one last Joseph rant

Of all the silly things we see in sports, nothing is sillier than the notion of athletes as role models. I wrote a column the other day, after J. Joseph's bust, suggesting that a little perspective might be in order. He wasn't driving. He wasnt field-tested, so we don't know if he was high. Cops found a misdemeanor amount of dope in his bag. Maybe it wasnt even his, though, obviously, it probably was. Point is, leaping to judgment before facts are established is a great way to look stupid. We were ready to banish Mike Vick to Rickey Williams Land last week. Until all the accusations were wrong. Oh. Never mind.

Anyway, I was bombarded with indignant e-mails, from apparent parents convinced that I must smoke more dope than Jerry Garcia (rest his hippie soul) and that, given what I wrote, I must not have kids or if I do, they must spend their days in a purple haze. I even had 1 guy tell me I was corrupting his children. To That Guy: You are insane.

What Joseph did was mindless and illegal. That we should expect better of him is obvious. That we continue to expect pro jocks to be better behaved than the rest of us -- or even as well-behaved -- is naive. Has been since, I dunno, Babe Ruth. Further, to think athletes should have any bearing on how our children act is so far beyond naive, I wouldnt know where to begin.

Let's try this: Admire athletes for what they do. Not who they are. That distinction is as obvious as Barry Bonds' big ol' Buddha head. Athletes aren't role models, no matter how much we try to make them that way. Most athletes need role models.

If you suggest that athletes influence how your children act, that's your issue. Not theirs.