Crime is any act that violates the law. Many times professional athletes become involved in crime and it seems that they are above the law. The athlete’s notoriety makes it seem that professional athletes are committing crimes more than average people, whether they are felonies or misdemeanors. Should athletes be allowed back into their respective leagues after they commit such crimes?
Many people believe that professional athletes are “above the law”. In reality, they are human beings like you and me who, no matter what the circumstances, can and will be charged like an average person. The offense of the crime can certainly come into play on whether or not a professional athlete who commits a crime should be allowed to play again.
Driving while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol is one crime that athletes may commit. This crime is common among athletes and can attract unnecessary attention. DUI or DWI is a crime that is quickly resolved and is passed over by society, yet reporters try to dig up more dirt on professional players to bury them in more attention. One athlete that has committed this crime is Donte Stallworth (“Financial agreement avoids lawsuit 2009). Stallworth is an NFL player who currently holds a contract with the Cleveland Browns (“Stallworth suspended indefinitely 2009). Stallworth was charged with DUI manslaughter and was sentenced to thirty days in jail,
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along with many hours of community service added (“Stallworth suspended indefinitely” 2009). Tony Adams, a professional soccer player for Arsenal FC was also charged with drunk driving in 1990(Adams 2009); Adams was sentenced to 4 months in jail, but was released after serving 33 days (Adams 2009). And a final athlete that...
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Major league scouts had come to watch a shortstop whom they had heard was an excellent fielder and consistent batter. They were quickly distracted from this responsibility however by the performance of the man on the pitcher’s mound. Fernando Valenzuela was a pudgy teenage boy who had grown up on the dusty baseball fields of northwestern Mexico. From a young age, he had dreamed of playing professional baseball and he was about to get his chance. Less than two years later, he became the only player to win the Cy Young award as well as the Rookie of the Year award...
Athletes do not always get in trouble, but when they do some athletes tend to have favoritism shown to them by the law enforcement. When it comes to athletes that break the law, one major viewpoint is that some athletes tend to get special treatment when they commit crimes because they are famous, but with harsher consequences. Athletes are supposed to be role models for younger kids who look up to them, but they are getting in trouble and causing controversy for all the wrong reasons and it is affecting their careers, the athletes might not think that it is because of the favoritism that law enforcement shows them, but it is. When athletes do commit crimes law enforcement tends to be bias toward them because they are known around the world (Withers). Therefore, this causes a lot of controversy surrounding the athlete because many people believe that they do not get disciplined like they should.
Taylor, Hopkins. Substance abuse issues to Offending Athletes. Miami: Beachwood Press, pages 35-37. 2009. Print.
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NFL players have been known to get into bar fights, drive while intoxicated, and drive under the influence. In 2013 alone, 30 players were arrested and 10 of them received DUI’s. According to Jay Coakley, “Deviance occurs when a person’s ideas, traits, or actions are perceived by others to fall outside their normal range of acceptance in society” (...
In the last three years alone the list of the accused included Dante Bichette, Barry Bonds, John Daly, Scottie Pippen, Jose Conseco, Bobby Cox, Mike Tyson, Warren Moon, Michael Cooper, Darryl Strawberry, Duane Causwell, Olden Polynice, Robert Parish, and OJ Simpson( Callahan, Sports Ilustrated). And these are only the pro athletes whose wives had the courage to report the violence.
In the early 2000s Baylor University’s basketball, men’s team underwent tough times of investigations and was later found guilty of breaking several NCAA rules and was punished. The athlete scandal erupted after the murder of Baylor university basketball player Patrick Dennehy. He was a junior forward from the University of New Mexico due to his sophomore season in year 2001-2002. In the summer of 2003, Dennehy and his teammate who later confessed to be the killer of Dennehy said that they were concerned about their safety. However, on 25th June 2003, Dennehy’s car was found in Virginia Beach with no license plates. A confession that had been filed on 23rd June that was seeking a search warrant for Dennehy’s computer expressed that an expert from Delaware informed police that Doston who was by that time at home ...
Sexual abuse by athletes is evident at every level, from high school team members to professional players. In the last decade, some of the most noted athletes in big league sports have been accused of sexually abusing or attacking women. In many cases, however, the woman decided not to bring it to public trial, and charges were dropped:
When NFL linebacker Junior Seau retired in 2010, he seemed set for life, yet two years later, he was dead. Eight months after Seau’s death, the scientists who looked further into the cause of his death declared that they had found evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a nerve disease linked to concussions, which has been a reason in the deaths of many NFL players. Despite this fact, during Seau’s retirement he withdrew from his family and friends, made bad business decisions, gambled large with large amounts, as well abused pills and alcohol. As NFL player Warren Moon stated, “One thing I read that was peculiar to me—he had never been diagnosed with a concussion. That tells me he wasn't reporting what was wrong with him. For a guy that played linebacker for twenty years, somewhere in there he would've had a concussion.” Seau’s family and the media are wanting to blame the NFL for Seau’s death yet how you can blame a game for Seau’s actions? The NFL is not to blame for him not reporting his game injuries and keeping them a secret. They NFL did not make him drink, gamble, pop pills nor make terrible decisions that untimely led to his death.
One would think that playing for a professional sports team and having all of the fame and money should deter athletes from committing crimes, but in all actuality it is the complete opposite for some players. When examining the relationship between athletes and deviant behavior one must consider the criminological theories. In the case of Darren Sharper it seems as though there are two theories that most accurately connect his crimes with his behavior which is the rational choice theory and the routine activities
"SN names the 20 smartest athletes in sports - Sporting News." 2010. 20 May. 2014
In the last 10 years or so professional sports have been fighting a battle it seems won't end. The battle against performance enhancing drugs like Steroids and HGH. These drugs have created a major problem for sports like Baseball, Football, Soccer, Cycling, and Track and Field. Some of professional sports most favorited players have been found guilty of steroid use. New York Yankees 3rd Baseman, Alex Rodriguez has been found guilty of steroids on countless occasions. MLB home run record holder Barry Bonds has been found of guilty as well. Professional wrestler Chris Benoit also tested positive for steroids. With names as big as these it shows how much of a problem this is causing in sports.
A lot of Athletes are model citizens that you should really look up to, but there are. also some bad apples in the bunch that ruin it for everyone. Athletes can inspire young people to work hard so that their efforts can pay off, but no one. is pure and flawless. Greed does take a hold of some players, but they do. shouldn't be the ones we devote all of our attention to.
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