Kayte Christensen arrested for DUI (EDITED TITLE)
- Thread starter upinsmoke
- Start date
I agree.....if the organization really likes her, she can apologize, they can spin it, she can ask for forgiveness, etc. This may be one of those, people make mistakes we forgive you, but you do it again and your out of here moments.
Front office may also have no tolerance for this.....she's a public figure and drunk driving is a very serious matter.
Yes she can be an example of learning from mistakes, but she could also be fired and made an example of what not to do. The problem with THIS teachable moment is it can cost lives. I guess we will find out where the organization falls on this front.
I don't disagree and I'm not defending drunk driving. There is, however, a difference between being cited for a BAC of 0.08 and being cited because you wrecked your car, etc. I do not believe in zero tolerance. I believe people should be given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes in most instances. Kayte Christensen doing community service and maybe talking to teen groups about the lunacy of drinking and driving would, IMHO, be much more effective than just kicking her to the curb.
rainmaker
Hall of Famer
But community service/etc would be the legal side of it, decided by the court/judge, and the kicking her to the curb would be the Kings management side of it.
It's all intertwined. Aside from the legal ramifications, I was thinking along the lines of the Kings front office also requiring some kind of community outreach, etc.
Carmichael Dave posted this on Facebook:
Carmichael Dave
33 mins · Sacramento, CA ·
So this is a long post, please scroll down if you're one of those tl;dr people, which means "too long, didn't read". I'm going to keep this off of twitter, because somehow FB seems more personal, which is of course probably a farce. I have been asked about this subject numerous times today, and I do not want it to seem that I'm avoiding it, or ashamed of it. I also don't want to wait, and dredge it all up in a few days.
Last night, (or early this morning), my friend Kayte Christensen was pulled over for driving under the influence. For those who need to know, and since its a matter of public record, she blew a .08 after spending the evening with some friends.
I believe friendships are an easy thing to have, when things are going right. For me, the basis of all of my important relationships lies mainly in loyalty, and standing up when the chips are down.
There is no excuse to drive while intoxicated. I have looked at the internet today, and seen the best in people, and also some pretty rough things. But regardless of how you feel about Kayte, drinking and driving is a black and white issue. You don't do it.
I don't really drink. Maybe 4-5 times a year. I am very thankful that I will never have to deal with some of the effects of alcohol. But I have driven drunk before. Maybe not hammered, but enough to where I shouldn't have been operating a vehicle. Only by pure luck did I manage to escape without hurting anyone else, or myself. But I did it.
I have seen some say that since Kayte only blew a .08 it wasn't that big a deal, but I assure you it was. She believes it was. It is. Uber, Lyft, a taxi, and pure common sense all exist to avoid these things.
Kayte Christensen is one of my best friends in the world. I love her insanely. Many on here see pics of me hanging with her and make jokes about her being my second wife, because of course a guy and a girl can't hang out together without there being something sinister. Although common sense would tell you, looking at me and looking at her- she can do quite a bit better than the failed science experiment that I am.
But in a sense she IS my second wife. She helps me understand the language of women, and has helped me see that I'm actually being the ass on more than one occasion with my wife. She calls me on my garbage, and she is there for me in a heartbeat. She also gets along famously with Melissa, although sometimes to my detriment when they gang up on me.
My point is, I have been blessed to know who Kayte is on a very intimate level, and I am a better person for it. She is a pure soul, without BS, and very passionate about what she does in life. She and I were both let go from our jobs around the same time a couple of years ago, and we helped each other find our way back to the places we loved together. She in Phoenix, me here.
When she told me what happened today, I was crushed. I was crushed because I KNOW how responsible she is. SHE'S the one that makes sure everyone is ok to drive, and SHE'S the one that offers up a couch for those who shouldn't be going home. She makes sure they're ok when they get home as well, safe and sound.
She takes her role in the community seriously, and as a successful woman in a business that isn't very friendly to women, she is also aware and very proud of the fact that she's a role model. She doesn't shirk it, she takes it as an honor and great responsibility.
I was crushed because I knew that no one would take this harder than she, and no amount of consoling could make her feel better.
And that's fine. She should feel bad. She messed up. And she will need to atone for her mistake. There is no room for error when something like this happens, none at all. But for the grace of God she didn't hurt innocent people, nor herself.
