With the recent news that Plaxico Burress is getting his court date adjourned until September, where he is assured of having it adjourned AGAIN until the following summer, so it enables him to play in the upcoming NFL season is beyond ridiculous.
The man carried an un-licensed handgun into a public place in New York City, the gun was discharged and he was lucky he only accidentally shot himself and not an innocent bystander. The crime is punishable by up to 3 1/2 years in prison, but, will he see a day in jail? I'd likely bet he won't. I think it's more probable that the court system in New York will force Burress to pay a hefty fine and have to serve a considerable amount of community service, to "set an example." Is that fair? Absolutely not. If you, or I, were driving from Connecticut and got pulled over just across the border into New York and we were merely in possession of an un-licensed hand gun, we'd be arrested on the spot and would serve at least 12 months in a state corrections facility, no questions asked. That's the law. That's the way the law works; unless you're a professional athlete.
Then you have the case of Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver Donte Stallworth. In case you aren't familiar with this particular individual, on the morning of March 14, 2009, Stallworth struck and killed a pedestrian in Miami Beach, Florida. Police estimated that Stallworth was speeding and he was under the influence of alcohol. He was subsequently arrested and charged with DUI and second degree manslaughter. A few days ago he pled guilty to the charges and received a sentence of 30 days in jail, 2 years house arrest and 8 years of probation. He also agreed to some form of monetary compensation to the victim's family. Now, I ask you, is this fair? Once again, absolutely not. In the state of Florida, the prison sentence for second degree manslaughter is 15 years in prison and at least $10,000 in fines. If I was the offending participant and 'accidentally' killed that man while I was driving intoxicated at 7am, you know the next time you'd be seeing me? Around the year 2024 sounds about right. And do you know why that is? Because my pockets aren't lined with hundred dollar bills.
Are you beginning to see the point I'm trying to make? Athletes are treated above the law, simply because they have a famous face and a wad of cash in their wallet. To provide further evidence to my claims, I'll share with you the names of a few other athletes, the crimes they committed, the sentences they (didn't) receive and what the law would constitute as proper punishment if it was me who was the perpetrator.
In 1998, St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little left a birthday party drunk, crashed into and killed a woman. When his blood alcohol level was tested, it measured 0.19 percent, a level that was well over twice the level of intoxication of 0.08 in the state of Missouri. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and served a whopping 90 days in jail. Really, 90 days? That's it for killing a woman? That can't be the law in the state of Missouri, can it? Nope, it isn't. In fact, that's not even nearly the type of sentence you can receive for such a crime. Just last year a man was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for causing a crash in Missouri when he was high on marijuana (obviously still impaired, but not to the extent that a 0.19 would have you be) and he received a total of 11 years in prison, without the possibility of parole. Welcome to the United States Justice System. Two men commit the exact same crime, one of them is a professional athlete, the other is just a regular guy; the athlete gets a slap on the wrist and the regular Joe gets put in the slammer with the key thrown away. God Bless America!
In 1989, New York Yankees outfield Luis Polonia was arrested on a road trip in Milwaukee for having sexual relations with a 15 year old girl. He was charged and eventually convicted of the crime of having sex with a minor. He received 30 days in jail. Now doesn't that seem a little lenient to you? I researched the statutes and laws dealing with the repercussions of being convicted for having sex with a minor. Based on the different sentences I came across, the crime usually yields a sentence between 6 months and 20 years. Yes, you can get up to 20 years as a FIRST time offender for this crime. Luis Polonia received 30 days. If I got arrested for that sort of crime, you'd be seeing me somewhere between the ages of 24 and 43, depending on how severely the judge wishes to punish me. But, if I was a famous athlete, see you in a month. Fair? not by a long-shot.
Former NBA player (and current Lebanese club "Champville" player) Ruben Patterson was convicted in 2001 of 3rd degree rape of his child's nanny in September 2000. I researched the laws in the state of Washington (where Patterson was residing at the time as a member of the Seattle Supersonics) and the crime of 3rd degree rape is punishable by a prison sentence of up to 5 years in prison. How long do you think Ruben Patterson served in prison? Luis Polonia served 30 days just a decade earlier for a less severe crime (less severe because he didn't force himself on the girl, she was a willing participant since she arranged to meet with him). So, if it was a more severe crime, you'd think he'd serve somewhere between a few months and 5 years, right? Nope. He served 15 days. FIFTEEN DAYS! 15 days for raping your nanny. Welcome to the life of a professional athlete. Fair or not fair? And the survey says....NOT FAIR
Notice that I'm still yet to mention Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson. Well, let me explain the reasoning behind his absence in this list. The court system for athletes finally caught up to him! He originally got away with murder, because he was a flashy former athlete who had a ton of money. But, all the civil lawsuits later, and he's just another poor man, who gets arrested for robbery and kidnapping and uh oh! You can't buy your way out of prison like it's a monopoly game. Sorry, O.J. You do not pass GO, you do not collect your $200. You go directly to jail. See you in 9 1/2 to 33. Johnny Cochran couldn't have even helped you out this one. You'll get to spend probably the rest of your life finding out if prison inmates like vitamin C (get it? Because O.J.'s nickname was "the juice" and Orange Juice has vitamin C! Oh shut up, I thought it was funny. I hate you all)
What is the message being sent to kids? They look up to professional athletes; they idolize them and consider them to be heroes in the eyes of an innocent child. So the message being sent is "hey kids, if you work really hard and excel in sports, you can do anything you want and get away with it!"
Well, that would be the case if you were any athlete other than Michael Vick. He's currently finishing out the 2 year prison sentence he was given for his part in a dog fighting ring. He has had to pay over $1 million for care and rehabilitation for the surviving dogs and has been suspended from the NFL for the past 2 years. When he is finally released in July and able to return to a normal life and hopefully resume his NFL career, the Commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell has made it abundantly clear that he may seek further punishment against Vick.
So, let me get this straight. Leonard Little and Donte Stallworth have both killed individuals because they were driving drunk and receive slaps on the wrist. Plaxico Burress fires a weapon in a crowded New York club and he'll get off virtually unpunished. Ruben Patterson rapes a woman and he gets a cake-walk jail sentence. But Michael Vick harms animals and receives 2 years? Where is the justice in that? Now before you get all PETA on me and attempt to bite my head off, realize I'm not condoning what Vick did. I think it's reprehensible and I'm glad he was prosecuted and put in jail for his transgressions, but, doesn't it seem rather dubious that out of every criminal infraction that I've mentioned (O.J. and his empty pockets aside) he receives the stiffest punishment?
That's the country we live in. Kill an innocent man and receive a few inconveniences in your star studded life. Kill an innocent animal and get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Only in America do we value the life an animal over the life of another human being.
The age old saying; "crime doesn't pay" is obviously incorrect. Crime only pays when you have money. Just ask Plaxico Burress or Donte Stallworth.
Until next time...
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