problems and solutions

There are sure a lot of knuckleheads in the NFL.

It has been a busy summer for law enforcement officials and mug shot photographers for professional football players. This week they've been working overtime. There are some things the league can't do much about. Dez Bryant beating his mother, Elvis Dumervil getting charged with aggravated assault (road rage with a gun), and Kiante Tripp getting arrested for burglary; those things don't just happen. Those guys have some screws loose upstairs. And I believe the league will take some consequential punitive action.

But what is even more alarming and what I really want to talk about is the plethora of drunk driving incidents this offseason, especially recently.

It is amazing how many professional athletes, specifically football players, have been arrested for DWI or DUI. Just this week:

- new Knick and future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd arrested for DWI
- Seahawk Marshawn Lynch arrested for DUI
- Titan Kenny Britt arrested for DWI
- Rams Robert Quinn charged with drunk driving
- Lion Corey Williams arrested for DWI

Five incidents over the last 7-8 days. And you also have Eric Wright of the Bucs arrested for DUI earlier this month. And in June there was Giants David Diehl, Aaron Berry of the Lions, and Viking Jerome Felton were arrested for DUI (or DWI) and Jaguar rookie Justin Blackmon was arrested for aggravated DUI. That's five more incidents since the beginning of June.

It is no secret that drinking and driving is illegal. Not only that, the combination is dangerous. That message is crammed down our throats pretty much our whole lives from school, TV commercials, the news, etc. Receiver Donte Stallworth was charged with manslaughter and suspended for the 2009 season after hitting and killing a pedestrian after drinking. Although a pretty lenient punishment, that should have set a good example. But give a guy a million dollars (or ten million) and this imaginary aura of invincibility appears. This is a serious problem. No football player has been killed from an incident like this but it is bound to happen soon. There is no reason that a player making a million dollars can't afford a cab. But yet these ridiculous events repeat all too regularly.

The one thing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell cannot stand is bad publicity and his league making headlines for crimes like this. Suspensions and fines don't seem to make an impression. But unlike assault and burglary, there are some precautions that can be made.

My proposal: The league needs to contract a taxi/limo service. Pay an annual fee and deduct like $200 from every NFL player's annual pay to cover this. Then give all players a national dispatch number for the service that they can use to get a ride whenever they need. Since they have already paid for it, there is more incentive to make use of it. Make it an essential inclusion in all new contracts. Present clear and specific penalties for violation that could include suspension or even termination of the contract.

The current system, even with a stiff player conduct policy, is not working. But there is something that can be done. There needs to be specific guidelines and penalties assessed for drunk driving, along with a plan to avoid the issues from happening. There are way too many news headlines about pro football players getting arrested for drunk driving. I get it that guys like to go out, have fun and have some drinks with friends, but just like everyone in the real world, designated drivers need to be more than good suggestions.

Maybe this at least inspires some ambitious entrepreneur.