If Nothing Else, Michael Irvin is Guilty of Stupidity

By AL PICKETT
Reporter OnLine

(April 8, 1996 © 1996 Reporter OnLine. All rights reserved)
....There is an old adage which says if you get in a mud-slinging fight, you'll end up covered with mug.
....It's a saying that unfortunately most politicians too seldom remember.
....It's because of that theory that we seldom answer the many charges leveled at the sports staff in Fan Feedback.
....No matter how many times we say we don't favor one school over another, if someone believes that we favor the Cougars over the Eagles - or vice-versa - or that we don't give the proper coverage to their favorite sport in comparison to another sport, nothing we can say will change their mind.
....All we can do is try to be consistent and fair in our coverage, adhering to the standards and policies we've set for our sports section and not knee-jerk reacting to every dissatisfied grumbler.
....I'll admit, however, it is frustrating to be bashed when one has tried hard to be fair and equal in his coverage and feels he has been.
....I doubt if there is a news-gathering organization anywhere which discusses more than we do daily how we can provide equal and fair coverage of four local high schools and three local universities with the space and manpower we have.
....With that said, however, we believe that Fan Feedback is an entertaining and useful dialogue, and we will continue to run it, even when we're the target of abuse from the caller. It's called the burden of being in the public spotlight.
....There is one comment from Fan Feedback and a theme heard this past week on talk radio in Abilene, in the Metroplex and nationally that needs to be responded to, however.
....There seems to be a certain element which thinks Michael Irvin of the Dallas Cowboys is being treated unfairly by the media just because he is a high-profile athlete or because he is a black athlete.
....Well, sports fans, the media didn't create this problem for Michael Irvin. The media didn't put a married man in a motel room with a topless dancer and illegal drugs.
....Michael Irvin put himself in that situation all by himself, and now he must pay the consequences, whatever they may be.
....Did Michael Irvin use drugs? I have no idea.
....Has he ever tested positive during an NFL drug test? I have no idea.
....Should he be found guilty of the current charges against him? I certainly don't know enough of the facts at this point to make that judgment.
....But Michael Irvin certainly made a poor decision in putting himself in that situation, to be in a motel room with drugs and with a woman other than his wife. Circumstantial evidence certainly makes Michael Irvin fair game for any criticism aimed in his direction.
....I don't think many of us would want to live a life under the public scrutiny that star athletes such as Irvin and the other Dallas Cowboys have to endure. Seemingly, their every move is watched and reported on. They can't even go out to eat in Dallas without being hounded by admirers and autograph seekers.
....But, on the other hand, there comes a certain responsibility to being a role model because of the huge salary and star status that these athletes enjoy.
....But the heck with the worn-out role model argument that Charles Barkley sparked last year.
....No person, star athlete or anyone else, should be in a motel room with a large amount of illegal drugs and a woman other than his wife.
....At the very least, Michael Irvin should be penalized 15 yards in the season opener for stupidity.

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