Denver Broncos brass sending all the wrong messages to players, fans
When Broncos brass blew and came up hot, they really blew it. These are executives, grown men in charge of looking over and assembling younger men to achieve one goal; win the Super Bowl.
Is there anything more stupid than driving drunk when your salary is six or seven figures?
There are things worse than driving drunk, sure – like the soccer referee in Brazil that stabbed and killed a player, was then decapitated, quartered and had his head put on top of a spike midfield by fans – but are there things more stupid than being an NFL player or executive and driving under the influence of alcohol?
This week, Denver Broncos executives have made themselves look more like college kids than grown men in positions of power by drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and then getting behind the wheel of their cars.
First it was Matt Russell, who few of us may have heard of before his literal run-in with the law. Russell, who was reportedly at a .246 BAC and had an open bottle of liquor in his 2008 Toyota Tundra, hit one car in Frisco, fled the scene, then rear-ended a police car near Breckenridge while going 40 miles an hour. The cop was admitted into the local hospital, treated and released that night. Luckily, no one was seriously injured or killed due to Russell’s reckless behavior.
But to make matters worse, Tom Heckert, director of pro personnel, had a DUI charge come to light today. Heckert reportedly was in a car accident in Parker on June 11 and then given the DUI.
The Broncos have since released statements about both men, saying their actions are irresponsible, and it’s likely both will be fined and possibly suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
They should be.
These grown men – Heckert is 45 and Russell is 40 – are not only the bosses of young players, but in a way, role models for them as well.
It’s no secret that the NFL and beer are bonded forever. For fans, players and apparently executives alike, sharing a cold one (or 10) is part of the brotherhood.
There’s a reason why Budweiser is an official sponsor of the Broncos and why Bud, Bud Light, Coors and Miller always share about a third of the ads during Super Bowl Sunday, and every other Sunday for that matter; beer plus football equals big business.
The all mighty dollar is at the bottom line of the most profitable sport in America, with the NFL bringing in an astounding nearly $10 billion per year of revenue, and beer makes buku bucks for the league, owners and brewski manufacturers.
Ironically, Colorado is in love with beer – no other state produces more in terms of volume and we’re near the top in terms of the sheer number of brewers as well – and our drinking problem is starting to show.
But so is the NFL’s.
Doug Ottewill’s well-done piece for Mile High Sports this morning on fans’ drinking problem was timely and made a great point; how can we be mad at fans for driving home plastered when it’s part of the culture that is NFL football?
Are we not force fed beer commercials telling us what is manly, what wins over the sexy woman, which ways we can basically live a better life?
Are we not told repeatedly throughout the three-hour presentation of an NFL football game that drinking alcohol to the level of drunkenness is not only acceptable but encouraged?
It’s likely, if you’re an NFL fan, that you’ve emulated the wild and crazy dudes from the beer commercials, drank way too many Buds and forget the fourth quarter of the game while on the couch.
It happens to the best of us, me included, but when I’m at home and not driving, there’s no risk to my health or others’.
Going to the game, getting tanked and then driving home is dreadful for an everyday fan. Driving drunk is deplorable when it’s a six or seven-figure athlete or executive.
Hell, they could afford a helicopter for the money they make, with a private pilot and call him to pick them up wherever they are. It’d be faster, more efficient and safer than driving after drinking too many, but it’s not very realistic.
Of course, these hundred-thousand and millionaire players and executives also have private car services provided by the NFL and team free of charge, services they continue to ignore.
That’s what makes these errors all the more egregious; these guys can afford a cab, or a limo for that matter, but they have free car service they don’t use.
What, does someone in the NFL have to kill another person while driving drunk before something changes?
That already happened in 2009, when former receiver Donte Stallworth hit and killed a pedestrian while driving drunk.
So, what will it take to drive home the point with these macho men that driving drunk is wrong?
Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist. You can follow Rich on twitter or facebook for all your Colorado sports news and opinion.
