The Sobering Truth – Former Halo Adam Kennedy Arrested

I know that this is going to be a touchy subject, but this is a forum that allows me to speak my mind…

Former Halo Adam Kennedy was arrested on drunk driving suspicion charges two nights ago, bringing to light a subject that does not have a popular view to what I’m about to say.

Imagine this – every mistake you ever make, be it drunk driving, showing anger towards someone else that includes profanity, disagreements with your wife/husband, unfaithfulness between you and your spouse, or accidentally running a red light, is broadcast all over TV; not just any TV channel – we’re talking ESPN, Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS… you get the picture.

Imagine how embarrassing that would be. Think of how ashamed your family would feel if they saw this news all over the media. Consider the reaction your co-workers would give you at your place of employment. How would all of this make you feel?

My point is this – the level of money you make should NOT determine the amount of privacy you’re allowed to have. I hear people say, “professional athletes are rich, they should have no privacy rights” or “because athletes make so much money, we should be allowed to know what’s going on in their lives”. I’ve heard people say both.

Yes, because they are in a career field that has more public exposure around the world than most, these things will be called out more. I just think that, in our society that’s so focused on what’s WRONG with the world, there’s more weight given to public figures who break the law. Most times, with the exception of if the President of the United States or other major leaders who determine the future of a country, your stature shouldn’t matter. If the behavior that was wrong includes something that is EXTREMELY wrong (i.e. drugs, murder, extortion, black mail, etc.), then that will naturally be broadcast. Those are behaviors that are life-threatening or involve others whose lives are DRASTICALLY altered, then I feel that’s fine to be reported.

We’re talking about professional athletes. They don’t hold a position of influence that determines the outcome of the world’s future… If their behavior is one that compromises the values of the position that they hold, that’s one thing, but if the behavior is one that has no affect in the performance of their position (drunk driving, unfaithfulness, traffic violation), there’s no reason their private lives should be broadcast across the world.

EVERYONE, no matter who the person is, deserves to have their private life stay private.