Why Can’t Athletes Act Right?

I’ve now done this column for four years and 10 months. By my math, that’s 250-straight weeks of me giving you my opinion on various sports-related topics. Man, what a humbling feeling and a true blessing!

Most of my columns are about local topics – the latest happenings in things going on within our two local parishes.

But it is not all prep football and local mumbo jumbo. We take pride in being pretty hard-hitting. We’ve talked about race issues, gender equality, homosexuality in sports and all sorts of other things that have become relevant in the world of sports throughout the past 57 or so months within the confines of this column.

But today, I want to talk about a topic that has been on my mind in recent weeks – a topic that may sit well with some and may offend others. But I don’t care – it needs to be stated any way.

I am sick and tired of collegiate and pro athletes acting like they are above the law and doing things unbecoming of productive members of society.

I think it’s time that the entire segment of society understands that the ability to run, jump and catch a football, basketball or baseball does not make one above the laws that guide our lives.

I know this is probably a little bit out of left field for me, because I am usually an apologist for athletes at all times.

But let me explain where this is coming from.

I’m like any other avid sports fan out there throughout Houma-Thibodaux. I eat, breathe and live this stuff. When I’m in the office, I’m researching sports. When I’m out of the office and am on my own time, guess what? I’m researching or watching sports.

So in the process of doing my job on Oct. 15, I took my computer to ESPN.com to see what all was happening in the world so that I could generate column ideas for this week’s issue.

Along the right-hand side of ESPN.com, there is a newsfeed with some of the top headlines in the day.

Let me read to you now some of the things that were being talked about last Wednesday.

Headline 1: Garrett: Significant fine to be given to Randle after shoplifting arrest.

Headline 2: Source: Burfict fined $25K for twisting opponent’s ankles.

Headline 3: Fisher says he doesn’t believe Winston received money for autographs.

Headline 4: Pistorius hearing: Suspect a ‘broken’ man.

OK, so to summarize the four top headlines of the day, let us now give our version of the Cliff Notes on each story so we can illustrate why things have gotten a bit out of hand in the world of sports.

Headline 1: Rich Dallas Cowboys halfback steals underwear and cologne from Dallas mall but will play on Sunday because his team lacked the ethics and morals to suspend him. Randle makes more in one week than I make in a year. But yet, I pay for my cologne and underwear and he doesn’t. Go figure.

Headline 2: Crazed linebacker tries to break opponent’s ankles mid-game and is only fined but not suspended in a league that “cares” about safety – the same league that suspended a coach a full season for a bounty program happening on his watch.

Headline 3: Spoiled brat Heisman Trophy winner dares Florida State to suspend him. Just like the other half-dozen times he’s been in trouble, the school will do nothing – except play Winston on Saturday and make millions of dollars in ticket sales and revenues off his likeness.

Headline 4: Track athlete shoots, kills girlfriend, but he’s now the victim – to hell with the slain victim’s family and friends and what they think.

Seriously – enough is enough.

Is there anyone in the sports world following the law anymore? Is there anyone else besides me tired of turning on ESPN and hearing about court cases, police investigations and everything EXCEPT the actual games being played on the field?

These four headlines will come and go, but they will be replaced by news updates from Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Aaron Hernandez and whoever the new knuckhead of the week will be in the sporting world.

It’s not cool, it’s not right, and I really wish that these folks would understand that they are truly blessed with the God-given ability to play a game for a living – a dream that millions of young men, women and children would sacrifice anything to be able to have within their own lives.

But even with that unbelievable talent and ability, far too many still make decisions to ruin it all and selfishly throw it all away.

For what?

Cologne? Underwear? A few hundred bucks worth of autograph revenue?

It’s not about any of those things.

It’s done because of entitlement and a lack of fear toward authority because of the pattern and precedent that’s been set that no matter what these athletes do, we’ll forgive them and give them another chance.

Josh Gordon failed multiple marijuana tests and was suspended for the entire 2014-15 NFL season. He whined, cried and bickered to his Union, who challenged the NFL.

The rules were changed, he is now just suspended 10 games and will be able to play this season.

Know how many drug tests I’m allowed to fail at my work place? None.

Know how long I’d be suspended if I tested positive for pot? I’d be suspended forever.

Again we state – it’s all about entitlement and a lack of fear toward authority.

Why respect the rules when the rules don’t apply toward you?

Of course, we’re not blowing the trumpet and stating that all athletes are awful individuals. For every Joseph Randle and Jameis Winston, there are probably two or three folks like Drew Brees who abide by the laws of society and are true role models that young children can look up to.

But the bad guys right now are generating a lot of the spotlight, and the ways that we coddle these young men once in the headlines is ridiculous.

Things will only change when these guys face serious consequences for the things that they do.

Giving a rich man a $5,000 fine isn’t punishment. It’s like fining me $2.

Take the players off the field for prolonged periods of time.

Only then will we see these guys realize how blessed they are to be able to play a game for a living.