Normally around my birthday (Yesterday, the 10th) I'm just thinking baseball and maybe the NHL Playoffs. I'm worrying about how the Cubs and Brewers are doing, as well as my fantasy teams (I still can't believe I dropped Francisco Liriano last March...). Yet the big news coming out of the sports the past few days have been the suspensions to [b]Chris Henry[/b] and [b]Adam "Pacman" Jones[/b]. In case you somehow haven't heard, Henry's going to be missing 8 games next year, while Jones will be missing up to the entire season, all without pay. The suspensions came on the same day that [b]NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell[/b] released a tougher personal conduct policy for the players of the NFL.

Now, my first reaction to this story was "Good!". It's nice to see players being made accountable for their actions.

My second thought was "How stupid do you have to be to forfeit a year's salary?" Pacman Jones will be losing his ENTIRE 2007-2008 season salary, which is almost $1.3 million dollars. I was thrilled to know that my 401k might have that much in it 40 years from now, and that's going to be what's he's losing in a year because he wasn't smart enough to not "make it rain" in some strip club? Honestly, how utterly irresponsible do you have to be to forgo that much cash? This isn't Major League Baseball or the NBA, where you can get a good 15 years in and play until your late 30s. The NFL is a brutal sport and players are done by 32 or 33 a lot of the time. That only gives a lot of guys 8-10 good seasons to do something, and how idiocy has cost Pacman Jones one of them.

I was frustrated by that thought, but then I decided to read the newest article about how much support Goodell's program has (rightfully) received. In one section, I saw this wonderful quotation:

"I just pray that this can be changed. This is not fair for him. It's just not fair." - Deborah Jones, Pacman Jones' mother.

Recap: Pacman Jones has been interviewed by police no less than TEN times, including felony charges from the Vegas strip club where he reportedly "made it rain" and in the end, someone ends up shot and paralyzed after a fight probably started by Pacman's "rain". Yet he doesn't deserve to be suspended? It's not fair that the league is finally making him accountable for his actions as an adult? Should anyone be surprised that he acts this way when his mother is acting like he did nothing wrong here?

Why is it that parents no longer make their kids accountable

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Why sports figures are failing as role models?
We want to hear your view. Write now!