Tami Roman caused quite a stir with fans and cast mates on Monday night’s season five premiere of “Basketball Wives” when she advised Evelyn Lozada to try to work things out with her abusive ex-husband, Chad Johnson. Although many people criticized Roman, saying she was supporting domestic violence, Roman recently opened up about her comments and clarified that she was never supporting abuse, she just believes in second chances.
“I was, expressing to her that if they were going to continue to be together—if they did in fact love each other and feel that the relationship could work—I suggested that they go through counseling individually. Then work on it together, as a couple, as a unit if they felt their relationship was worth saving,” said Roman to fellow VH1 reality star Sharon Carpenter, adding that her talk of seeking professional help wasn’t included in the episode.
However, Roman stood firm behind her message claimed that everyone deserves a chance at redemption.
“I still firmly believe that,” she said. “I think in all relationships things do happen and sometimes things go to the left, but nobody in America was there with them except Evelyn and Chad. We don’t know how it started. We just know how it transpired. Maybe Chad wasn’t the man that Evelyn thought he was at the time that they got married, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t grow and evolve to be that man within time and that’s what I was saying.”
“I don’t condone a man putting his hands on a woman… I’ve been an abused individual as well,” she added.
Having been in abusive relationships herself, Roman knows firsthand what it feels like to be in Lozada’s shoes. Although she’s all about second chances, she claims that there are no more chances after the second try.
“Now, when you get back together and if he busts you upside your head with a frying pan, then now you need to go ’cause that would be a third chance and he’s not warranted that,” she said.
Clearly, Lozada didn’t follow Roman’s advice because she and Johnson are still on bad terms. However, neither she nor Roman is alone. Check out some other stars that have been in abusive relationships below. – nicholas robinson
