Regarding Sports

Absolutely Disgraceful Lawsuit

This has to be one of the most disgusting things I have ever heard. The father of John Hancock, the former St. Louis Cardinals reliever who died in a car accident, is now suing several people that he claims are "responsible" for Hancock's death.

Let's quickly review the facts of the case:

• John Hancock was legally intoxicated while driving.
• John Hancock did not have his seatbelt on while driving.
• John Hancock was talking on the cellphone while driving, apparently to set up a booty call.
• John Hancock had marijuana in his car while driving.
• John Hancock had been in an accident just three days before, and possibly alcohol was involved.
• John Hancock was driving 68mph in a 55mph zone.
• John Hancock crashed his car into the back of a tow truck that was clearing a stalled vehicle.

So, despite all of these facts, John Hancock's father believes that instead of his son being liable for his own death, instead of his son bearing the responsibility for his own ill-advised actions, despite his son being LUCKY that he didn't kill the tow truck driver or the owner of the stalled vehicle because he was driving drunk and unable to control his car properly, despite all of these things, instead it is the following people who are responsible for John Hancock's death:

• The owner of the bar who served alcohol to John Hancock. Because bars need to magically know when someone is over the legal alcohol limit and stop selling them drinks, even if they don't appear intoxicated.
• The tow truck driver, for, you know, doing his job.
• The owner of the stalled vehicle, for, you know, daring to stall his car in the middle of the highway.

These are the people listed in the lawsuit.

Things like this disgust me. I want to punch John Hancock's father in the face! People need to learn to learn take responsibility for their own goddamned actions. If people are too stupid to know when to stop drinking, if people are too stupid to know that they should sober up before driving, if people are too stupid to put on seat belts, and if people are too stupid to stay under the speed limit, then they HAVE to accept responsibility for the consequences of their own stupidity. It's that simple. The only person responsible for John Hancock's death is John Hancock. If he wasn't dead, he would be liable for criminal prosecution.

Even more disgusting is the public's racist bias for athletes who get in trouble. Michael Vick fights dogs illegally at his home? Ooh, he's a bad, bad, irresponsible man! John Hancock gets drunk and nearly kills a disabled motorist and tow truck driver? John Hancock is a sad, tragic figure and the bar owners should have known better than to keep serving him alcohol!

It's so fucking two-faced, it makes me sick. John Hancock was an irresponsible adult who got himself killed and nearly killed two innocent bystanders in the process. He is not a saint, he is not a tragic figure, he is not a teammate to be glorified. He should be held up as an example of how dumb and stupid people can be when they are drunk, and how bad the consequences can be when people don't know how to handle alcohol. Period.

posted by Chris @ 2:55 PM