This will, funny enough, end up being a good thing believe it or not. I can't think of anything that wouldn't benefit from Kayte's involvement. She is already thinking of ways to get involved, to volunteer time to make sure others know how serious this is. Kayte is an obsessive, and her debt to society won't just be repaid, it will be paid in full 100 times over.
Am I biased? Yes. Should my opinion change or add to how you feel about Kayte or what happened? No. But I simply had to express myself, and how proud I am of the person she is. More importantly, the person she will grow into out of this.
Life is rarely black and white, and the days that are generally involve body counts. I know I spend much of my day judging other people, and in many cases without full knowledge of who they are and what they stand for. So those out there that look at this as yet another pseudo-celeb making dumb decisions? I get it, I do. I really, really do.
But in this case, for me, I know the person. I know who she is. I know what she stands for. I know how miserable she is. I know how much it agonizes her to see her colleagues and friends pour out their support, when all she can think of is how stupid and irresponsible she is.
Kayte isn't just a sideline reporter. She's a girl from tiny Alturas, CA that has been all over the place and has a true passion for her craft, and puts a premium on treating people with respect. If any of you reading this have met her or talked to her, you're nodding your head in agreement.
This too, shall pass. But in the process, the benefits of her atonement will far outweigh the repercussions, I promise you.
Sacramento protects their own, and she is one of ours. What you do is your business, and you will get no judgement from me.
But I love her. And I am proud of her.
And her friendship is one of my prized possessions.
I'm sitting on her couch right now writing this, while she's in the other room. When she sees it, she'll most likely kill me. I came over bearing chinese food and iced teas, and I'm happy to do it. She's my friend.
And I'm proud of that.
That's all I have to say about this, and I will not speak of it again.
Carmichael Dave
33 mins · Sacramento, CA ·
So this is a long post, please scroll down if you're one of those tl;dr people, which means "too long, didn't read". I'm going to keep this off of twitter, because somehow FB seems more personal, which is of course probably a farce. I have been asked about this subject numerous times today, and I do not want it to seem that I'm avoiding it, or ashamed of it. I also don't want to wait, and dredge it all up in a few days.
Last night, (or early this morning), my friend Kayte Christensen was pulled over for driving under the influence. For those who need to know, and since its a matter of public record, she blew a .08 after spending the evening with some friends.
I believe friendships are an easy thing to have, when things are going right. For me, the basis of all of my important relationships lies mainly in loyalty, and standing up when the chips are down.
There is no excuse to drive while intoxicated. I have looked at the internet today, and seen the best in people, and also some pretty rough things. But regardless of how you feel about Kayte, drinking and driving is a black and white issue. You don't do it.
I don't really drink. Maybe 4-5 times a year. I am very thankful that I will never have to deal with some of the effects of alcohol. But I have driven drunk before. Maybe not hammered, but enough to where I shouldn't have been operating a vehicle. Only by pure luck did I manage to escape without hurting anyone else, or myself. But I did it.
I have seen some say that since Kayte only blew a .08 it wasn't that big a deal, but I assure you it was. She believes it was. It is. Uber, Lyft, a taxi, and pure common sense all exist to avoid these things.
Kayte Christensen is one of my best friends in the world. I love her insanely. Many on here see pics of me hanging with her and make jokes about her being my second wife, because of course a guy and a girl can't hang out together without there being something sinister. Although common sense would tell you, looking at me and looking at her- she can do quite a bit better than the failed science experiment that I am.
But in a sense she IS my second wife. She helps me understand the language of women, and has helped me see that I'm actually being the ass on more than one occasion with my wife. She calls me on my garbage, and she is there for me in a heartbeat. She also gets along famously with Melissa, although sometimes to my detriment when they gang up on me.
My point is, I have been blessed to know who Kayte is on a very intimate level, and I am a better person for it. She is a pure soul, without BS, and very passionate about what she does in life. She and I were both let go from our jobs around the same time a couple of years ago, and we helped each other find our way back to the places we loved together. She in Phoenix, me here.
When she told me what happened today, I was crushed. I was crushed because I KNOW how responsible she is. SHE'S the one that makes sure everyone is ok to drive, and SHE'S the one that offers up a couch for those who shouldn't be going home. She makes sure they're ok when they get home as well, safe and sound.
