Fools with Money: Why Don't Pro Athletes Learn?

Just because you're a pro athlete and make a ton of cash doesn’t give you the right to break the rules society has set.

The days when cops, teams, owners/management would and could protect their professional athletes from the laws that govern the rest of society are long gone.

When are players going to realize they aren’t exempt from these rules, they are just like anyone else and must abide or suffer the consequences.

Yet another DUI was handed out, this time to the Nuggets forward Renaldo Balkman. He was arrested in FL after refusing to take the test for his BAC (blood alcohol content), usually a sign of guilt.

Wasn’t it enough that Donte’ Stallworth killed a guy while under the influence, and yet only received 30 days in jail, 10 years probation, and 1000 community hours for the manslaughter charge. Well I suppose some can still be protected. Oh yeah, an undisclosed amount of compensation was given to the family??? Hmmm?

Michael Vick as we know received a hefty sentence for his dog fighting charges, one that didn’t slip through the cracks, though his case is different, it is still breaking the law.

Carmelo Anthony in April 2008 DUI, Jevon Kearse June 2008 DUI, we all remember NHLer Dany Heatly’s crash and burn while speeding that ended up killing his teammate and friend Dan Snyder, Plaxico Burress shooting himself with an illegal hand gun, one of the stupidest things I have heard.

The list goes on of bone-head moves some of these guys have made, I’m sure we could together fill pages upon pages with them.

Whether it’s speeding, driving drunk, dog fighting, guns or drugs, all of which are illegal, along with numerous other criminal acts, which I am sure come to mind while reading this, I just wonder when these guys going to learn?

They, as professional athletes, are supposed to represent and conduct themselves in a way that is indicative of the hard work and dedication that got them to this point, where they are now role models to the youth and what some kids aspire to be.  

Not a gun slinging drunk-driving speed demon that rapes women while high.

Will any league come to the conclusion that its players are extremely privileged to be in the position they are in, making the money they do, having the fame, and all the rest of the bells and whistles, that if they break certain laws, they should be banned from their respective leagues for life.

Might that make a guy think twice about driving drunk or giving their head a shake before they do something stupid?

Hmmm, if I do this I could be banned for life, is it worth it?

Well at this point I suppose you can take the boyz from the hood but you can’t take the hood from the boyz.

Hopefully somewhere down the line someone steps in and sets some standards that will limit the amount of this stupidity by these so-called role models.

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