[SmootSmack]

Athletes are necessarily getting any more preferential treatment than they did 50 years ago when reporters protected Mickey Mantle and his indiscretions from the public. We just know more about it now.

And for every Phillip Merling there's a London Fletcher, Casey Rabach, Devin Thomas, Ryan Torain, Carlos Rogers, Andre Carter, Stephon Heyer, Paul Fanaika, Phillip Daniels, Reed Doughty, etc respecting the law