Can't we all just get along?

By John Gottlieb
The Phanatic Magazine

Why is it that athletes are held to a different standard then the rest of us normal working stiffs?

Ron Artest, a defensive whiz, was "excused … indefinitely from any further participation with the team" by the Sacramento Kings, who are fighting for their playoff lives, on Monday after allegedly assaulting a woman in his home. For some reason trouble just seems to follow Artest no matter where he goes.

According to reports, Artest slapped the woman in his home, threw her to the ground, and then prevented her from leaving or calling the police.

Artest long ago gave away any chance he had to have one of the highest-selling jerseys when he thought it would be okay on a fateful night in Detroit in 2004 to beat up people in the stands. For that Artest was booted from the league for 73 games before demanding a trade from the Pacers.

Listen, I don't have a problem with fighting if you feel that strongly about it. I won't stop you. Heck, I'll even watch. But you should get paid for it.

However, you shouldn't fight someone of the opposite sex or someone just because they're wearing the opposite jersey.

I wonder if Vince McMahon has called Artest yet to be the newest villain on Monday Night Raw. I smell a long, successful career in the WWE.

Call me naive, but if I was making millions of dollars to play a game I would rarely leave my palatial house. Not only are these stars supposed to be role models for today's youth, but moreover they're targets.

Artest and role model don't belong in the same sentence together.

Why is it so hard for Ron to keep his nose clean? It seemed like only yesterday that a quiet New Yorker was starring at St. John's and getting ready to make a splash in the NBA. Somehow I don't think this was the name Artest was trying to make for himself.

As of right now he carries the mark of a guy that can't get out of his own way, and is looking to commit career suicide just like Tim Hardaway.

This all comes just a month after animal control was called to Artest's house because he wasn't feeding his dog.

Dogs too, Ron? Apparently Artest only likes to fight things that have a hard time fighting back. That's the sure mark of a coward.

What's worse is that the Kings still owe Artest nearly $16 million over the next two years. He's not going anywhere unless the Maloofs take one on the chin, and they are not millionaires for being bad businessmen.

It's a really sad state of affairs that these superstars get countless chances in life just because they can swing, throw, run, kick or shoot. The rest us usually get one chance in life, and if you screw it up you'll probably never get another. However, if you're an athlete the world is your oyster. You can do no wrong, and if you, don't worry, another door will open soon enough. (Just don't go on the radio and profess you hatred of homosexuals. You may not be able to get past that.)

The problem is athletes and the entourage they surround themselves with are getting into serious trouble more and more. There's Tank Johnson, who was still allowed to play in the Super Bowl, the Cincinnati Bengals Penitentiary squad, which has to be partly due to a lack of leadership from Marvin Lewis, and then everyone's favorite thug, Adam "Pacman" Jones.

It's amazing to me that Jones still has a job in the NFL and is still walking the streets and not behind bars. I'm sure there's a bouncer, who is lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life and at best will never walk again, wondering the same thing.

If you want to see what Jones has been up to since his days at West Virginia click here.

It's sad that even if the Titans, who have been tight-lipped about that their star cornerback, was released an owner will focus on Jones' on-the-field attributes as opposed to his constant trouble with the authorities. It's all about the almighty dollar.

These are grown men and only they can control their actions, but it's time for David Stern, Roger Goddell and Bud Selig to make a stand no matter how hard it my be. It's clear that if the punishments were more harsh then maybe these instances wouldn't keep happening.

I can't get enough of sports (that's why my night will be spent watching Oakland-Oral Roberts, North Texas-Arkansas State, Wright State-Butler and the Nets-Mavericks games), but I would gladly go through work stoppages in each of the three major sports to have a crackdown on this unacceptable behavior.

If our justice system is not going to put these people behind bars, then maybe their bosses can do something about it. Fines and suspensions are not enough. It's pathetic.

ESPN isn't a place to get sports highlights anymore. It's a police blotter for the latest superstar to beat his wife, drive while intoxicated, or buy drugs that make your athletic prowess seem genuine.