Are you ready for some football, police blotter fans?
(Photo: flickr.com)
Are you excited about the upcoming NFL season? Michael Vick will play for the Eagles, Brett Favre is the starting quarterback in Minnesota, Donte Stallworth of the Browns served 24 days in jail for striking a man with his car while driving drunk and Plaxico Burress is going to serve two years in jail for shooting himself in the leg with an unregistered firearm while at a night club. If his family needs to borrow money and wants the best personal loan rates, I’d advise them to check us out by clicking the green button below.
Business as usual for a ghetto league
The NFL can market their product better than any other professional team sports league in America. I get that. However, the shenanigans of players indicate that all the money in the world doesn’t take the streets out of a player. For the benefit of both themselves and the franchises who shell out millions of dollars to watch them perform on the field, NFL players need to take control of their lives. Dump the posse from the hood, form real adult relationships with dependable people and make good decisions about how you spend your time. You are being paid handsomely; you have a responsibility to live up to your contract.
Plaxico Burress – two years in jail?
I certainly agree that Plaxico Burress should face the appropriate legal penalty for discharging an unregistered firearm in public. Plus, considering that he damaged himself, he should be considered in violation of his contract… and the New York Giants agree, as they released him. But in light of how Stallworth killed someone and only served 24 days, why should Plaxico Burress get two years for a gun charge and hurting himself? It’s completely out of proportion, but not in the way that ill-informed NFL players think. Stallworth got off way too easy, as did Michael Vick, who was responsible for the deaths of multiple dogs.
And Brett Favre? No crime was committed, save for his media gamesmanship and indecision. There should be a special prison for people who need that much validation.
“An American tragedy?”
USA Today sports blog “The Huddle” quotes New York Giants owner John Mara as saying that the two-year jail term Plaxico Burress agreed to is “an American tragedy.” Yes, Mr. Mara, it’s exactly like the Theodore Dreiser story, except that Clyde didn’t shoot himself in the leg while ordering more Cristal and running with homies who think the Biggie Smalls debacle is high drama.
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Are you an idiot, John Mara? Plaxico Burress loses two years of his career because he did something very stupid. Yes, he has a newborn child who will miss him – THAT is a tragedy. But the real “American Tragedy” here is that owners like you throw millions at players who rarely have the maturity to handle that much money. You are enabling bad behavior by not requiring that they toe the line before drawing a paycheck. But hey… it’s your money, Mara.
Players sound off
Former Plaxico Burress teammate, Steve Smith claims prosecutors were “too aggressive” in going after Burress. “I think they wanted to set an example,” Smith said, “which sucks because he did something to himself. He didn’t hurt nobody else.”
Yes Steve, but he is still subject to the laws of the land – even though he’s an exalted athlete. Two years is an appropriate penalty, well within the law. An average person could receive the same penalty, and Plaxico Burress does not deserve special privilege.
His center botches the handoff
Center Shaun O’Hara concurs that the prosecutors went too far, proving that he’s yet another unthinking member of the players’ fraternity. “I think that he’s really punished himself the most already. To add another two years onto that, my personal opinion, yeah, I think that’s a little harsh. I think they’re trying to make an example out of him. But what can you do?”
I’ll tell you what you do, Shaun: honor your contract with good behavior. Don’t parade around with unregistered firearms, don’t hang out in clubs where fights seem to gravitate toward you and don’t neglect to make sure the safety is on. Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, wide receivers gotta run and not die… so Plaxico Burress didn’t need to shoot himself in the leg.
And a Bengal will lead them
Plaxico Burress, headed for his bunker (Photo: flickr.com)
Bengals wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson Tweeted that the whole Plaxico Burress debacle is a “wake-up call” to athletes who fail to take their responsibility to their team seriously. And Ochocinco knows all about being a good citizen. Follow him, people!
The wise one speaks: “Attention all athletes, build a bunker at home and stay there until your career is over, you want to party, bring the club to you!!!!!!”
Yes, shoot yourself in the privacy of your own home. Great idea. Oh, and Chad, you’ve got it all wrong. Too many athletes have been holed up in their bunkers of irresponsibility for too long. Time for them to wake up, spit out the pacifier and enter the adult world. No more enabling, no more excuses, no more playing the race card, no more subsidized stupidity. Grow up. Borrow money with the best personal loan rates like a normal person.
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(DISCLAIMER: Athletes are not role models. The idea that they are is all f#$%@^ up.)
