Even casual sports fans know that professional athletes aren't exactly law-abiding citizens. Sure, most pro athletes dedicate most of their lives to attain abilities most of us can only dream about. But when it comes to using the muscles in their heads, some athletes are pretty much beginners.
Recent reports of athletes getting into serious motorcycle crashes have made headlines. A few weeks ago, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger crashed his bike into a car, suffering a broken jaw, broken and chipped teeth, a mild concussion and other facial injuries.
Roethlisberger was warned repeatedly by his head coach Bill Cowher to wear a helmet while riding, but Big Ben just wouldn’t listen. The injury was neither life- nor career-threatening, but Roethlisberger has said that if he rides again, he will wear a helmet.
To add insult to injury, Roethlisberger was fined almost $400 for not wearing a helmet and not having a motorcycle license.
If a near-death experience won't teach Big Ben, nothing will.
Former Chicago Bulls guard Jason Williams went through a horrific motorcycle accident in 2003, crashing into a light pole and fracturing his pelvis while suffering nerve damage to his leg. Before the crash, Williams was on his way to a promising career with the Bulls.
The former No. 2 overall pick has not played in an NBA game since.
You've got to feel bad for Williams, who is working on a comeback. At the same time, you must blame him for driving without a helmet and license. How can you declare yourself fit to drive such a dangerous vehicle without having the proper qualification or protection?
Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow also was on his way to a successful NFL career, until he almost threw it all away -- surprise, surprise -- by crashing his bike.
The sixth pick of the 2004 draft, Winslow cut short his rookie season with a broken leg. In the off-season, he crashed his bike while doing tricks in a parking lot. The incident was caught on tape, giving everyone a chance to see how bone-headed some pro athletes can be.
What thrills could you possibly get from riding a bike that you can't get from catching a touchdown pass in front of 70,000 people, or soaring up to the rim to dunk a ball while the crowd goes crazy?
Unfortunately, it's not just the way athletes drive that gets them in danger, but also what's in their system when they're driving. You give me a week of the year, and I'll give you an athlete who did something stupid because of alcohol.
Either they drive when they drink, they slap their wives when they drink, or they give it to underage girls who shouldn't be drinking it.
Even athletes who we think are squeaky clean, like Duke University guard J.J. Redick, are not immune to the powers of booze. Redick was arrested for drunken driving a few months after leading his squad to the NCAA tournament.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was charged with providing three underage girls -- ages 15, 16, and 18 -- with alcohol and he also was charged with speeding and drunken driving. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
The sad part is it seems athletes are screwing up, but that they are not learning from their fellow athletes, or even their own mistakes.
I want to sit Chris Henry or Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick down and ask them both how they can get handcuffed so many times in so short a time span. If athletes keep going the way they are, I don't think we're too far away from hearing about an athlete who loses his life because he drank a little too much and rode his bike a little too fast.