Marion Jones was sentenced to six months in prison today for lying about her steroid use and a check fraud scam. The sentence was the maximum allowed under her plea deal, imposed by U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas.

While I am not against people having to pay for crimes they committed, this seems like a judge who was out to impose his personal beliefs on the justice system.

“Athletes in society have an elevated status, they entertain, they inspire, and perhaps, most important, they serve as role models,” Judge Karas said at the sentencing.

Maybe it’s me, but this sounds like a judge specifically singling out a defendant to make an example of them. I don’t know what the specifics of the law allow, but this seems a bit out of line to me. Kind of like he’s legislating the whole “athletes are role models” argument.

Perhaps athletes are role models. But should they be legally bound to that? Should an athlete face a greater sentence than a non-athlete because of their moral obligations to society?

Whether or not you can legislate morality in general is a discussion for a different place and time. But in the cases of athletes being role models, I have to say that that has no standing in a court room.

The life of a professional athlete starts when they are athletic freaks around middle school. From there they go on to high school, where more often than not, it is apparent that they will be pros by the time they are in the 10th grade. At this point, they get away with everything, and are catered to by adults for their every need.

After high school, they move on to college, where going to class and getting educated is their lowest priority. Getting in trouble is often covered up, so long as they continue to perform on the field. If there were any questions about their likelihood of them going pro, this is where it is all sorted out. At no point is “How to be a Role Model” on the curriculum.

After being treated like a king or queen for a good six or seven years, they go on to the pros, where they are allowed to be treated as such, unapologetically. Then, when a professional athlete gets in trouble with the law, they are held at a higher standard?

If you don’t believe me, pick yourself up a copy of Pros and Cons. Or watch Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel more.

I understand that kids worship professional athletes. I did as a kid, and so did all of my friends. But I understood then, and understand now that they are just people. When I was a child and watched Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden piss away their respective careers, I didn’t go out and get myself some drugs. If you or your child is making life decisions based on what a professional athlete does, you have more problems than I can help you with.

A professional athlete is a person who excels in their sport. No more and no less. Some of them are scumbags and criminals, and some are genuinely great people. I’ve met and worked with both types. I had the dishonor of covering Loren Wade when he was at Arizona State. I also had the honor of covering and working with quality people like Luis Gonzalez, Shane Doan, and Pat Tillman. I know that athletes come in many varieties. But to hold them to a different standard in a legal situation because the are terrific at a sport is wrong.

On a side note, when is the last time an actor or actress got held to a higher legal standard than a “regular person?” Are we supposed to believe that steroid use isn’t equally as rampant in Hollywood as it is in baseball? Or alcohol, or weed, or any other criminal activity? And they’re also role models, often to more people than athletes are. So why no equal criticism of that profession? I suppose that’s a different article for a different day, but just something for you to think about.

Marion Jones broke a law. Several laws, actually. And for that, she deserves to suffer the consequences. If six months is normal for a situation like this, then this is a fair sentence. Considering this sentence is the maximum she could get, and taking the judge’s quotes into consideration, I think this sentence is excessive. Athletes are role models through no choice of their own. They should not be held to a higher legal standard than people who commit similar crimes that are not athletes.

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