October 17, 2006
This is pretty amazing. When you talk about professional athletes and you talk about respect, it is unbelievable to think about some guys who don't make good decisions about their life. I have often said that the formula for success is passion + work ethic and good decision making in your personal life= winning in the game of life.
Some people have passion and work ethic but then they fail to make the right decisions in their life. How can you cheer for a person who is out in the middle of the night at a strip club and involved in an incident, whether they were the victim or not? What happened with the Pacers had to be a direct slap in the face for people like Donnie Walsh, Larry Bird and Rick Carlisle. Those three have such a sense of pride and that is why they have been successful. For them to have to hear that some of their players are hanging out at strip clubs in the middle of the night is sad.
It is unfortunate because it gives a black eye to the league. There are many players who are role models and behave in an exemplary fashion. Unfortunately when cases like this make the news, it puts a damper on the image of players in general.
In fact, I had several people come up to me recently at the Broken Egg, may favorite place to have breakfast down in Siesta Key. They said they don't go to NBA games because they don't want to cheer for players who act like thugs. I know there are some beautiful players out there, guys like Dwyane Wade, Shane Battier, etc. There are quality guys who do things the right way, but the guys who behave in the wrong way destroy it for many.
It is time for professional players to act that way. They need to have accountability and respect. They not only hurt themselves, they also hurt their teams, their families, their communities. It is all because they can't make good decisions involving their life.
When you become a star, when you are a professional athlete and in the limelight, it all comes with the territory. People look at you differently and your responsibilities to do the right thing are magnified and important. You have to respect the uniform and what it represents, on and off the court.
Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.
