It's called intervention. That's when a friend or family member puts someone on notice that unless they seek help for an addiction or affliction, the intervening party will force the issue, using any means possible.

Intervention seems to be in play in conjunction with Al Unser Jr.'s recent arrest in Indianapolis for alleged domestic violence. The only problem is that the intervention is coming from parties with more than the welfare of Unser on their agenda.

Bobby Unser is Al's estranged Uncle. A three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, "Uncle Bobby" has been on Little Al's case for several years. He has previously suggested that Al was washed up as a driver and overstaying his welcome in Indy Car racing.

The Unser clan is an odd mix of egos. Bobby has appointed himself the family patriarch while Al Unser Sr. has quietly continued his Indy Car career as one of the Indy Racing League's driving coaches.

It's no secret that Bobby and his kids have developed a dysfunctional relationship with Al Sr. and his family. Despite living almost across the street from each other in Albuquerque, N.M., the two brothers rarely speak to each other.

When Junior divorced his wife Shelly several years ago, Bobby's siblings rallied around Shelly and her kids. Anyone ever involved in divorce can appreciate the angst and division that that decision has created within the Unser family circle.

Al Jr.'s most recent incident has opened up many old wounds and allowed the warring parties to air their dirty laundry in public.

A former Unser motorcoach driver has weighed in with allegations that he provided Unser with pot and cocaine. This guy dredges up stories from the past and uses his new spotlight to paint himself as an innocent victim of Unser's purported extreme mood swings and excesses. This individual thinks the time has finally come to tell all. The lure of a hungry media was just too much for him to keep his silence.

In 1999, Junior was overweight and winless on the CART circuit. His divorce and custody battle was part of his day-to-day life. Because he was a public figure, his woes were public and some people close to the second generation "500 champion" feared that Junior was seeking escape in a bottle.

If there was a time for an "intervention" that was it. Senior and Junior spent as much time as possible together and Little Al admitted that missing out on the Indy 500 pushed him over the edge.

I know little regarding Al's most recent problem other than what has been written in the general media. All I do know is that Al Unser Jr. has worked hard at getting back into a winning form. He shed 32 pounds in the offseason, has raced hard for his new team and has looked more like the Al Unser Jr. that we watched grow up around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway every May.

His car owner, Tom Kelley, has pledged support. Unser Jr. has promised to answer any and all questions about the matter once the legal issue is settled.

Not satisfied with publicly calling for Unser to seek help, Unser's self-appointed behavior police have dredged up rumors and allegations stretching back for more than a decade. Any allegation is fair game.

Jena Soto, who police picked up on the side of an Indianapolis area interstate, has changed her story about the incident in question. Her refusal to press charges has left the entire incident in limbo. County prosecutors admit that they are in a quandary about proceeding.

Whether they do or not is immaterial to Unser's critics. What is important to them is that they "save" Al Jr. from himself. If they really had Unser's best interests at heart -- as true interveners most always do -- they would have waited for an outcome.

Instead they have used his arrest as a "Bully Pulpit" and further smeared his reputation. This is one time when people who are genuinely concerned choose to wait, while offering support and help if there indeed is a behavioral problem.

Much of what these people accuse Al Unser of -- drugs, liquor, animus with an ex-spouse, anger over family members taking sides in the martial dispute -- are not unique to Unser or other professional athletes. Many of us have pasts that we would like to forget.

What I do find interesting is that Unser's peers refuse to indict him for anything short of professional conduct when strapped in his race car.

Michael Andretti, who grew up with Little Al, said after Sunday's Cleveland Grand Prix that he had heard rumors about Junior's off track behavior, but was quick to add: "It never showed on the track, in his results or not in the way he drove. You could always trust him."

So much of Unser's woes are personal in nature. Our society wants all the available dirt on our heroes.

When Jeff Gordon announced his impending divorce from his wife, rumors abounded and the media devoured every sordid detail that they could dredge up that might besmirch the four-time Winston Cup champion's reputation.

Old rumors became topics of conversation around the office water cooler. Like Unser, Gordon's divorce coincides with a slide in on-track performance. At least so far, Gordon has not earned any watch dogs who want to save Jeff from any excesses that he may develop while struggling through the toughest time in his life.

Right now some media types are hounding people around Unser Jr. for any snippet of dirt that might allow them to get into the Unser hunt -- a hunt which shouldn't have even taken place.