LOMBARDI'S WAY: MCNAIR'S DUI COULD JEOPARDIZE RAVENS' SEASON

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Lombardi's Way - LOMBARDI'S WAY: MCNAIR'S DUI COULD JEOPARDIZE RAVENS' SEASON

Posted On: 5/10/07

Written By:

Tony Lombardi

LOMBARDI'S WAY: MCNAIR'S DUI COULD JEOPARDIZE RAVENS' SEASON

Steve McNair was arrested this morning in Nashville and charged with DUI although he wasn’t the driver of the vehicle. According to a Tennessee law ordinance, the owner of a vehicle can be charged if he's the passenger when the driver is arrested for a DUI charge. The owner can also be charged even if he or she is not intoxicated.

At this point we do not know if McNair was under the influence although one could conclude that he probably was if he allowed someone under the influence to drive his car. That someone else is reportedly McNair’s brother-in-law Jamie Cartwright.

Now just about four years ago McNair was arrested in Nashville while a member of the Tennessee Titans and charged with DUI and unlawful possession of a handgun. Those charges were later dismissed when a judge ruled that police didn’t have sufficient reason to pull McNair over in the first place. Also the handgun did have sufficient permits and was obtained legally.

And now this…

The cynics among us might say that McNair got off easy in ’03 because he was still a Titan – a Titan who would go on to be the NFL’s Co-MVP. Now that he’s a bad Raven, Nashville will put the screws to him.

But really how could they? How can they put the screws to McNair with this misdemeanor?

Suppose McNair was having a few cocktails with some other friends and patrons last night and wasn’t aware of Cartwright’s consumption. Knowing that he had a prior DUI that was dismissed and realizing his responsibilities to his family, team and the league, McNair handed his keys over. Now so far, he thinks he’s doing the right thing. Only minutes later, much to his surprise, McNair is being hauled into the pokey and booked on DUI charges despite being a passenger.

Now don’t get me wrong. Steve McNair is not blameless here. If he wasn’t drinking why would he allow Cartwright to drive under the influence? If he was drinking he must have been worse off than Cartwright or he would not have allowed him to take the keys. Or, maybe the two decided that the lesser of the two evils would be if Cartwright was caught instead of McNair.

Look they were in downtown Nashville. Why not call a cab?

With his means, why doesn’t McNair have a limo company on standby?

When this all washes out, McNair will probably go down as being guilty of only one thing – stupidity! Chances are the NFL’s new sheriff won’t be able to use a four year old dismissed case and a misdemeanor for driving shotgun in his own car while the driver refused a breathalyzer as the basis to suspend McNair. If Goodell starts to drill down that far then NFL scouts might start considering altar boys to augment their rosters.

And for those of you who think this Tennessee law is to blame, you don’t get it!

Handing the keys over to someone who is also intoxicated doesn’t absolve a person of his or her responsibilities. They’ve just displaced the blame. They haven’t protected the innocent driver at risk and THAT is why the law exists in Tennessee. Sure, the Tennessean lawmakers are happy when someone hands their keys over because they are under the influence. That’s responsible. They just want such impaired drivers to take responsibility to the next step and hand those keys to an unimpaired motorist.

That’s it.

It’s pretty simple really. And if that’s not possible, gather up cab fare or call someone to come and pick you up. Maybe even ask a policeman for help.

Thankfully no one was hurt.

Things happen for reasons. Maybe we should all learn from Steve McNair’s mistake.

Let’s hope Roger Goodell is understanding and takes into account McNair’s usual upstanding and community centric ways. Otherwise someone WILL get hurt – the Baltimore Ravens.