Type 5 Writing Assignment: Corrupt Athletes

Steroids. Marijuana. Alcohol. Cocaine. Violence. The unfortunate truth is that no discussion of American sports in the past few decades has been complete without those words being mentioned in some context. Through this paper, I hope to gain an understanding of the different types of illegal behaviors, the people affected, and the outcome of the lives of Darryl Strawberry, Tonya Harding, and Lyle Alzado. The baseball great, Darryl Strawberry, who won World Series championships with the New York Yankees and Mets, has battled drug and alcohol abuse and criminal problems for years. Strawberry was sentenced to 18 months probation May 1999 after pleading no contest to drug and solicitation charges. In February, he was suspended from baseball for a year for testing positive to cocaine. In September of 1998, Strawberry was sentenced to two years' house arrest after admitting he violated probation by driving under the influence of medication and by leaving the scene of an accident. Strawberry, who is also fighting the return of his colon cancer, could have been sent to prison for that violation. Instead, the private drug treatment center, which officials declined to identify, served as his residence, corrections officials said. In 1990, Strawberry was arrested for alleged assault with a deadly weapon during an argument with his wife. They were later divorced. Three years later, he was arrested for allegedly striking his girlfriend. No charges were filed in either incident. In 1995, he was ordered to repay $350,000 in back taxes and sentenced to six months of home confinment, except for games. Later that year he was charged in California with failing to make child support payments. The people that have been affected by Darryl Strawberry’s behavior would be us, the young impressionable minds, while he also affected his family and girlfriends. The outcome of all of the illegal behavior such as, abusing drugs and his significant others has resulted in massive amounts of jail time. Tonya Harding was charged with being a known contributor to the assault on Nancy Karrigan in 1994. Nearly six months after the attack on Nancy Kerrigan, the U.S. Figure Skating Association yesterday stripped Tonya Harding of her 1994 national championship and banned her from the organization for life. By a preponderance of the evidence, the five members of the panel concluded that she had prior knowledge and was involved prior to the incident. On March 16 1994, Harding pled guilty to the felony of conspiracy to hinder the prosecution in the Kerrigan attack. At that time, she resigned from the USFSA. "Ms. Harding's actions as they related to the assault on Nancy Kerrigan evidence a clear disregard for fairness, good sportsmanship and ethical behavior," says a member of the USFSA. People that were affected by her Illegal behavior would be not only Nancy Kerrigan, but also all of the younger figure skaters that idolized Tonya Harding. The outcome of her court case ended in Tonya Harding paying court costs, minimal community service, and an expulsion from the USFSA. When former NFL tough guy Lyle Alzado died in May 1992 of brain cancer -- a disease he blamed on his longtime abuse of anabolic steroids -- he still had his dignity and his courage. He also had the strength of a toddler. He was 43 years old. It was a rare form of brain lymphoma that -- 13 months after it was diagnosed -- took the life of the former All-Pro defensive end for the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Raiders. Before he was diagnosed, he was in the prime of his life, ready to get serious about an acting career after making an aborted comeback attempt with the Raiders in 1990. He had just married for a third time when the deadly diagnosis was made. Alzado spent his final days trying to find a miracle cure. While at the same time hoping to get the message out to football players at all levels -- high school, college, and the professional level. He wanted to leave the message that Anabolic steroids do kill. The people that Lyle Alzado’s use of steroids affected, would have to be the young kids that looked to him to be a role model, but also his family who lost him at a young age. The sad outcome of Lyle Alzado’s abuse of anabolic steroids was death. After researching this paper, I have gained a significant amount of knowledge about Darryl Strawberry, Tonya Harding, and Lyle Alzado’s life-styles and poor choices. The key here, in this paper, is that nobody is immune to the problems of drugs, violence and alcohol. Some of the responsibility lies within the various governing bodies to monitor their athletes. But most of all, it comes down to the individuals themselves taking responsibility for their actions and the ramifications of those actions on others. If nothing else, this paper has been and will be a sobering experience.

Word Count: 823