NFL, Other Leagues Need a No Tolerance Policy for DUIs

Commissioner Roger Goodell is always tough on NFL players. He says he is all about player safety on the field; but what about the safety off the field? I understand the need to protect players on the field as much as possible, but they need to be protected off the field as well.

On Dec. 8, police charged Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent with intoxication manslaughter after he flipped his car, resulting in the death of his passenger and teammate, Jerry Brown. Brent faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the second-degree felony. This was the second time in the past three years that Brent has been arrested for an offense related to drunken driving.

Brent was suspended by then Illinois football head coach Ron Zook in 2009 after a DUI arrest. Brent was also driving with a suspended license and was speeding. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail, two years probation, 200 hours  of community service and fined. Brent did this before and, three years later, did it again; this time, however, it ultimately led to his teammate’s death. It is time for Goodell and the NFLPA to do something about this.

I believe it’s time for the league to implement a no tolerance policy regarding DUIs and DWIs. Players who get a DUI or DWI should get suspended four games for their first offense. Second time offenders should then get suspended an entire season. Too many athletes are getting arrested for DUIs.

According to USA Today, DUIs account for 28 percent of NFL player arrests since 2000. This is the third time since 1998 that an NFL player killed another person due to driving under the influence. This is troubling when you consider Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is an NFL partner of the league. You would think the NFL and its commissioner would want to send more of a message to players in the league.

MADD reports that 13,000-14,000 people are killed by drunken drivers every single year. I know the NFL has a program that teaches athletes about the dangers of drunk driving, but apparently it isn’t working. Even after this story is talked about, athletes will jump in their cars, maybe even tonight, after drinking way too much. Athletes have so much money that they can call a cab, hire a driver or even call another teammate. Instead, a lot of them think they’re invincible and they go ahead and drive. This is why Goodell and other sports commissioners need to put a stop to this.

You can preach to someone until you’re blue in the face, but unless they understand the message, it won’t stick in their brain. Brent got arrested before for DUI in college and he still did it again, this time killing a teammate. Players will not stop doing this until the league starts taking away paychecks and playing time from them. The NFL and NFLPA need to take a stand by saying this isn’t OK. Goodell wants his legacy to be about keeping players safe; well, this would go a long way of helping players and keeping them safe.