Fleming's Mailbag

David Fleming answers your questions on Plaxico and beyond.

by David Fleming

[Ed.'s Note: In light of Giants WR Plaxico Burress' recent troubles off the field, David Fleming, who wrote about the security issues plaguing NFL players today in a recent issue of The Mag, took some time to answer a few questions from our readers.]

What is happening to all these athletes? I was younger in the 80s, and didn't follow sports, but I can never remember hearing about Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson in the news unless it was positive. Nowadays, you cannot read the newspaper without seeing something some athlete did to disgrace himself and his peers. Why aren't they the role models that American kids need?

--Steven (Raleigh)

I know it seems that way, but, to be fair, there are roughly 2000 active NFL players, and of those players typically 20-40 get into some kind of trouble off the field. If my math is correct, that's between 1-2% of the league, a number that is comparable, if not lower, than society as a whole.

---

Is Plax as bad as Pacman? He hasn't been responsible for a death, but hasn't he made the league look just as bad?

-- Cam (Boston)

At first I thought this was an outrageous comparison, but the more I thought about it, the more I think it's valid. Especially when you consider just how strongly the league is against gun ownership by players. NFL security preaches to players that crime statistics prove a gun often brings you much more trouble than help. "Foolish" is how one NFL person described the idea that players need guns to protect themselves, so, on this issue, you might just be right. He might not feel like it right now, but the truth is Plax is unbelievably lucky in some respects. I mean, I don't even want to think about if he had seriously injured himself or if the gun had gone off and injured or killed someone else.

---

Since this whole thing started, all I've heard about is Plaxico and how irresponsible he is, which is totally true, but what I want to know is: HOW DID HE GET IN THE CLUB WITH A GUN? I know that there is NO WAY that me or anyone I know would ever get in a club with a gun, so how does he? The club owner and security is just as much to blame as Plaxico. Liquor and guns don't mix, PERIOD. The mayor of NY said it would be a shame not to prosecute Plaxico to the full extent of the law. I feel just as strongly about the club owner.

-- Seth (Terre Haute, Ind.)

Very good point, Seth. This is a perfect example of how, sometimes, the notoriety and special treatment athletes get in our society actually ends up hurting them more than helping them. While reporting the story in the current issue of The Mag I asked almost everyone—across all levels and borders in the NFL—what they could do to be safer. I was expecting a lot of answers about moving to gated communities or increasing their security systems or using body guards, but most people said "humility." If players would stop thinking of themselves as untouchable to crime, or somehow above the law, they could probably avoid a great deal of these problems.

---

Why doesn't Goodell take heat like David Stern when his players mess up? It seems to happen more often in the NFL, but the NBA gets crucified whenever someone slips up.

-- Jeromy (Houston)

The truth is, in the year since Sean Taylor was murdered, the NFL has been extremely pro-active on educating players about security and safety. The NFL has had a vice president in charge of security for more than 12 years. They provide security experts for every team in the league. Players can do background checks on any of their associates if they need to. And reps from NFL security visited every team in January before they left for the off-season. The league produced a series of videos to educate players on security. Rookies were lectured about it again at their annual summer symposium. So it's hard to criticize Goodell when he has been very strict on off-the-field issues and very proactive about educating and protecting NFL players.

---

Plaxico really messed up this time. Is his career over? There's no way he comes back with the Giants.

-- Chris (Portland)

The trademark of the Giants has become that no one player is bigger, or more important, than the team—just ask Jeremy Shockey, right? So it wouldn't surprise me at all if the team puts Plax on the non-football injury list, making him ineligible to play the rest of the season and helping them get back some of the cash they gave him when he signed that $35 million contract. But is he done with football? No way. The NFL has a sliding scale of morality/justice, where the more talented you are, the more you can get away with—and Plax is a great talent.

---

What advice do you have for these players? Can they ever really feel safe again?

-- Kelly (Bradenton, Fla.)

I think Fred Taylor said it best when he responded to that question by saying: "Am I safe? I don't know what safe is." Fred is so worried that, even with tons of security technology at his home, after parties he still goes around and checks all the windows and locks in his house one by one. Football players are in a tough spot, in a way, because they need to feel fearless and invincible to be great at what they do for a living. But they also have to be able to turn that stuff off when they leave the field, or that attitude can put them at even greater risk for violent crimes.

---

Do you think this is more of an issue in the NFL than in any other league? Basketball and baseball players usually make more money than NFL players right? Why are NFL players always in the line of fire?

-- Kevin (Madison)

Great insight. And you're exactly right. I think it has something to do with the game's popularity. Think about this from a criminal's perspective: none of us could probably pick out the CEO of Bank of American, right? But football players have their pictures in the paper every day; they are required to be accessible in their communities; their salaries are in the paper and on the 'net; and in five minutes, I can find out a football player's work schedule—when they will be in town or out of town or at practice. That's pretty scary, how vulnerable they are. What's more is that a security expert told me if a criminal is going to bring a certain amount of violence to commit a crime against a regular person, then they will ratchet that violence up against a football player, because we all think of them as tough, strong warriors.

