Superstar on the Field, Super Drunk Behind the Wheel

Last weekend, after a night of celebrating with fellow teammates, NY Jets player Braylon Edwards, got behind the wheel of his car as his two teammates piled into the back. Shortly after, Edwards was pulled over and blew a 0.16, twice the legal limit. He was arrested and charged with a DWI and faced a first-quarter suspension in his game tonight against Miami. In addition to this, Edwards is currently on probation stemming from a bar fight last year. However, since that case won’t be explored until the DWI charges are taken care of, it seems that, for now, Edwards is free to play.
 
I find it nearly impossible to understand how a man who not only makes more than enough money to hire a driver, but who also was JUST told about a program called PlayerProtect, would get behind the wheel drunk and drive himself home. Not only is he setting a horrible example for everyone who looks up to them, he put himself, his teammates, and everyone else on the road at risk because of his bad judgment.
 
This brings me to PlayerProtect, a car/security service offered to professional athletes in order to prevent them from drinking and driving. This company provides discreet, anonymous service completely run by current and retired police officers, all of whom are authorized to carry a weapon in case of an emergency. They even go beyond just late night pickups, they’re available for family outings and promotional events as well. In the case of the Jets, owner Woody Johnson had just informed the team about PlayerProtect and he was even footing the bill, which begs the question, why didn’t Edwards or either of his teammates think to call this no-questions-asked service?
 
This latest mistake made by a player is not the first; drinking and driving has become more and more commonplace among NFL players and with this newest ticket the NFL has started to re-examine their policies regarding penalties for DWI infractions. Suspending a player for one quarter is barely a slap on the wrist, but in this case Johnson did go out of his way to point out that at some point Edwards will be a free agent again, and this certainly doesn’t make him any more appealing as a player. Maybe if these athletes were handed real consequences, they’d have to think harder about what they did. Something just doesn’t seem right about Plaxico Burress serving two years in jail for shooting himself in the foot (literally) but drinking and driving is just swept under the rug. I’m a firm believer in making examples of people who are expected to be role models and community leaders, and I think this is a situation that could have a silver lining.