Virginia men's basketball coach Pete Gillen's decision to suspend sophomore guard Jermaine Harper reinforced the belief that athletes should act as role models, not individuals with the power to break rules without severe consequences.
True, athletes often are considered exceptions to the rules, whether on the professional, college or high school level, but so are standout students, extraordinary actors and leaders of other sorts.
One Charlottesville resident I spoke with, upon hearing about Harper's arrest, said his father once told him that athletes should be allowed a certain leniency in terms of having fun and following the rules. But the same man pointed out that whether or not a person is part of the "A" team, he or she should follow the same set of universal rules and values governing society.
In college, coaches often follow this principle, aiming to offer younger and more immature players moral guidance. Such rules slide more frequently on the professional level, where coaches give their players more freedom off the court.
Take the case of NBA player Latrell Sprewell, a multimillionaire who decided he would choke current Golden State coach P.J. Carlesimo several years back because he wasn't getting along with him. He expressed frustration about not getting the respect an All-Star deserved and said he wanted to be traded from a losing team. His actions got him suspended for a year, but he kept playing basketball outside of the professionals and now is a star for the New York Knicks, met with a mixture of cheers and boos.
The attack was planned, and Carlesimo had not instigated it with physical action of his own. The Warriors placed Sprewell back on the roster the next year and immediately traded him, per his demands. It's questionable how Sprewell's lot in life would look today had he been an accountant working for a firm and not a pro basketball player. Most likely, he'd be in jail or forced to make a major career change.
Sprewell kept his act clean until this off-season when he had a party on his yacht, appropriately named Milwaukee's Best. On the boat, a woman got ill and threw up. An angry Sprewell got enraged at her and her boyfriend, and threw a punch the boyfriend. He missed, hit a wall, and broke his hand, forcing him to miss the first three weeks of the season.
I'm sure the NBA allowed him back in part because of the talent -- and revenues -- he brings in for the league. Sprewell is an aggressive force who, when in a zone, is capable of deriding defenses without the slightest bit of hesitation or concern for the opposition.
But did the NBA make the right choice? How much leniency should leagues allow athletes?
At the college level, it's easier to pinpoint that leniency because athletes share a common trait with their peers -- they are students who came to school to play sports and earn a degree. The same goes for high school.
But the fact remains that athletes gain a sense of notoriety not shared by other individuals. Often times, star athletes face tremendous scrutiny from the media, and they thus should consider their job as societal role models. After being asked voluntarily to test for steroids, esteemed Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa's outrage and swearing rants at Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly was well-publicized. While the incident doesn't prove either Sosa's guilt or innocence, it questions Sosa's respect for the whole process, especially after saying he'd strongly stand by his claim to be first in line to test.
Back at the college level, Harper's DUI will not tarnish his reputation forever. His suspension is justifiable, and officials and coaches, on both the collegiate and professional level, should adhere to similar punishments. These athletes are respected public figures, and they should know better than to act with such disregard for authority and basic morals.
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