Patrons of an Uptown Dallas bar were socializing early this morning when a car came barreling through the wall. No surprise that the driver was drunk — so drunk that she then slammed her car into reverse and hurt the bartender and seven people on the sidewalk.
Former Texas Christian University football star and current Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Trevone Boykin was slumped over in the passenger seat.
He left the scene, returned, and was arrested for public intoxication and marijuana possession.
Yes, that Trevone Boykin who got drunk on the River Walk in San Antonio and punched out a police officer the night before a big bowl game in December 2015. And yes, the star who was given a one year deferred adjudication that may now get him locked up.
There is no law against being a drunk passenger (unless there is an open container inside the vehicle), but that does not absolve Boykin of guilt.
You can’t simply allow your friend to DWI just because you’re too wasted.
Celebrities And Athletes Should Be Held to Higher Standard of Responsibility
There are far too many famous people involved in crashes. Their young fans need to see that drunk driving results in real consequences for their role models. How are they going to learn?
Just here in Fort Worth, you may remember that a few years ago, TCU’s starting quarterback Casey Pachall was arrested for DWI and suspended from the football program. And TCU star baseball player Connor Beck was kicked off the team after being arrested for driving drunk in 2015.
I applaud the university for its no tolerance policy. By holding athletes responsible for their conduct, to the point of releasing its star players, TCU demonstrated its commitment to ending drunk driving. The fear of being suspended from the program, and loss of scholarship funds, is a powerful deterrent to drunk driving. Had the school instead showed leniency, it would have done no favors for its students, who would have learned that DWI doesn’t matter as long as you win the big game.
Not every college takes this approach. Florida State University put the game first when it helped its star cornerback avoid a drunk driving charge in 2014. FSU campus police intervened in the Tallahassee Police investigation of a hit-and-run accident involving P.J. Williams, who took off after totaling a fellow student’s car. FSU’s #1 ranking was too precious to put at risk. I won’t begin to get into the nightmare down at Baylor.
The Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent received a suspended sentence and returned to the team after killing his teammate Jerry Brown in a drunk driving crash.
The list goes on and on in the college and pro ranks, Hollywood, and the music industry.
Drunk driving is a horrendous problem in our country that we have to stop. Over 10,000 Americans die each year in collisions caused by drunk drivers. One is too many.
I call on Boykin, athletic leagues, and cultural organizations to take public stands against DWIs. Our lives depend on it.