---

Where does race fit into this equation? It seems this affects black players the most.

-- Peter (Miami)

My reporting tells me that race isn't as big of a factor as you would think. Ben Roethlisberger was one of the first high-profile players to understand the need for body guards, and Kevin Mawae, of the Titans, does background checks on potential babysitters. The truth is: all players are scared and in fear of being targeted.

---

Pretty much everyone has been talking about this problem with Plax. My question is, if he needed a gun to go there, why did he still go?

-- Kevin (Geneseo)

Bill Parcells' rule was: don't go where you're not known or not wanted. Tony Dungy tells his players every year that crime stats show 95% of all the off-the-field problems players face occur after midnight. On the flip side of this, it's easy to judge Plax for taking a gun with him, but the truth is, players feel targeted and scared. The bigger question is, why are players living in so much fear?

---

It seems that a lot of these players are fearful or anxious about outsiders getting into their world. Why, then, do they continuously and repeatedly enter these nightclubs where they fear harm can come to them? If Plax has "35 million reasons to return" like his lawyer argued against bail, why wouldn't he just hire someone who could carry legally? Or, better yet, go out with a few friends to a nice restaurant, or even entertain at home?

-- Mike (Philadelphia)

I don't disagree with you, but at the same time, even in extreme cases, I don't think it's fair to blame the victims for these crimes. As one NFL security expert told me, put yourself in their shoes for a minute: is it fair or reasonable to expect a young person who is very successful and wealthy to just lock themselves in their homes and never come out or enjoy what they've earned? In general, and for whatever reason, we all have a hard time seeing these guys as victims, and we want to instantly blame them for these problems. Well, Dunta Robinson was at home watching TV when he was the victim of a home invasion. I don't think it hurts to step back a bit and try to see this through the perspective of the players.

---

When will the NFL mandate a gun safety course as part of their rookie curriculum? They already take etiquette classes, why not have an afternoon "How to use a safety" session?

-- Jeremy (Harrisburg)

This is a very smart, simple solution. The NFL doesn't want players do have guns. Players think they need guns to be safe. That divide is never going to change, so the smart thing would be to say, Okay, we don't want you carrying guns but if you insist than we insist you take a course on gun safety to protect yourself and those around you.

---

The owners of NFL teams invest in their multi-million dollar stadiums down to the smallest blades of grass; NFL owners invest heavily into the marketing of their team turning their football teams into internationally-known logos; and NFL owners invest millions of dollars into their players and staff every year. Why can they not afford to protect their investment and provide the players on their teams with professional and experienced around-the-clock security?

-- Hollis (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)

That's not a bad idea, really. The league, however, discourages players from using bodyguards, since they feel most of the time this only draws negative attention to the players and makes them even more of a target. The NFLPA president Kevin Mawae said the NFL has spent a lot of time and resources educating players and offering them every possible security help. But, in the end, it comes down to human nature. The players have to take and use that help. As Mawae said, the real problems come when players think they don't need that help. By the time they change their minds it's usually too late.

---

When is the NFL gonna do something drastic about their players? What is it gonna take for them to realize that something has to change?

-- Tommy (De Soto, Kans.)

Here's when things will change: when an NFL coach can keep his job after going 2-14 because his roster is full of really great guys who don't get into any kind of trouble and another coach, who finished 11-5, gets fired because half his team got into trouble off the field.

---

What about the escalation of the situation caused by these athletes carrying handguns? If they carry weapons, what do criminals do in response?

-- Brandon (Montoursville, Penn.)

Great point. As I said earlier, this is why the NFL strongly discourages players from owning guns for personal protection. But the prevailing thought amongst the players is that if Sean Taylor had a gun, he might still be alive today. Here's an interesting side note on this topic: all the technology we use to protect ourselves might actually make us more vulnerable because, in order to circumvent all that technology, criminals have to get more personal with their attacks.

---

How can the NFL continue employ persons who break/abuse/ignore the law? Is keeping playmakers on the field more important than the American Justice System? Is the NFL more powerful than "the system?"

-- "Bucket"

I think you express the biggest issue fans have in cases like these: the idea that just because someone is a famous athlete that they are somehow above the law. But are we culpable in any way? I wonder. We worship these guys, we treat them special from the time they start high school, we make them famous and rich and we bend the rules for them (sometimes) and then when they act badly or think of themselves as above the law, we gasp and act shocked and horrified.

---

Dave, how many players face extortion from old neighborhood associates? And is it similar to what hockey players face from the Russian mafia?

-- De (San Francisco)

Interesting question. That didn't come up in any of the research or reporting that I did. Young players in particular, though, have a hard time cutting ties with the buddies that they grew up with and, on occasion, that can lead to trouble. Branden Albert, a rookie with the Chiefs, was very honest about this process, saying, it's a very lonely feeling, and it's not as easy as people think to just turn your back on your lifelong friends. For most of us, our childhood friends are like family, and it would be very hard if our employers insisted we had to cut all contact with them.

Print Article . Email Article. Subscribe to The Magazine