Over the past few months sports figures and actors have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). How many times are these undisciplined individuals going to be allowed to drive under the influence before someone else is killed? Last year, one well known television actor killed the passenger riding with him while he was driving intoxicated. He said he was sorry, but it did not bring his passenger back to the family left grieving.
It sickens me when I hear these selfish people stand up in front of the media to say they are sorry, only to see them arrested again for the same offense. When will we as a nation start to take drinking and driving seriously?
While researching for this post I was amazed to see that there are several websites devoted to celebrity DUI arrests: http://www.dui.com/dui-library/celebrities and http://www.totaldui.com/news/celebrity-dui-spotlight/default.aspx
In team sports they often speak of leadership as pertaining to the one who is most vocal or who is one of the best athletes. Many times it does not matter what kind of leader they are off the field, as long as they produce on the field. Team captains who are arrested for DUIs are given a pass because they know how to run with a football or shoot balls through a hoop with regularity. Depending on the severity of the offense, they are still considered leaders.
A few years back there was a well-known baseball manager arrested for DUI while passed out at a stop light. Guess what! No suspension or termination. NO real accountability. Heck, I don’t think he missed a game.
I am not sure what needs to happen before we as a nation take drinking and driving seriously, but our leaders must take a stand and increase the punishment for individuals who intentionally get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated.
Recently, former NFL player, Bubba Smith passed away. Although he will be remembered for his play on the field, he will also be remembered for passing on thousands of dollars he made from beer commercials. Bubba stated that he knew how many kids were looking up to him and his endorsement of beer drinking could have a significant impact on their impressionable lives.
That’s leadership!
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