In the past week, there have been two tragedies involving players with the Kansas City Chiefs (starting linebacker murders his girlfriend (mother of his infant daughter) after a argument, drives to his team's stadium, talks to and ultimately commits suicide in front of his head coach, assistant coach and the team's general manager less than two days before a game) and now, the Dallas Cowboys (backup defensive lineman (allegedly) drinks and drives, drives too fast and wrecks (flips) his vehicle on a road hours before the team is to leave for a road game, killing a friend and (former college and current pro) teammate riding with him in the process). Both are horrible (and preventable) tragedies. No more need to be said about that (others have and will continue to do that). Condolences to all of the families affected. Yesterday, a ESPN writer, Jeffri Chadiha, wrote a article giving his thoughts about the Dallas situation. I read it and I disagreed with his thoughts. I posted my reply on ESPN's site and on my Facebook page if you want to read it. So did others, though they attributed such to lack of sense and/or a ESPN bias. Maybe, maybe not.
There is a big picture here. Some blame the NFL for not doing more to prevent these kinds of things. What? That is total horse****. For one, the Chiefs did offer counseling to the KC player and the lady in question weeks before this tragic event, which was used, but apparently did not work. Second, I heard (from other posters) that (allegedly) the NFL has a program that allows any NFL player to request a taxi for free(?), wherever they are (meaning NFL cities and nearby suburbs, I would think) if they need it (to prevent drinking and driving) or worse. If this is true, admirable by the NFL. Regardless, the Dallas player has no excuse for what he did. He is facing 20 years in jail for the felony(ies) he is being charged with. Worse yet, this is the second alcohol-involved incident he has been involved in. Two too many. Honestly, life in prison is more appropriate for this (now-former) NFL player, considering he killed a man due to him driving while drunk and driving too fast. He made a series of bad choices and now must pay for them. If the KC player had survived, he deserved life in prison (or the death penalty) for the murder he did, as well. Period.
I don't advocate capital punishment lightly. I do not like the death penalty. I would prefer not to have it. With that said, I like the prospect of housing a murderer (or persons who commit similar-level crimes) in prison for 10-50 or more years at taxpayer expense even less. What if the person breaks out somehow (and commits more crimes before being recaptured or worse)? I do not think that is a good way to spend our resources. Those who commit (and are fairly convicted of) certain crimes like murder, especially of a child and/or due to DWI deserve to die. ASAP. Life in prison does little other than to be a example of what occurred and what the punishment could (or should be). Death (by electrocution, lethal injection or whatever else) saves time, money and is more final. Such gives closure to all involved. It lets everyone move on. The murdered person(s) cannot be brought back to life either way, right?
Now, is all this the NFL's fault? How can it be? The NFL is a employer. A very large and very visible employer, but still a employer. So is WWE. So is the federal (stare and/or local) government. So is your local grocery store. It is NOT their (or any employer's) responsibility to track and/or (try to) regulate their employees behavior 24/7/365. What they do on the job, doing work-related activities is one thing. But once work is done and they are off the clock, at home or wherever else, what the person does (or not) is the responsibility of that individual. Period.
Parents (and other responsible adults) raise their kids and to know right from wrong and do the right thing and stay on the good side of the law, both as kids and ESPECIALLY as adults. Do not get it twisted, we all do illegal things at some point. We drink a little bit at dinner with the spouse and drive a short drive home. We party too hard. We drive too fast. We might even do some intimate activities with our lover in the car and/or in public because we get too excited and cannot wait to get to (the) bedroom and so on. Many of these things are against the law. Some are felonies. Some are not.
These things WILL happen. Human nature. However, if you commit the crimes and are caught and/or admit to such, you have to be prepared for the consequences. Millionaire athlete or actor or average housewife. The law, in its purest form, is supposed to not care about one's resources or celebrity or stuff like that. Neither should the rest of us who are outraged when these things happen. Money, celebrity and/or the ability to perform at the highest levels on a stage, field, court or other athletic or entertainment and/or political venue should matter not at all. But it does. Another reality. Millionaires get convicted for crimes too, however, if they are convicted of the crime(s). So be it.