She takes her role in the community seriously, and as a successful woman in a business that isn't very friendly to women, she is also aware and very proud of the fact that she's a role model. She doesn't shirk it, she takes it as an honor and great responsibility.
I was crushed because I knew that no one would take this harder than she, and no amount of consoling could make her feel better.
And that's fine. She should feel bad. She messed up. And she will need to atone for her mistake. There is no room for error when something like this happens, none at all. But for the grace of God she didn't hurt innocent people, nor herself.
This will, funny enough, end up being a good thing believe it or not. I can't think of anything that wouldn't benefit from Kayte's involvement. She is already thinking of ways to get involved, to volunteer time to make sure others know how serious this is. Kayte is an obsessive, and her debt to society won't just be repaid, it will be paid in full 100 times over.
Am I biased? Yes. Should my opinion change or add to how you feel about Kayte or what happened? No. But I simply had to express myself, and how proud I am of the person she is. More importantly, the person she will grow into out of this.
Life is rarely black and white, and the days that are generally involve body counts. I know I spend much of my day judging other people, and in many cases without full knowledge of who they are and what they stand for. So those out there that look at this as yet another pseudo-celeb making dumb decisions? I get it, I do. I really, really do.
But in this case, for me, I know the person. I know who she is. I know what she stands for. I know how miserable she is. I know how much it agonizes her to see her colleagues and friends pour out their support, when all she can think of is how stupid and irresponsible she is.
Kayte isn't just a sideline reporter. She's a girl from tiny Alturas, CA that has been all over the place and has a true passion for her craft, and puts a premium on treating people with respect. If any of you reading this have met her or talked to her, you're nodding your head in agreement.
This too, shall pass. But in the process, the benefits of her atonement will far outweigh the repercussions, I promise you.
Sacramento protects their own, and she is one of ours. What you do is your business, and you will get no judgement from me.
But I love her. And I am proud of her.
And her friendship is one of my prized possessions.
I'm sitting on her couch right now writing this, while she's in the other room. When she sees it, she'll most likely kill me. I came over bearing chinese food and iced teas, and I'm happy to do it. She's my friend.
And I'm proud of that.
That's all I have to say about this, and I will not speak of it again.
Glenn
Hall of Famer
Haven't had a drink since 1985.
K
KingMilz
Guest
How serious do they take DUI in America in regards to athletes/celebs? I would be devastated if they took Katie off and replaced her with say Jim Gray.............
N
Nikefutbolero
Guest
Blah blah blah, is what Carmichael Dave said.
It's black and white like he said. She drove drunk, and she got caught. She does not deserve to be a public face for the Kings. Those roles should be reserved for people who are responsible. In 2013, 805 people died because of people like Kayte, and those people don't get a second chance. She's obviously going to get a second chance in life because she's still alive, it just shouldn't be someone representing the Kings. You all back her because you like her and that's fine, I'm not saying she's a horrible person and she does deserve moral support for her mistake. But the mistake she made is one that should cost her a job as a public figure for any organization.
I have zero tolerance for drunk drivers and I have NO pity for them. Kayte is no exception. On behalf of people who have lost friends to drunk drivers, I don't want to see her on TV during ANY Kings game.
It's black and white like he said. She drove drunk, and she got caught. She does not deserve to be a public face for the Kings. Those roles should be reserved for people who are responsible. In 2013, 805 people died because of people like Kayte, and those people don't get a second chance. She's obviously going to get a second chance in life because she's still alive, it just shouldn't be someone representing the Kings. You all back her because you like her and that's fine, I'm not saying she's a horrible person and she does deserve moral support for her mistake. But the mistake she made is one that should cost her a job as a public figure for any organization.
I have zero tolerance for drunk drivers and I have NO pity for them. Kayte is no exception. On behalf of people who have lost friends to drunk drivers, I don't want to see her on TV during ANY Kings game.
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Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Put it this way, if it was a player he would probably get a 1-2 game suspension. Which actually depending on the player could actually effectively be a $250,000 fine, but still, shaming, apology written by agent, short suspension.
