Once again, a professsional athlete gets off lucky in the court of law.
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin escaped with 30 days in jail after being found guilty of serious driving infractions while under the influence of alcohol.
There is much reason to believe he should have received a longer stay in what old newspaper cynics call “the crowbar hotel.”
Of course, for everyone who suggests Khabibulin got off lucky at least partly because of his athletic profile, some are bound to insist that he deserved a break because a term of up to six months — the presumed maximum — would have caused severe problems as he attempted to continue his athletic career.
I say BUNK! And I say it in capital letters.
There have been too many cases of athletes and high-profile celebrities receiving an easy ride after serious offences against the law.
Try explaining to a young offender why he (or she) deserves more penalty time than a goaltender or movie star. Try making the point that high-profile problem-causers deserve a break because they face more pressure than you or me.
Every athlete or so-called idol who gets into trouble immediately insists “I’m not a role model. I don’t want to be a role model.”
But everybody is a role model to someone. Everyone is watched, night and day, by other members of society.
Like it or not, Khabibulin is a role model today — a role model for the high-profile, big-money individual who does whatever he (or she) wants and pays a tiny, tiny price compared to the punishment imposed on so-called “normal” people.
Tags: Edmonton Oilers, NHL, nikolai khabibulin
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