Some of us might know Dr. Conrad Murray as the incompetent, unethical and down right evil doctor accused of killing the icon of a generation, Michael Jackson. But many of Dr. Murray's patients don't see things that way. There is a reason Jackson chose Murray as his doctor, and it may not be just because he seemed willing to bend the rules.

In spite of the allegations against him, some of Dr. Conrad Murray's patients are remaining highly loyal to their physician. They are ignoring the hype and what we see in the media and going back to the doctor they argue is not nearly the villain the world thinks he is.

"I made sure to call and have my name added to his patient wait list, so that when he comes back, I will still be under his care," stated one of Dr. Murray's patients.

While it may seem insane that someone would continue to frequent the establishment of a doctor who is accused of such a heinous crime, the truth is that these patients may not be as whacked out as you might be tempted to believe. Here are some reasons that Dr. Conrad Murray may not be as bad as the media are leading you to believe. Here are some reasons that Dr. Murray's patients may be loyal to him:

1) A slip in ethics does not imply complete incompetence: Most of us know good people who mistakes. Give me a break if you truly think that a good doctor can't do something wrong or unethical. Not to say that Dr. Murray's behavior should be excused, but the idea that he is a complete quack is kind of silly. At the same time, he should be punished for violating the law if that is what happened. Remember, however, that he is guilty until proven innocent.

2) Dr. Murray may have been caught up in the moment: From what I've gathered, Dr. Murray was having financial problems when he signed on to be Michael Jackson's doctor. When you're struggling to pay the bills and a celebrity offers you $150,000 per month to do a job, you're likely going to be influenced by the money, the fame and the pressure. This does not excuse Dr. Murray's actions, but it does remind us that if you don't want to be tempted to violate your ethical standards, you should avoid making yourself financially vulnerable. An example might be the NCAA, where many cash strapped universities consistently violate their academic standards to admit multi-million dollar assets, I mean athletes.

3) Black professionals are more likely to be viewed as being less competent than their white counterparts: I find it quite interesting that while the doctors for Kanye West's mother, Donda, and Michael Jackson have been put in front of the public as the worst doctors on earth, no one has done the same to the doctors of Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith. Even when you consider unapologetic black leaders, such as Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, they are also made into a joke by the media. Yes, this does relate to race. It doesn't mean that Dr. Murray didn't do anything wrong, but there are thousands of doctors who break the law, but are not paraded to the country as agents of death.

4) Dr. Murray's patients know him and we do not: Usually, what we see in the media simply isn't true. I met a scholar who once said, "My friends tell me that Boyce Watkins is a tyrant and a terrible person." I then went on to find out that not one of the people who told her that story had ever met me in person. The media makes people larger than life, and people want to believe what they read. In the case of Dr. Murray, his patients have had him save their lives and make them well. That is probably why they love him.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.