Ellie DUI
- Thread starter UK_King
- Start date
Ugh 
The Kings released a statement:
http://www.nba.com/kings/news/statement_regarding_mario_elie_arrest.html
KINGS’ PRESIDENT OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS GEOFF PETRIE – “We are very concerned and disappointed in regard to Mario’s arrest for DUI. This is an ugly form of history repeating itself. We expect better, knowing at the same time there are limits to how far you can go to protect people from themselves. In spite of all of this, we still respect Mario’s right to due process.”
MARIO ELIE – “I was pulled over last night on my way home for having a broken taillight. I had been out and had a couple of drinks. My blood alcohol level was slightly over the legal limit. I’m very sorry, embarrassed and disappointed for the position in which I put myself and team. Rest assured, it won’t happen again as I take full responsibility for my actions.”
The Kings released a statement:
http://www.nba.com/kings/news/statement_regarding_mario_elie_arrest.html
KINGS’ PRESIDENT OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS GEOFF PETRIE – “We are very concerned and disappointed in regard to Mario’s arrest for DUI. This is an ugly form of history repeating itself. We expect better, knowing at the same time there are limits to how far you can go to protect people from themselves. In spite of all of this, we still respect Mario’s right to due process.”
MARIO ELIE – “I was pulled over last night on my way home for having a broken taillight. I had been out and had a couple of drinks. My blood alcohol level was slightly over the legal limit. I’m very sorry, embarrassed and disappointed for the position in which I put myself and team. Rest assured, it won’t happen again as I take full responsibility for my actions.”
It's not just that. The Sacramento area is the most heavily policed (intimidating) area I've ever seen anyplace - and I've lived, traveled in many other locales, states, countries. Not only do you have the Sacramento City Police covering their jurisdiction, but there's Sacramento County Sheriff, CHP, State Capital Police, Dept of Justice (Feds), FBI (Nor Cal Headquarters), Elk Grove Police, Rancho Cordova Police, Citrus Heights Police, and surely other cop intities around here I can't recall.
I not going to rag on LE at all on this one, but Elie was stopped not for weaving or speed but for simply having a tail light out. I've seen dozens if not hundreds of vehicles (even state owned ones) with tail lights out but they're seemingly ignored by LE around here all the time. Elie's three strikes 'yer out mistake: Driving with a tail light out, after midnight downtown, and being in a $$$ Benz.
Let's not be naive. Cops pull people over every night all the time. And half the time it's not even for suspicion of drunken driving. Believe me, I'm a victim. Spent a night in jail for DUI. Although I wasn't over the limit nor swerving nor did I fail any of their tests. It was a fraudulent booking in my terms and my case was dismissed. The cops aren't always 'doing their job'.
He is being naive for saying a cop was doing his job? And yes, cops do pull people over every night... what's your point? Ellie had a broken taillight and got pulled over. Ellie's own words say he had been out and had a "couple drinks" and was over the legal limit. Not sure why you are saying the law enforcement in Sac has too much time on their hands and they are not always doing their job or how it is remotely relevant in this situation. Pulling over someone for a broken taillight and arresting people for driving under the influence are part of the job as far as I know?
Being over the limit is not that important to me. What matters is someones ability to handle their liquor. A couple drinks will more than likely put you over the limit every time but won't always mean you're driving drunk. And what else did you expect Elie to say in a press release? He has to be politically correct.
So you follow the belief pattern that says people don't need to obey laws if they don't apply to them, got it. With a self proclaimed "slightly over the legal limit" I would have expected him to say something along the lines of he was pulled over then arrested under the suspicion of drunk driving and regretted the situation. Like you said, sometimes people are falsely arrested of drunk driving. Other times they escape charges during the legal process. Petrie's release sounds much better, especially if we take Elie's word of being only slightly over. He may not even end up with a DUI conviction, but after personally admitting to it in a press release im inclined to believe.
I still don't see what your comment about police had to do with this situation. Were you somehow trying to imply that the police officer shouldn't have arrested him since he was only slightly over the limit? And instead continued on to something more worthy of his time?
I still don't see what your comment about police had to do with this situation. Were you somehow trying to imply that the police officer shouldn't have arrested him since he was only slightly over the limit? And instead continued on to something more worthy of his time?
That's a cop out in my opinion. Parents have full accountability for raising their own children. Not society, not athletes, not politicians, not actors, not musicians, just parents. If people are expecting others (just because they happen to be famous, or in a position of power) to provide good examples for their children, then they're passing the buck and aren't very good parents. It's the parents sole responsibility to provide good examples for their children and instill a basic sense of right and wrong. If someone has a kid who thinks, hey, The Kings' coach drinks and drives, so I can do it to, then they've either failed as parents or they're kid was just a lost cause to begin with.
Queue the overreaction and manufactured outrage. It always amuses me how people get so upset when some famous athlete gets a DUI. Do they get that upset when a neighborhood plumber, school teacher, chef, construction worker, etc. gets a DUI? I doubt it. People need to get a grip and stop this holding athletes to a higher standard than everyone else nonsense.