Leave the NFL and other employers alone on this matter. I blame the perpetrators for these crimes and those who might have prevented these things with a simple word or a call to someone who could help or at least prevent the worst case scenario, which occurred in these two cases. These employers are spending a lot of THEIR resources to help prevent tragedies like this that often could have been prevented if the parents had done their jobs when the kids are little (or not so little) and the lessons had stuck. All tragedies cannot be prevented. That is part of life. But better some than none. That would save money, time, resources, tears, prison space, and space on websites for stories and blogs to argue over stuff that a little common sense and better decision making by the INDIVIDUAL would help keep from being another sad headline. THAT is a stone cold hard undisputed fact.
There is a big picture here. Some blame the NFL for not doing more to prevent these kinds of things. What? That is total horse****. For one, the Chiefs did offer counseling to the KC player and the lady in question weeks before this tragic event, which was used, but apparently did not work. Second, I heard (from other posters) that (allegedly) the NFL has a program that allows any NFL player to request a taxi for free(?), wherever they are (meaning NFL cities and nearby suburbs, I would think) if they need it (to prevent drinking and driving) or worse. If this is true, admirable by the NFL. Regardless, the Dallas player has no excuse for what he did. He is facing 20 years in jail for the felony(ies) he is being charged with. Worse yet, this is the second alcohol-involved incident he has been involved in. Two too many. Honestly, life in prison is more appropriate for this (now-former) NFL player, considering he killed a man due to him driving while drunk and driving too fast. He made a series of bad choices and now must pay for them. If the KC player had survived, he deserved life in prison (or the death penalty) for the murder he did, as well. Period.
I don't advocate capital punishment lightly. I do not like the death penalty. I would prefer not to have it. With that said, I like the prospect of housing a murderer (or persons who commit similar-level crimes) in prison for 10-50 or more years at taxpayer expense even less. What if the person breaks out somehow (and commits more crimes before being recaptured or worse)? I do not think that is a good way to spend our resources. Those who commit (and are fairly convicted of) certain crimes like murder, especially of a child and/or due to DWI deserve to die. ASAP. Life in prison does little other than to be a example of what occurred and what the punishment could (or should be). Death (by electrocution, lethal injection or whatever else) saves time, money and is more final. Such gives closure to all involved. It lets everyone move on. The murdered person(s) cannot be brought back to life either way, right?
Now, is all this the NFL's fault? How can it be? The NFL is a employer. A very large and very visible employer, but still a employer. So is WWE. So is the federal (stare and/or local) government. So is your local grocery store. It is NOT their (or any employer's) responsibility to track and/or (try to) regulate their employees behavior 24/7/365. What they do on the job, doing work-related activities is one thing. But once work is done and they are off the clock, at home or wherever else, what the person does (or not) is the responsibility of that individual. Period.
Parents (and other responsible adults) raise their kids and to know right from wrong and do the right thing and stay on the good side of the law, both as kids and ESPECIALLY as adults. Do not get it twisted, we all do illegal things at some point. We drink a little bit at dinner with the spouse and drive a short drive home. We party too hard. We drive too fast. We might even do some intimate activities with our lover in the car and/or in public because we get too excited and cannot wait to get to (the) bedroom and so on. Many of these things are against the law. Some are felonies. Some are not.
These things WILL happen. Human nature. However, if you commit the crimes and are caught and/or admit to such, you have to be prepared for the consequences. Millionaire athlete or actor or average housewife. The law, in its purest form, is supposed to not care about one's resources or celebrity or stuff like that. Neither should the rest of us who are outraged when these things happen. Money, celebrity and/or the ability to perform at the highest levels on a stage, field, court or other athletic or entertainment and/or political venue should matter not at all. But it does. Another reality. Millionaires get convicted for crimes too, however, if they are convicted of the crime(s). So be it.
Leave the NFL and other employers alone on this matter. I blame the perpetrators for these crimes and those who might have prevented these things with a simple word or a call to someone who could help or at least prevent the worst case scenario, which occurred in these two cases. These employers are spending a lot of THEIR resources to help prevent tragedies like this that often could have been prevented if the parents had done their jobs when the kids are little (or not so little) and the lessons had stuck. All tragedies cannot be prevented. That is part of life. But better some than none. That would save money, time, resources, tears, prison space, and space on websites for stories and blogs to argue over stuff that a little common sense and better decision making by the INDIVIDUAL would help keep from being another sad headline. THAT is a stone cold hard undisputed fact.
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