With something like a broadcaster, or really in Kayte's case, a sideline reporter/pre+post game type...there is no set rule. As I said above, what it does is become a matter of convenience then. If they like you, they sweep it under the rug. If they don't or people want to get all huffy, then they'll conveniently treat it like you broke into somebody's house and murdered their children. There's very little principled about it. Given what I perceive to be her general popularity both with the public as well as local media I would expect here to survive this, indeed don't really know why she wouldn't. She's not the face of the franchise, so there is only limited egg involved. In the end it might come down to whether this is the culmination of a problematic pattern of behavior and they think she's the sort of person who would do this again and already were wary of her, or if this is truly just an aberration and a mistake that everybody recognizes as such.
We don't know where Vivek falls on these sorts of things, or his relationship with her. But it might be noteworthy that his right hand man Chris Mullin was a full fledged alcoholic back in the day and had to get detoxed before he could resume his HOF chase. Doubt advice coming from that corner would include off with her head.
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Hoping that this post is not inappropriate as its not meant to be, nor am I trying to stir things up...but one of the things that crossed my mind is that this is on the heels of the NFL players and the domestic abuse cases, the 1 year suspension of The Cleveland Browns receiver for multiple infractions including marijuana possession. And I'm not trying to justify or defend any of these instances......I don't think anyone could defend the domestic abuse cases that came to light. And in the scheme of things, Kayte C is a public figure but a very local public figure. Would there be more outrage if social media blew this up? Would the FO fire her if sponsors started pulling their association with the Kings. Is drunk driving really a lesser offense than some of these other cases? If she had hit someone with her car during this event, then things change but fortunately no one was injured or worse yet, killed because of a poor choice of driving while inebriated.
I'm just saying that if she was a bigger public figure, social media would be asking for her head.
I'm just saying that if she was a bigger public figure, social media would be asking for her head.
whozit
Starter
Sort of hard nosed, absolute. Just curious, would/do you have the same sentiments towards distracted drivers?
Without a doubt she screwed up, just not sure it requires a lynching.
Perhaps it is because drunk drivers kill people. Your tone might be different if you lost a friend or family member to someone driving with a .08 DUI.
I like her a lot, and I hope she recovers from this, but she made a choice, and it was the wrong choice. The fact that her choice didn't kill someone makes her (and the people she encountered on her drive home) lucky. It does not make her less culpable. People saying drunk driving is not serious "because it isn't murder," it "was just .08," or that people that are taking strong positions on this are "hard nosed" are missing the point, and frankly, are minimizing those touched by DUI and "just .08 drivers" who have changed their lives.
The point is, we all know the rules. We all know the legal limit. We all know how to call a cab or get a ride if need be. Like I said, I hope she survives this, but let's not pretend if it no big deal.
Dime Dropper
All-Star
I don't think she could get fired and I'm sure she knows how incredibly stupid and irresponsible what she did was. That FB status by Dave though was one of the most cringeworthy things I've read, and I didn't even make it past the first couple of paragraphs.
whozit
Starter
http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/facts-and-statistics.html
My "hard nosed" comment was a question whether we would have the same reaction/judgement to someone who was simply "distracted." Drinking and driving = Bad without a doubt. So is simply not paying attention.
I don't know what the rules are in California (been gone 17 years) but despite the laws here, people are attatched to their technology.
BamBam52
Bench
Ever since my DUI 2 years ago (I blew a .31 too) I refuse to drink and drive ever again. Even if I have only one sip of a beer, I get all paranoid if I'm behind the wheel. My brother has 3 DUI's and he's told me that the 1st offense is a cake walk compared to getting another one. Sucks for Kayte because I really like her. She comes into my work every now and again, and have talked to her on occasion. She is so chill and down to earth. Happens to the best of us. Just have to chalk it up as a learning experience and move on from it.
I would suggest that biased people (and those who do not believe in zero tolerance) in this thread take time to imagine themselves as having lost a child or a loved one due to a drunk driving incident.
Imagine Kate was the drunk driver.
Do this people before it is too late.
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Kingster
Hall of Famer
This is just dumb. And if a person drives while texting her BFF then we should fire her. And if a person gets caught talking on their cell phone we should fire her. And if a person changes the radio station while driving and takes her eyes off the road, we should fire her. They all are potentially dangerous activities on the road that could kill somebody. And we aren't even talking here about the the penalty under the law. We're talking about her current and future employment. It's beyond ridiculous. The fact is if she didn't kill someone she shouldn't get fired for having potentially maybe killed someone. If that were the case you could fire half the population, easy. Let's all stroll to that utopian fantasy.
c-webb1s#1
Starter
Hopefully she will learn from this mistake and be ready this season to do her job! She really is a wonderful person so I hope she can move past it...
