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The NBA suspended J.R. Smith for seven games, and Jason Richardson for two games, after both players recently pleaded guilty to separate driving offenses.The timing of the suspensions seems rather random -- Smith's reckless driving incident (from 2007) was resolved by the courts this past July, while Richardson served one day in jail for his DUI conviction back in December. But you knew they were coming at some point, because, well, leagues tend to suspend players who get into trouble with the law.
I'm wondering, though, if the length of the suspensions doesn't seem almost as random as the timing of the announcements. When looking more closely at the details of the incidents, the punishments come across as being a bit disingenuous.
Before we get started, this is in no way an attempt to moralize or pass judgment on these individuals. Most of us have made questionable decisions behind the wheel at some point in our youth, and just because we're talking about high profile athletes, that fact in and of itself doesn't make their actions any more egregious than those of our own.
The incidents we're talking about, however, do happen to be more serious than your run-of-the-mill traffic stop.
Smith's unfortunate reckless driving ended up killing one of his best friends, who was a passenger in the vehicle that he piloted through a stop sign at over 67 miles per hour, where the posted speed limit was 35 mph. He served 24 days in jail earlier this summer after pleading guilty to reckless driving, and must also complete 500 hours of community service.
Richardson's DUI didn't end up hurting anyone, but the second time he was pulled over by the police while driving, he certainly could have. In February, Richardson was cited for doing 90 mph in a 35 mph zone, with his unrestrained three-year-old son in the back seat.
Again, we're not here to judge. But in the official release which announced these suspensions, it was mentioned that Smith's was for the 2007 incident, "and for prior and subsequent motor vehicle offenses."
Based on that line of reasoning, shouldn't Richardson have gotten more than two games, considering the DUI in December was followed up with the excessive speeding and child endangerment less than two months later?
The bottom line here is this: Considering the violations in these cases, the suspensions just seem too light for us to believe that the league is serious about punishing players for off-the-court legal issues. It seems like they feel they need to do something, but honestly, they do as little as possible.
It's clear that the league is much more interested in protecting itself, as the 10 games that Rashard Lewis received for taking an over-the-counter supplement (that happened to be on the league's banned substances list) would attest. So why not just stick to doing that?
There's no problem with the league continuing to punish its players for breaking its own rules. But unless they're willing to take a much tougher stance when those same players break society's rules, they would be better-suited to stay out of the punishment business, and just let the legal system sort things out.
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