Photo Credit: Scottsdale Police Department
As you certainly know, one of Scottsdale’s most well-known aspects is its nightlife; it has become a primary destination for bachelorette parties and has plenty of well-attended nightclubs and bars along with a thriving entertainment district. With that occasionally comes problems in the form of fights, rowdiness, and people driving when they shouldn’t.
The latter has long been an issue when those who enjoy the nightlife a bit too much decide to risk it and drive home, and for some reason it seems to be a particular issue for athletes and former athletes. The latest example of this came about last week as former Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy was arrested for an extreme DUI (i.e. having a blood alcohol level over 0.20) along with having an open alcohol container in his car.
It almost seems as if it’s a right of passage, with Mike Tyson, Charles Barkley, former Cardinals general manager Steve Keim and former Coyotes player Alex Galchenyuk having similar issues. While these particular incidents were victimless crimes, that’s not always the case; former Arizona State football player Stanley Lambert killed a pedestrian in Scottsdale while driving under the influence.
The universal question always seems to be…why? These athletes (or former athletes) can certainly afford an Uber or Lyft; even Eddie Lacy, who’s once dynamic career was shortened due to a lack of personal control (he was widely known as an overeater who had trouble staying in game shape) made $7.6 million during his career, leaving aside endorsement deals. Certainly he can afford an Uber.
Of course, decision-making is impaired along with inhibitions when drinking, so perhaps best intentions are overwritten when caught in the moment. But when there is such a long history of this issue, and an issue that will put you in the press for all the wrong reasons, one would assume that athletes would err on the side of caution.
So why? With the emergence of CTE as a known by-product of playing football (especially at the running back position), perhaps that could be blamed. Perhaps years of being lauded and praised offers a degree of self-assuredness, a sense of invincibility.
Perhaps it’s time for Scottsdale’s nightlife to take a more proactive approach towards this. While we are never in favor of heavy-handed regulation, nightclubs and drinking establishments should consider better partnering with rideshare and cab companies to cater to their VIPs, for the sake of everyone involved.