Having lost a family friend to a drunk driver, yes it pisses me off whoever it is. Maybe if the first time penalty was much harsher we wouldnt have repeat offenders that murder people. Yes I said murder, 15 to life http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/16/3108452/womans-5th-dui-proved-fatal.html
I'm not advocating DUI here. I just don't quite get people's level of reaction to it in comparison to other types of driving that also kills people. As many if not more people are killed by speeding and careless/reckless driving in general than are killed by accidents that are directly related to alcohol. So why don't folks get just as upset over speeding and careless/reckless driving in general as they do drunk driving? Why don't we punish those types of driving as harshly as DUI? People lose all rational perspective and get hysterical the second they hear someone was driving under the influence.
There was a story a few years back in Sacramento. A man was driving under the influence. He wasn’t speeding or driving recklessly, he was just over the legal limit. A car load of kids that was driving way over the speed limit lost control and crossed into his lane, killing them. The guy survived but was charged with murder even though the accident was caused by the other driver. Simply because he had alcohol in his system, all of a sudden he’s a murder. Had the same accident happened with no alcohol in his system, he wouldn’t have been charged with anything. Does that really seem logical and just to anyone?
There was a story a few years back in Sacramento. A man was driving under the influence. He wasn’t speeding or driving recklessly, he was just over the legal limit. A car load of kids that was driving way over the speed limit lost control and crossed into his lane, killing them. The guy survived but was charged with murder even though the accident was caused by the other driver. Simply because he had alcohol in his system, all of a sudden he’s a murder. Had the same accident happened with no alcohol in his system, he wouldn’t have been charged with anything. Does that really seem logical and just to anyone?
Last edited:
No they don't and the reason is because these people's salaries rely on them being public figures. In our society, that comes with certain responsibilities. Being in pro sports and getting paid the big bucks that goes along with it carries those responsibilities.
If a high school coach gets a DUI they're likely fired or at the very least there is quite a lot of outrage in the local community. Same with the Kings but on a larger scale. You may think it unfair, but look at these salaries. Where do you think that money comes from? It comes a lot from tv contracts and advertising, and also from ticket sales. It all hinges on eyeballs. Sports are games surrounded by millions of eyeballs. This makes them public figures. This is what pays their salary. If a plumber gets a dui, of course, not that big a deal, doesn't really affect his ability to do his job, especially if he owns his own business. People are only paying him to fix their friggin drain.
If a high school coach gets a DUI they're likely fired or at the very least there is quite a lot of outrage in the local community. Same with the Kings but on a larger scale. You may think it unfair, but look at these salaries. Where do you think that money comes from? It comes a lot from tv contracts and advertising, and also from ticket sales. It all hinges on eyeballs. Sports are games surrounded by millions of eyeballs. This makes them public figures. This is what pays their salary. If a plumber gets a dui, of course, not that big a deal, doesn't really affect his ability to do his job, especially if he owns his own business. People are only paying him to fix their friggin drain.
I look on the good side. This was our first win in a desperate period of time and only our third (or second) home win. Just think how many of our guys, and there must be a least 50, got blasted last night in celebration of this huge victory, and only one got caught. Most of these guys didn't have busted tail lights or smart enough to not drive.
I don’t agree that it carries those responsibilities. I agree that many people believe that it does, or think that it should carry those responsibilities. However, I think that the people who think that have unrealistic/flawed expectations. They want public figures to be model citizens, so they project that desire onto them in the form of heightened expectations about behavior. Then when some famous person fails to meet those heightened expectations, they get all upset. The problem there isn’t with the behaviors of famous people, it’s with the expectations that others folks have about famous people’s behavior. If people adjusted their expectation to a more reasonable/realistic level, they wouldn’t be setting themselves up for disappointment every time a famous persons makes a stupid decision..
That’s a totally different scenario because school is a place where kids are taught and guided.. That’s it’s sole purpose. So naturally anyone who exhibits bad behavior than could interfere with the teaching process in a negative way is subject to termination, and rightfully so in that situation.
The difference with an NBA coach is that the NBA’s purpose isn’t to teach and guide kids, despite some people wanting that to be its purpose. The sole purpose of the NBA is entertainment. People need to adjust their expectations accordingly. It doesn’t make logical sense to expect an NBA coach to provide the same type of kid friendly example that we’d expect a high school coach to provide.
That’s a totally different scenario because school is a place where kids are taught and guided.. That’s it’s sole purpose. So naturally anyone who exhibits bad behavior than could interfere with the teaching process in a negative way is subject to termination, and rightfully so in that situation.
The difference with an NBA coach is that the NBA’s purpose isn’t to teach and guide kids, despite some people wanting that to be its purpose. The sole purpose of the NBA is entertainment. People need to adjust their expectations accordingly. It doesn’t make logical sense to expect an NBA coach to provide the same type of kid friendly example that we’d expect a high school coach to provide.
The thing that baffles me most about rich people getting a DUI, is why the hell didn't they just have a limo take them home? They can afford it! It's somewhat understandable when an average Joe who is broke drives home drunk because they have to work the next morning and don't have the money for a cab or limo to take them home, but when people with 6 or 7 figure incomes do it, it's just mind boggling. If I had that type of money I'd just have a chauffeur take me wherever I wanted to go if I was gonna be getting wasted.
Info is a little dated here, but alcohol was the number one cause of death in vehicular accidents:
http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/causes.html
And from Wiki:
So yeah, I know some don't take it seriously (probably because you have done it and don't think it's a big deal), but it is serious and a very big deal. And there is no excuse for it.
http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/causes.html
And from Wiki:
So yeah, I know some don't take it seriously (probably because you have done it and don't think it's a big deal), but it is serious and a very big deal. And there is no excuse for it.