He's Just a Kid!

As I got into my car to drive off this afternoon, I turned on my favorite talk radio station to hear two men in the middle of talking about an NFL player who had been arrested for the second time. They never mentioned his name, but they said he'd been arrested for breaking and entering, then for selling guns and passing counterfeit money. Perhaps one of my readers is familiar with this case and can clue the rest of us in to his name.

One of the men speaking was a retired football player and he commented about how the man in question had let the money and fame go to his head. He added that though this man was 24 or 25 that he was immature and "still just a kid". He implied that this player ought to be given a break because of this and what he really needed was someone older to take him in hand as a mentor.

Oh, where to begin?

First of all, what in the hell does breaking the law repeatedly have to do with being a kid? When I was a real kid, ten or eleven years old, I knew right from wrong and wouldn't have engaged in the behavior this man did.

This man is not a "kid". He's an immature adult. Period. And he's beyond the age where a mentor would have much influence on him. The time for that was when he was actually a kid and first started showing his talent with a ball.

And I'm guessing that some nobody the same age who had done the same thing wouldn't have people trying to excuse his actions because he was "just a kid". No, his ass would be thrown in prison so fast that he'd not know what hit him. Why should it be any different for this other guy, just because he's got talent with a ball?

Paris Hilton had to be shown that being a celebrity doesn't keep your shit from stinking. Maybe this guy needs to be shown, too.