Why Is This So Common Among NFL Players Now?

[hooskins]

Originally Posted by djnemo65

When I think about how many people I know who have driven home when they shouldn't have at least a few times I would say it's close to 100 percent of my friends. Especially when we were all in our early twenties.

That's not saying it's OK, but I'm not going to sit here and act all high and mighty when I have committed that same crime in my younger days, when I too thought myself to be invincible.

Tatupu is displaying the appropriate level of contrition and I'm sure he will learn from this and bounce back.

Good point, quite a bit of my friends and I have driven home times when we should not have. I guess it is more of society thing.

But if I did have millions of dollars coming in, I would just get a driver to take car of that worry.

[onlydarksets]

As for Tatupu specifically, check out this calculator:
Intoximeters Drink Wheel / Drink Calculator for Breath Alcohol Testing / Breathalyser / Breathalysers / Screener / DUI / DWI / Ask DOTti

According to that, at 242 lbs, he would have to drink 12 beers in 2 hours to blow .15. However, this was at least 1.5 hours after he stopped drinking, so it was probably more than that. Any non-idiot should know that you can't drink half a case and then hop in the car.

[SmootSmack]

Also, the word "now" seems out of place in the title. I mean I don't believe it's common, but players getting arrested for drunk driving or worse has been going on for decades

[Schneed10]

zzzzzz...

Matty had it right. Show me some evidence that the NFL players are any different than the general population in terms of incidence rates for things like drunk driving.

Doesn't excuse it, and it's crappy behavior for sure. But to say the NFL has an image problem is to say that our society as a whole has an image problem. They're no different than the rest of us.

[skinsfan69]

What a dumb ass!

[onlydarksets]

According to the states, DUI rates are around 15% nationwide. That would put it at 300 for the NFL to meet the average.
DWI/DUI: Driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies website

[Coff]

Originally Posted by onlydarksets

According to the states, DUI rates are around 15% nationwide. That would put it at 300 for the NFL to meet the average.
DWI/DUI: Driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies website

That's 15% of the population, including people of all ages. Because the age range in the NFL is much smaller than the nation as a whole, the number would be far less than 300. In other words, a typical person would have a 15% chance of getting a DUI over the course of their entire life (say, from 18 years of age to 70 years of age). The chances of getting a DUI between the ages of 22-35 is therefore much less.

[onlydarksets]

Originally Posted by Coff

That's 15% of the population, including people of all ages. Because the age range in the NFL is much smaller than the nation as a whole, the number would be far less than 300. In other words, a typical person would have a 15% chance of getting a DUI over the course of their entire life (say, from 18 years of age to 70 years of age). The chances of getting a DUI between the ages of 22-35 is therefore much less.

You've misunderstood my post and the study I linked to - the study isn't about getting arrested for DUI, it's about Driving Under the Influence (whether you are caught or not). With that understanding, the chances of driving under the influence are probably much higher for those between 22-35, which would be far more than 300. Also, this study includes females, who are statistically less likely to drive under the influence. This would also increase the percentage of players who would have to drive under the influence in order to be equal to the general public.

So, you raise a good point, but it supports my argument.

[That Guy]

at my workplace (which is very strict on dui's) its close to a 0.5% dui rate...

[freddyg12]

I'm very conscientious about drinking & driving, but I haven't always been. I took my chances in my 20s simply because I was out somewhere, drank more than I intended to while having a good time, and then all of a sudden it's closing time & you have to drive home. I can't blame Tatupu any more than so many other young people. I'm not saying he doesn't know better, but age & lifestyle make him no different from anyone else.

Yes, he could arrange drivers, cabs, etc. In the future I'll bet he plans a night out better.

On a side note, the real problem is that in the U.S. everybody wants to drive themselves, suburban development has made driving a necessity, and there are only a small no. of places left where one can live well w/out a car. Lots of other countries drink as much as we do but don't have the same drunk driving problems simply because people aren't driving.

[MTK]

I'd be willing to bet a good number of us have driven after having a few drinks.

[Longtimefan]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I'd be willing to bet a good number of us have driven after having a few drinks.

I'd be willing to bet you're correct. In most cases, people who take the chance driving under the influence never believe they'll be stopped. The affect of alcoholic beverages can cloud judgement, and render good decision making a problem.

Bottom line though, they just don't think they'll be caught.

[prinzeofmoval]

Fine them 500k for the offense. I know that sounds extreme but that will stop a few.

[tryfuhl]

It's common in society. It's a necessary law but at the same time it can really screw the lives of people arrested for it. .08 BAC is near nothing to many people, but it accounts for the college cheerleader that kisses a guy that had a single beer and wrecks into a crowd.

Some states are understanding of mistakes and some (like my great commonwealth of VA) will royally eff your life for it. I had a cop merely get into a conversation with me as to why I was at a storage building at 2 am lead into a DUI when I passed all field tests.

I've had to pay thousands, still owe, take weekly classes an hour away because they wouldn't put me in the one 5 minutes away; have a breathalyzer/interlock device installed (haven't been able to afford that one so I have a driving while suspended coming up shortly), spend a week in jail, insurance, and quite a few other things that I'm forgetting for that one incident. Granted I didn't expect to "get away" with it, I never showed any signs of drunk driving by the cop that was behind me and pulled in (saying that the building had been broken into recently, a common cop lie when you're around a building at night.. I have another story for that one but we'll save it) behind me. I also passed all field tests.

Yes, it was completely my fault, but intoxilyzers are very innaccurate and none of this takes into effect the abilities of a single person, but that's what you deal with.

Conversely, my friend in PA got one, had 3 months restricted license and it was expunged from his record. He, like myself, decided not to drive at all after drinking again and now he's treated regularly. Myself, a year and a half later, is still struggling to deal with the repurcussions.