December 08, 2012

Dallas Cowboy Jerry Brown dies in Irving car crash; teammate Josh Brent arrested on intoxication manslaughter charges.

posted by tommybiden at 03:23 PM on December 08, 2012

No kidding- so preventable. The NFL having two different players in the same week involved in the death of someone is really awful. I would hope they crack the whip in locker rooms around the league about curtailing the partying, and getting help when needed- whether it's having a designated driver, or 24/7 mental health professionals on call when they just need to talk. Although the culture of the league and these players is such that they might scoff at any help, for anything. Which would be a shame, because the NFL does strive to inculcate in the players a strong sense of helping out their community, but there also seems to be a shame about personally admitting you need help, or asking for assistance, or admitting weakness- physical or otherwise.

It's a damn shame.

posted by hincandenza at 08:25 PM on December 08, 2012

One thing these 2 tragedies have proven to me is this: NFL players are no different from the rest of the male population of the United States, save in one thing. They are a lot more visible, thus their crimes and mistakes get noticed much more. Spousal abuse, excessive alcohol consumption or other substance abuse, impaired driving are all problems with our society at large. I have no ideas about what to do about them, although the legalization of drugs and often lenient punishment for impaired driving sends the wrong message. Let's not jump all over professional sports as being particularly prone to such activities, but I do believe the various leagues can do a lot more to spread the message about abuse of your partner and the abuse of drugs and alcohol.

posted by Howard_T at 02:53 PM on December 09, 2012