I Won't Drink To That

So it's Tuesday morning, and I haven't written my weekly column yet.  The editor has my usual two-column spot saved and is waiting for my stuff.  I had just the day before told her that I had something for her.  Well... I was super busy with articles on wrestling, boys and girls basketball and had basically overlooked my commitment to the readers who can't wait to read their weekly installment of "In A Nutshell."  Did I have nothing to say?  Had I run out of gas as a columnist after a mere 6 months?  Hmmpff!  You should know me better than that.

With less than an hour to come up with something - and believe me, I looked for the quick easy subject... I chose the topic of drinking and driving troubles for today's professional athletes.  What an idiot!  After getting on a roll some two to three hundred words in... I realized I could have written a book.  This is not a subject to be taken lightly, as we all know, and looking back I wished I had taken more time on the subject.  Perhaps I will elaborate here on the blog at a later time, but for now, here's what I came up with in 20 minutes as deadline loomed large.

Thanks for reading, friends!

I Won't Drink To That

If you drive through Heber these days you may notice tall cut outs of sign toting grizzly bears warning you to not drink and drive.  “I’ll rip your face off…”, I believe those signs read.  As humorous as those signs are, could the message be any stronger?

Warnings, along the lines of print ads and television commercials, have gotten pretty effective in recent years.  Instead of just the basic “you’ll get a DUI” mantra, real situation images have become the norm.  Images of wrecked cars, or victims being treated on the scene of an automobile accident, or the law-enforced driven invisible police car that suddenly appears after an intoxicated driver takes off in his car.  These are brutally effective information campaigns that are pulling no punches.  It’s serious folks.  Do not drink and drive.

So what’s up with professional athletes?  I’m not sure if I can think of a more blatant display of ignorance than an individual who is looked upon as a role model, who is making hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of dollars, getting busted for driving drunk.  This pops up in the sports pages far too often.  Last weekend, a member of the Dallas Cowboys (sorry Jay and Danny) flipped his car killing his teammate and best friend.  The driver, Josh Brent, an active defensive tackle was charged with intoxication manslaughter after rolling his car when he lost control at a high rate of speed, killing his passenger, practice squad linebacker jerry Brown.

A terrible and avoidable scenario.  And this only one example!

Now this happens on a daily basis, sometime, somewhere involving someone we know.  It always… and I don’t like to use the word always, ends in disaster.  It’s not only defiant and ignorant to get behind the wheel of a car after you’ve had several alcoholic beverages, but it’s the selfishness that sticks out to me.  We are never on the road alone.  Traveling within earshot of you is a mother driving her children to daycare.  Waiting to cross safely in the crosswalk is an elderly man on his way to the market.  Obeying the laws of bicycling is a father of three getting his early evening exercise in.  These are often the victims.  The people who are going about their business who tragically lose their lives because of a fool who did not make the effort to get him or herself a ride home after happy hour.

In most pro sports options are available to the players.  Major League Baseball has designated drivers available through the team to both players and fans.  The NFL has a “safe ride” program provided through the player’s union that is available 24 hours a day.  They also have numerous educational symposiums for their rookies preparing them for the pressures of life adjustments.  We should all be so lucky.

Why these individuals are not taking advantage of these programs, instead choosing to drive themselves home from the bar or the party is beyond me.  The leagues should administer tougher stances on DUI’s before – if they’re lucky enough in that way – they injure or kill someone.  Heavy fines and two or three game suspensions should be handed out without pay.  Have these “role models” visit schools and churches and youth organizations to discuss with future drivers the dangers of driving while intoxicated.  There is plenty of money and time and resources in professional sports.  Don’t just hand these young guys million dollar checks and the keys to one hundred thousand dollar cars and hope for the best.