Whoa hoss. Maybe you should read my post again. I never said she should be fired. I actually said "I hope she recovers from this," and "I hope she survives this." My message was in direct response to someone who incredulously asked why people treat drunk driving at the "same level as murder charges." My reason is because drunk drivers frequently kill people.
Personally, I don't think people should be fired (i.e. lose their livelihood) for things that occur outside of work, especially when that person is going to receive criminal punishment for the same action. it would be like penalizing them twice. I don't really think it is fair to "fire" Ray Rice or AP. I agree they shouldn't be allowed to play (because they are public figures who did bad things), but they shouldn't lose their paychecks. Let the criminal justice system punish them for criminal wrongs, and hold them out of games until the situation is resolved favorably or they go to jail. Likewise, I don't think Kayte (a public person) should lose her job either. Her punishment is criminal, so let the Court decide it. In the meantime, while the court is deciding it, let her stay "inactive" at her job and focus on her life. So NO, I don't want her to lose her job, just like I wouldn't if she texted and drove.
However, what she did is serious and criminal, even if she was "just" at the limit. And she could have really harmed someone in direct relation to her decision to break the law. That should not be treated lightly. If being "just" at the limit, or the fact that it is a first time offense, lessens her punishment, then so be it- that is how the law works. But she broke the law (which is different than your person who "looked away from the road for a second), and in doing so could have killed people. Before you minimize that, walk a mile in the shoes of people who have had loved ones killed by drunk drivers.
Gary
All-Star
She shouldn't be fired, but they need to advise her that one more issue like this and she will risk being fired. DUIs are bad and the amount of people in the spotlight that get them, you would think she would be smart enough to call a cab. Guess not? Be glad she didn't hurt anyone.
rainmaker
Hall of Famer
That's because often times drunk driving leads to murder, intentional or not.
My friends I've lost due to others driving drunk were murdered, murdered because others simply thought drinking and getting behind the wheel wasn't a big deal. Try having a loved one killed by an idiot drunk driver, then downplay how serious a matter it is. It's usually not a big deal until you're personally effected, which shows a general self-centeredness and inability to step outside of your personal, non-effected bubble.
But no, DUI charges on their own are not near the same level as convicted murder cases. This topic deserves more respect than your overboard hyperbole.
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Padrino
All-Star
whoa.... a rare moment in which i find myself in complete and utter agreement with Kingster. it's like... i dunno what it is, but it's beautiful. i wanna capture this moment in time...
seriously, though, has anybody here at kf.com ever gotten a traffic ticket for driving at excessive speeds? *raises hand* did i deserve to be fired from my position of employment because of it? how about texting and driving? eating and driving? these are potentially dangerous distractions while operating a vehicle. you put people in harm's way. you could have killed somebody, conceivably. should there be punishment in your professional life as a result?
i want to be clear: i'm not defending the act of drinking and driving. it's a terrible and selfish thing to do. i lost one of my uncles to drunk driving before i was born. my parents gave me his name as my middle name in memorium. and i also understand that kayte christensen is a local public figure, so there's an expectation that her employment comes with greater responsibility to serve as a role model to the community. but, in a vacuum, i still don't find such a mistake to be grounds for dismissal from her job. if she failed to express contrition, or if she was clearly developing destructive behavioral patterns, then i'd reassess that statement. however, she seems to be a high character individual who will do as much as she can to learn from this mistake and rebuild trust with the kings organization and the community of sacramento...
And other times it doesn't, so I think we can agree that the hyperbole is flowing in both directions.
That doesn't change the seriousness of the issue, however. But just for the sake of discussion, here's what I came up with:
Again, this is just an estimate. Did she only have one, but on an empty stomach? Was that one an entire box of Franzia? (Wrong on several levels).
I guess my point is that we really don't know how she arrived at that .08, even given the above estimate (so that we're all talking from the same point) so we probably shouldn't vilify her just yet. Yes, it was a poor decision, and while she could have harmed someone, she didn't, and we're all thankful for that.
macadocious
Starter
I have no idea where you got this from, but that is not correct.
