Today when I turned on ESPN, there was a little blurb across the bottom line. It said that Phoenix Suns guard Jason Richardson was arrested for reckless driving, going 90 in a 35. Not only that, he had his 3 year old son in the backseat, without a child seat. I then heard it glossed over a little bit on Sportscenter, with no real analysis of what has happened here. Not only was Richardson endangering the life of himself, but also his three-year old son. Aren’t parents supposed to protect their children? In addition, most 35 MPH zones tend to be in somewhat residential areas, places where pedestrians and other cars are highly likely to be. What if he had lost control of his car? He could have injured or killed not only himself and his son, but others on the sidewalk or in their cars. This wasn’t even his first run-in of this type, as back in December he was arrested on suspicion of DUI. His son was not in the car for that one, but even so, this air of invincibility is ridiculous. This is extremely irresponsible behavior for anyone, not to mention a 28 year old father.
Now I would like to compare this to another incident which has received much more publicity and analysis by every major news outlet. That would be the Michael Phelps marijuana incident. Every time I have turned on the TV to a sports channel, or even
non-sports channel, here is the photo of Michael Phelps hitting a bong while 2-3 analysts break down what is going on and what it means for America. Granted Michael Phelps is a much more popular and public figure than Jason Richardson, but what harm was he doing? Name any college town and I will find you a 23 year old smoking weed. He was not risking anyone’s life, just his own image, and yet this gets more coverage than the Richardson incident. Now I am not saying Phelps’s behavior is not irresponsible, because as a role model for children and an American hero, he should have thought better of it. While Phelps has had a DUI as well, which is far worse than his marijuana incident, he is a young man who is doing what many other young people do. As he gets older and more mature , I would like to think that he will make better decisions. Richardson’s behavior, however, is completely inexcusable, when you become a father, no matter what age it is, your role shifts from providing the best life for you and you only, to providing the best possible life for you and your child. Richardson clearly does not realize this and should take a long look at what could have happened had he crashed due to his negligence and recklessness. It’s a shame this hasn’t received far more coverage than it has, but apparently marijuana use by a popular swimmer is far worse than an NBA player risking innocent lives.
-Chris
UPDATE: Jason Richardson was just suspended by the Suns for 1 game. Michael Phelps was suspended by US swimming for 3 months and lost his endorsement from Kelloggs. Ridiculous.
