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February 14, 2000
A secondchance allan athleteshould getI believe in second chances. That's not a popular position to take in a society where zero tolerance is in vogue. Zero tolerance is another word for no tolerance, which is just another way of saying intolerance. Too often, zero tolerance has overruled common sense. But even those of us who believe in second chances have a limit. The position of providing second chances is greatly eroded by athletes who seem to expect not only second chances, but thirds and fourths and fifths. Worse, there are those who are willing to grant them. As much as I believe athletics can add to a person's character, and as much as I believe everyone should participate -- in some way -- in athletics, especially at the junior high and high school levels, I have never believed that athletes should receive special treatment. Not in anything, not in second chances. When Florida State wide receiver and then sure-to-be Heisman winner Peter Warrick got arrested for some credit card shenanigans with a purchase at a department store, the cries of those who attack sports at the slightest provocation were heard loud and clear. They called upon Seminoles' coach Bobby Bowden to dismiss Warrick from the football team. They wanted Warrick to spend time in jail. I said that was going too far. Warrick had no prior criminal record. And let's face it, while what Warrick did was a crime, he didn't kill anybody. But those who argued for harsh discipline wanted Warrick to be made an example. That's special treatment for an athlete -- in a negative way. My reasoning was that Warrick wasn't being treated any differently than if a member of the FSU band had done the exact same thing. He didn't kill anybody. That's interesting word usage since in the last two months, two active-roster NFL players have been implicated in murder cases -- Rae Carruth and Ray Lewis. Neither has been convicted, but the prospects don't appear favorable for either gaining acquittal. Carruth has been indicted. A Georgia grand jury indicted Lewis and two associates on murder charges Friday for the stabbing deaths of two men after a Super Bowl party. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. announced the indictments, saying Lewis and the two other suspects were involved in a Jan. 31 fight that left the two victims dead. A murder conviction in Georgia brings a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty; Carruth could face the death penalty in North Carolina if he is convicted. Here's a hypothetical situation. Suppose both men are acquitted -- should they be allowed to play again in the NFL? We might say, "They're innocent, so why not?" Wouldn't they each deserve a second chance? Chances are, though, they have already received their second chances, and thirds, and fourths. We know Lewis has had trouble with the law previously. He was never charged, but he was suspected of beating up a woman in Baltimore. By the time a disturbingly large number of professional athletes reach the pinnacles of their professions, they've used up their second chances, and yes, maybe their thirds and their fourths. They were given by authorities, coaches, administrators and parents when they were in high school or college. Ironically, these are sometimes the same people who lead the charge for zero tolerance. Zero tolerance is fine as long it's one of your guys, not one of theirs. Special treatment works both ways. If athletes don't want to be singled out for punishment because they are athletes, they shouldn't expect a pass because they are athletes. Because many of these highly-paid professional athletes have been catered to and coddled since they were in high school, they consider themselves bulletproof. And if they're not, and they do get in trouble, there's always that free pass they feel is "owed" them. Athletes wouldn't expect free passes if there wasn't the implicit -- and often explicit -- complicity of those who are able to grant them. The pattern often first emerges when the star high school athlete has a minor scrape with the law. Being a first-time offender, the athlete is ostensibly slapped on the wrist, much as would any other juvenile in a similar situation would be. Then the player has another run-in; this time the consequences could be much harsher. But our athlete is a star athlete. The coach needs him. The school district needs him. The community needs him. So instead of paying the price, and perhaps thereby learning an important lesson, the payment is deferred. And again, and again. By the time the athlete is in college, the die has been cast. The athlete is out of control, but he's bulletproof -- he's not going to get caught -- and there's always that free pass. A monster has been created, and it is we who are the creators.
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