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Monday, August 18, 1997

People deserve chance to redeem themselves

COLUMN:

Media quick to convict athletes, judge them only by bad actions

Imagine this: My name is Michael Irvin. I wake up early in the morning and begin my everyday routine. Almost as soon as I get out of bed I go outside and jog for a couple of miles. When I get back home I shower and get ready to go to football practice.

Once I get there a few teammates who usually go into the weight room early in the morning are getting ready for the team meeting. I put all personal material (a.k.a wallet and chains) in my locker and get ready to study certain zone blitzes with my offensive coordinator.

An hour or so later I begin to warm up with teammates such as Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and recently acquired Anthony Miller. After loosening up I begin to run a few routes before eventually the offense scrimmages against the defense.

Immediately after I practice I quickly enter the weight room because I need a lot of strength to do my patented "push-off" technique. Then at the end of a hard day I look at a little more game film before I take a shower. I promptly take all my stuff from my locker and head for the parking lot.

Once home I begin to feel the aches and pain. The pressure of being the go-to guy in one of the premier teams in the NFL begins to sink in. My shoulders feel heavier and heavier. I need to relax but my mind is still on football.

So I just snort a line of coke and all my worries are gone. Am I wrong? In sports today athletes who have had brushes with the law concerning drugs, like Irvin, do not receive a fair shake from the media. Irvin was nicknamed the "Prince of Probation" in a recent fantasy football guide book. But shouldn't the rehabilitated Irvin be given a second chance?

Our legal system has this thing about "innocent until proven guilty." Yet when an athlete is found in possession of drugs like Anaheim outfielder Tony Phillips and Sixers point guard Allen Iverson, there is little doubt that they are guilty. Yet there have been circumstances when athletes have been found innocent.

Most recently, Trail Blazer forward Cliff Robinson had illegal drugs in his car when he was pulled over by a cop. He was arrested and charged by the police. In the end, though, Robinson turned his own brother in to the police because Robinson did not have anything to do with the drugs.

Nevertheless, journalists like yours truly are aware that the word "guilty" grabs a bigger headline. Therefore we are quick to convict Robinson in a newspaper. When is the last time that you heard on the 10 o'clock news that a young man helped an old woman cross the street? You and I both know that the only way this young man gets on the news is if he pushes the old woman into oncoming traffic. Violence and drugs attract an audience.

There is also the problem that sports celebrities live under a microscope. If Irvin got a parking ticket we (the media) would know about it. If Irvin goes out into a bar and has a verbal argument with a regular Joe we would know about it. If Irvin is in a hotel where a drug dealer is arrested next to his room, we would make something out of it.

In other words, Irvin is in a no-win situation. I have friends who have done coke or are doing it now. And if they are doing coke, or at the very least pot or speed, because they feel pressure and simply want to relax and have fun, I can just imagine how Irvin must feel.

At first drugs are a choice. But once the drug makes one feel good, the addiction begins. At this point the use of the drug turns from a want to a need.

We are all human. It is so hard to say "no" to temptation and eventually many of us give in. Irvin gave in and eventually became addicted. But should we convict him for being human? Irvin now has a choice to rehabilitate himself and turn his situation around. He should conduct himself responsibly. He at least owes that much to the Cowboys organization.

I think that George Carlin, the stand-up comedian, put it best in one of his acts. Carlin spoke of incarcerating all of the drunks and drug addicts for a real "Rocky Mountain High" in Colorado. But he assured the audience that they should not be worried because everyone convicted of drug or alcohol abuse would have several chances to steer themselves into the right direction. In fact, everyone would have at least twelve chances before being sent to Colorado.

Needless to say the audience burst out in laughter. Yet Carlin's point is that a large percentage of society has at the very least experienced with drugs. It would be wrong for those caught breaking the law to be severely punished the first time around. That is what rehabilitation centers are for -- to help those poor souls who are addicted kick the habit. Steve Howe, an ex-major league pitcher, received seven chances to rejoin Major League Baseball after drug-related suspensions.

Therefore, don't be quick to convict those athletes who got caught for the first or second time. Instead, delay your judgment until a later date when all of the facts are acquired. If Irvin is able to keep his nose clean who is to say that he did not turn his life around?

Just ask yourself: What if you were Irvin? Wouldn't you want to be treated as a human being rather than a criminal? Everyone deserves a second chance.