridge police officer, Sgt. James Crowley, arresting well known African American Cambridge professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., President Obama on Friday offered an invite for the two to share a beer with him at the White House.

The oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com were already planning to begin offering odds on whether the three do end up sharing a beer at the White House and when.

Gates was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct following an incident on July 16, 2009, when he had trouble opening the door to his house, which a neighbor then called in to police as a possible burglary attempt. While accounts regarding the ensuing discussion differ, Gates was arrested as he followed the arresting officer as he left his home to continue the discussion.  Crowley has claimed that Gates acted erratically and was asked to step outside because the initial call suggested another man may have been present and quite possibly there to harm the professor. 

President Obama made matters worse during a Wednesday night press conference in which he said the Cambridge police "acted stupidly".  Those remarks led to outrage from police agencies across the country.

"I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of his home to the station. I also continue to believe, based on what I heard, that Professor Gates probably overreacted as well," Obama said.

"My sense is you've got two good people in a circumstance in which neither of them were able to resolve the incident in the way that it should have been resolved and the way they would have liked it to be resolved," he said.

The President ended by saying he had extended an invite out to both men to join him for a beer at the White House, a photo op that already has press outlets salivating over.  The Gates arrest has become the hottest talk of the week.

It appears as if Sgt. Crowley might take Obama up on his offer (his colleagues have already hinted Crowley's favorite beer is Blue Moon Beer).  Whether Professor Gates decides to do the same remains to be seen.  By Friday afternoon, the Gates camp appeared to be backing off the suggestion that any arrest was "racially motivated".  An attorney for Gates also said there was not any lawsuit on the table at this time.

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher