Looking at Felonies in the NFL

By chazen  |   Wednesday, August 12, 2009  |  Comments( 2 )

NFL Football News
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To an average citizen, a DUI manslaughter charge would mean around 15 years in prison and a lifetime of difficulties to go along with it. To a professional football player, it means a couple weeks in jail and a small portion of your paycheck.

It has become far too commonplace to hear of an NFL player committing a capitol offense and getting off with a slap on the wrist. It is not asking too much for these athletes not to commit felonies and it is up to the league to set higher standards.

The problem stems from a lack of enforcement. We repeatedly see players getting minimal sentences and fines and it sends a message to other players that they can get away with just about whatever they want. If there was a genuine threat of being expelled from the league more players would think twice before carrying guns or driving drunk.

A major consequence of these court ruling is that they are teaching kids that athletes are above the law. Whether or not professional football players want to be role models or not, they are. And as role models for our youth, these players should be held to a higher standard of ethics than those of the fans that watch the game. Kids should want to play football for the game and the glory, not to be an exception to the rule.

It is the job of the justice system to treat everyone equally and to uphold the laws regardless of merit, and as a country we put our faith into that belief. However, that is not always the case. The NFL needs to be the next step after. They need to set the standard by simply saying there is no coming back after a felony offense.
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