In May, P.J. Tucker was pulled over and charged for drunk driving. He has now pleaded guilty for the charges and will spend three days in jail and 11 days of house arrest for “super extreme DUI.” He will also receive a five-year probation. On Tuesday morning, two more players joined Tucker in the drunken driving department. Marreese Speights was arrested early Tuesday morning in Florida and Vitor Faverani was arrested in Valencia, Spain.
Speights tested at .103 and .106 on the Breathalyzer. Tuckers' was at .222 and Faverani’s was high as well.
DUI charges have become familiar amongst NBA players and frankly, it has become extremely ridiculous how these players, who are grown adults, do not know how to control themselves. Everybody likes to drink and party, but there is a responsibility for everyone who does. With DUI arrests piling up for NBA players, maybe it is time to take action.
First, NBA players may need to hire someone who can follow them around and control them when going out drinking. Players are extremely wealthy and if someone like Marreese Speights is driving a Bentley, then he can definitely hire someone to drive him home as well. There should be absolutely no reason for an NBA player to step behind the wheel after he has been drinking.
However, secondly, NBA teams receive some blame because their punishments are not severe enough. Instead of letting NBA players off easy, teams should enforce strict penalties. Perhaps, they need to dish out large fines and suspend players for a long period of time.
In addition to punishments from their respective teams, players need harsh enforcement by the law as well. It seems like NBA players’ fame and wealth are letting them off the hook. Normal everyday people would probably receive a longer sentencing if they were to breathe .222 in a Breathalyzer, so why should NBA players be treated differently? A longer time in prison would teach these players a lesson.
Unfortunately, DUI’s are becoming a popular theme for basketball players. It needs to stop, and the NBA and its owners must implement tougher regulations against players driving drunk.