Bishop Eddie Long: 'I'm Going to Fight'

By Alicia Cruz
The Black Urban Times

As revelations of homosexual relations, coercion and fiduciary misconduct on the part of Bishop Eddie Long exploded last week, the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta finally took to the pulpit and airwaves to tell his side of the story on Sunday.

Clad in an ecru colored suit bearing the New Birth emblem, Long began his address to church members by saying, "Good morning New Birth. Good morning to all our other guests. And I would be remiss not to say good morning to the rest of the world," said Long.

During his 20 minute speech Long assured the crowd that he is not the man being portrayed on television. "That's not me," he said.

The massive crowd cheered and even gave the 57-year-old Huntersville, North Carolina native standing ovations as he spoke about the allegations being made against him.

"And I want you to know one other thing," he told the congregation, "I feel like David against Goliath, but I've got five rocks and I haven't thrown one yet. I've been accused, I'm under attack. I want you to know, as I said earlier, that I am not a perfect man," he said. "But this thing, I'm going to fight."

So far, four lawsuits have been filed by different men in Dekalb County, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina claiming Long coerced young males into sexual relationships using Church funds to purchase cars, clothing, jewelry and electronics in order to entice them into these alleged sexual affairs. Three of the lawsuits name a mentoring program, Long Fellows Youth Academy as a co-defendant.

The men have alleged that Long took them on overnight trips within the United States and out of the country where they shared hotel rooms and engaged in sex, masturbation, oral sex and other intimate behaviors.


Anthony Flagg, 21, and Maurice Robinson, 20, both of DeKalb County (pictured above), are two of the four men who have filed lawsuits against Long and his ministry.

Some Long supporters say they do not buy the allegations made by any of the men, especially Robinson, who was charged with theft in June after he and another man broke into the pastor's office and stole his iPhone and iPad, among other items. Some speculate Robinson may have broke into Long’s office in search of evidence, such as the infamous muscle shirt photos and text messages, he planned to use against Long in his lawsuit.

Spencer LeGrande, who filed suit Friday, claims he was 17 when he began a sexual relationship with the Bishop while accompanying the father of four on a trip to Nairobi, Kenya.

It was there that LeGrande alleges Long gave him the sleep aid, Ambien, followed by a “prolonged hug,” kissing and rubbing," according to the lawsuit. He added that the two shared a bed for the remainder of their trip, which included dinners and shopping.

The photos, which do not necessarily prove any wrongdoing on Pastor Long's part, display Long wearing a sleeveless black muscle shirt with tight black (biker) shorts. In the other, Long is wearing a short-sleeve red muscle shirt with tight jeans. Again, while these photos are not indicative of guilt, they do raise questions about the minister's conduct, who he sent the photos to and why.
Photo/ABC News

A former New Birth employee said he hoped the allegations were not true, but he wanted to hear that from Long so that the "cloud of suspicion over him can be dispersed."

"The information is certainly damaging," Kevin Bond told The Associated Press. "The evidence ... all of that is very troubling to many of us in the gospel community, the Christian community."

Long's spokesman and church members say it is appropriate he first speak in detail about the civil lawsuits with his church family.

Current New Birth member, Gary Foster described Long as family-oriented, a mentor and a respected leader who has helped many families and individuals, reported CNN.com.

"I stand behind the bishop because of the leader that he is. He is a true leader," said Foster.

Gabrielle Richards, who has attended New Birth for eight years, said she has seen no evidence that Long is a sexual predator.

A facebook page extending support to Bishop Long had the vote of 40 people as of Monday afternoon. A supporter wrote: "The guilty verdict that some people in Black voices has rendered is wrong. The media has painted a picture of a preacher that some dont even know. Some of you sound like the political group the tea party. lets just see how it ends. God is the final judge. Stop being the hype men and women of this issue and pray for th...e truth to come out...." followed by the 23rd Psalm.