Tag: Punishment

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Ben Roethlisberger deserves at least two-game suspension – Peter King – SI.com

Ben Roethlisberger deserves at least two-game suspension – Peter King – SI.com

More of the same crap I complained about with respect to Michael Vick, only worse in this case because Ben not only was not convicted of anything, he was not even charged with anything. Without getting into whether Ben is acting like an idiot, lets think about it this way…

Say you were accused of a crime. The police investigated, and let you go on your way. After further investigation, prosecutors decided that there was not enough evidence to charge you with any crime. Would you feel your employer would be justified in suspending you without pay for two weeks? Or would you be on your way to a lawyer if your employer tried this?

Everyone keeps saying that star athletes need to stop feeling that they deserve special treatment when they act out. Well, I agree – they should not be treated differently, either in terms of leniency or punishment.

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Michael Vick should be banned for life from NFL – George Dohrmann – SI.com

Michael Vick should be banned for life from NFL – George Dohrmann – SI.com

I have a lot of issues with the NFL’s attitude towards players who commit crimes or other actions of which the NFL disapproves.

I agree that what Vick did was horrendous. It is unthinkable to me that any human being could torture and kill animals for recreation (though for some reason shooting animals for entertainment is still acceptable).

That being said, the United States has a legal system. Michael Vick has been judge and punished for his actions by that legal system. If we disagree with the severity (or lack there of) of his punishment, then the issue is with the legal system. Vick has been sentenced. He is serving the terms of his sentence.

What right, then, does the NFL have to impose further punishment on him? Why does the NFL have the right to do what other employers can not?

Say I am a developer, a consultant, or a journalist, and I commit some crime not related to my profession – say DUI, drug possession, jay walking, animal cruelty, whatever – and I am held accountable by the legal system. My actions do not affect my ability to do my job. Would it then be appropriate for my employer to impose a suspension on me? To levy an additional fine? To tell me I am no longer allowed to work in my field?

Then why does the NFL have the right to impose its will, it opinion above and beyond the legal system? 

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