We have all been there. It’s 1:30am on a Saturday night and you’re at a bar. You have been out all night, just hangin’ out with the boys (or girls) and you feel fine. In that conscious part of your mind that you have learned to ignore, you know you have had just a couple too many. You will likely make it home just fine, but your fingers are still crossed that you make it there without spotting the ever obvious roof-rack of lights in you rear-view. You and your buddy, someone you work with perhaps, hop in the car to head home. You silence the voice in the back of your mind saying that you should call a cab, not wanting to deal with the hassle of getting back to your car the next day, and continue on your way.
But then, the worst case scenario happens. Not the expensive, inconvenient DUI we all dread. This time, you lose control of the vehicle and wreck. And not just a minor fender-bender. Your friend, whose life was in your intoxicated hands, is killed. It’s entirely possible – just ask Josh Brent. On December 8, 2012, that’s exactly what happened. It wasn’t just a DUI – the financial burden of which a professional athlete could certainly afford – but Jerry Brown, a member of the Dallas Cowboy’s practice squad, and Brent’s best friend, was killed.
Any DUI fatality is tragic, because in every single instance, it is 100% preventable. There’s no reason for anyone, no matter what you do or how much money you make, to get behind the wheel of a vehicle when you have drank too much. But when it’s a member of that elite group of role models (whether they like that role or not, that’s one their given when they sign that contract) of NFL players. The NFL provides a “Safe Ride” service to their players, anytime, any place with a response time of less than an hour. And it’s of no cost to the player. Remind me again why they’re not using this?
On Sunday afternoon during the Dallas/Steelers match-up, they showed Mr. Brent on the sidelines. In sweatpants, carrying on with a teammate, seemingly without a care in the world. He’s not allowed to play at the moment – he’s on the teams “non-football illness” list. We all know what that really means. It’s the same as the “conduct detrimental to the team” suspension list. He made a horrible, stupid, reprehensible decision – and to cover our tracks as a team, we have to pretend to impose a sanction. It’s almost like the NFL and CBS intentionally lingered on Mr. Brent, as his presence would no doubt be controversial (but the media would never exploit tragedy for ratings – right?).
Jerry Brown’s family actually implored the Cowboy’s to allow Brent on the sidelines, and are apparently fighting against prosecution. To an extent, I understand that. No doubt Brent struggles with the fact that had he made a better decision, his friend would be alive today.
Here’s what I have a problem with. I receive notification after notification on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons of various fines the NFL levies against players for “illegal hits”. Constant media emphasis, rule changes, and meetings take place regarding player safety.
Evidently, these guidelines and standards are only relevant for the 60 minutes you’re in pads. I beseech the NFL to quit being so nauseatingly hypocritical. If you really expect your players to uphold a certain standard – enforce it. If a player is under suspicion of, convicted of, or being persecuted for any crime, be it intoxicated manslaughter, illegal substance abuse, or domestic violence, suspend that player from any and all team functions. Whether you like it or not, as a professional athlete and celebrity, you you held to a higher standard.
If the NFL doesn’t take a hard stance, do they know what message they’re sending? Expect a chunk of your pay to be missing the next time you’re running after a quarterback, but fail to stop on a dime while moving faster than the average human being can begin to contemplate. But make a decision that we’re all taught from a fairly young age is wrong, and even illegal – it’s cool, hang out on the sideline with your teammates. Oh, and you’ll still get paid too. Because what you do on that football field is more important than what you do in the rest of your life. What kind of message does the NFL really want to be sending?
