Well for three off-seasons in a row now, a Pittsburgh Steeler cannot seem to keep himself out of trouble and out of the negative PR spotlight. If I were Mike Tomlin and Dan Rooney, I would put a ban on the state of Georgia effective immediately. The past 24 hours have seen the headlines blow up with Ward’s arrest. Little information has been released about the incident. The Georgia police stated that all the paperwork has been filed and therefore can no longer speak on the incident. What will Ward do next?
The biggest piece of information that needs to come out of this is if he refused the breathalyzer test. Pretty much no matter what state you are pulled over in, refusing a breathalyzer is like saying, ‘I’m guilty.’ Was Hines being targeted for DUI or was it a routine stop of some other offense that turned into a DUI arrest based on suspicion? No matter what the outcome or information that comes to the light of day, this may not be a damning situation for Ward. But, it should be.
DUI: Too Common and Taken Too Lightly
According to numberof.net, between 2000 and 2008 on average there were 1,396,888. Yes, that’s over one million per year. Speaking in general terms, states have piss poor enforcement and punishments when it comes to DUI offenders – here in Wisconsin alone, there have been people who have been repeat offenders over 8, 9, 10 times and still maintain a drivers license (let alone avoid a substantial prison sentence). In 2008 over a third of all traffic fatalities in Wisconsin involved a person over the legal limit of blood alcohol concentration. I don’t mean to pick on Wisconsin – but I live here and see regularly on the news accidents and arrests made that involved people driving while under the influence. It’s incredibly sad to see a wife and mother crying because she just lost her husband and son to a drunk driver who swerved into their lane and killed them. It’s maddening because eventually that guy will go free and be able to drive again… and drive drunk again.
Most disturbing of all while reporting Ward’s incident and other athletes who are arrested for DUI are the comments that come from fans, teammates and even coaches. Miguel Cabrera of MLB’s Detroit Tigers was slapped with a DUI earlier this year in February. Of all people, manager Jim Leyland, said this about his arrest, “I think most people will understand. It happens to a lot of people on a daily basis.” Talk about being out of touch. That’s the problem, Jimmy, it happens to a lot of people on a daily basis and is treated as lightly as how you are in that statement. Already, fans’ comments on news reports and blog posts are vehemently defending Ward and saying the media is blowing this thing out of proportion. They are saying that it’s not a big deal. Again, I say to anyone who thinks that way that they are out of touch with the real world ramifications of driving drunk. Grant it, they are right about the media part because the media is hungrier than a bunch of jackals when it comes to headline grabbing (hello? Casey Anthony dominated the headlines for like 5 weeks because the Nielsen ratings were through the roof with her trial). But I don’t think that the media is playing unfairly when they begin to question Ward’s judgement.
Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Trib, while reporting on Ward’s arrest, references a report done by the San Diego Union-Tribune. The SDUT found that DUI offenses were the most oft-committed offenses in the NFL. This is crazy considering the NFL has a program in place for players to call in order to get a ride home. Why didn’t Ward take advantage of something like that or even just call for a luxury cab to come get him? Other NFL players have killed other people while under the influence as recently as 2009 – shouldn’t that be a lesson to all others?
It’s hard to say what the NFL will do to Ward, if anything, once the lockout is over. 14 years in the league and not a scratch on his record. A fine may be all he gets. But, if Ward is convicted or pleads no contest will he truly feel remorseful over what he’s done? I love Hines and this sucks to be even talking about crap like this. I would never expect to see Hines Ward and DUI in the same sentence. But, forget the PR damage everyone keeps talking about. He’s lucky. He’s dodged a bullet by not hurting anyone. He’ll be able to drive again at some point. Will he learn when to hand over the keys and make a phone call? When will any of us learn?
Friends, please drive responsibly. Always.
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