Taking Back the NFL

The recent death of Washington Redskins star safety, Sean Taylor, is just another example of sports being handed over to the street thugs. Since when did being a professional athlete deem one a rap star who could live a rap star's lifestyle? If Sean Taylor wasn't a pro football player, would anyone have even heard this news? How many home invasions are there in a month where true innocent people are killed or injured? Sean Taylor was no saint, as his track record suggests. He came from the streets and most likely did not give up that street lifestyle, even when given an opportunity that many young men would do anything for. A week before his death, his home was broken into and a kitchen knife was left on one of the beds in the house. This was obviously someone who knew him and did not like him. Why also was there no alarm installed on his home? Don't get me wrong, no family deserves to lose a son, a brother and a father. I feel for his family but we as the public should remember that acts like this happen everyday, just because a person is famous does not mean they were a saint. There needs to be more of a focus in the NFL on bringing in players with good character and less focus on a player's image. Tony Romo, who is one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL right now, went undrafted because he didn't have that NFL player image. The same can be said for Marvin Harrison of the Indianapolis Colts. Does anyone see Harrison doing ads for the latest sneaker? Or do we hear of these players and their run ins with the law? No we don't. The NFL needs a one strike policy. To play there is a privilege, and too many young men take that for granted. One strike and your out. One footnote, I am a Cincinnati Bengals fan, half of this team would be gone if there was a one strike policy, but if it means cleaning the league up, I guess it would be OK.(I can wait another twenty years for a super bowl appearance.)