The Daily Procrastinator

The American way of life is under attack yet again. Ruthless and unscrupulous law enforcement officials have once again given us proof that they will stop at nothing to hinder our freedom, our liberty, and our entertainment. Another NFL player has been victimized by law enforcement. As Americans, we must rise up and cry out to our government, “We will not stand for police persecution of our NFL players! Such actions infringe upon our way of life and our playoff hopes!”

On Wednesday, February 11, Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was arrested in Culver City, California on felony charges for possession of a concealed firearm. According to police reports, officers searched a Mercedes-Benz in which Mr. Lynch was a passenger, discovering the loaded handgun. When contacted for a comment, Lynch’s lawyer said that the running back was not involved in a traffic incident. Mr. Lynch is a law-abiding citizen, and this police harassment must cease immediately. What kind of country do we live in when a person who is not committing a traffic violation can still be arrested for a crime?

Marshawn Lynch: Is this the face of a criminal?

According to The Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s inmate database, Lynch was booked at 7:12 p.m. Wednesday night. He was released at 8:45 p.m. on $3500 bond. Detaining Mr. Lynch for over an hour and a half and forcing him to spend .00018% of his current $19 million dollar contract simply because he possessed a loaded illegal firearm is ludicrous. Clearly, this man is a Pro Bowl quality running back, and he lives a high-risk lifestyle, filled with situations that call for him to defend himself by gunfire. One can only hope that he is not convicted, for without his services, the Buffalo running game will fall apart completely, ruining any chance the Bills have of making the playoffs next year.

The truly disturbing part of Lynch’s arrest is that it is not an isolated incident. Just a few months ago, New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was arrested and charged with illegal weapons possession in New York when he accidentally discharged a handgun in a nightclub, shooting himself in the leg. He will face trial on March 31, and will serve a mandatory minimum of three and a half years in prison if he is convicted. Evidence, including a nasty scar on his leg and the testimony of hundreds of witnesses, is expected to make his conviction likely, but his lawyers remain hopeful that the jurors will reach a fair, just, and unbiased verdict of “not guilty.” The Giants are surely hoping for acquittal as well. Without his services, they stumbled in the 2008 playoffs and lost to Philadelphia. The Giants showed their faith in Mr. Burress by lifting his suspension on February 11, knowing they need him back for next season.

Plaxico Burress: Another upstanding citizen who's suffering unfair ridicule.

Law enforcement’s harassment of these entertainment professionals is inexcusable. Like Mr. Lynch, Mr. Burress has a right to defend himself, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Surely, the founding fathers are shaking their heads as they look down from the Great Beyond upon the unjust persecution of handgun-toting NFL players.

Handgun owners aren’t the only NFL players targeted by such unfair law enforcement practices, though; those who engage in harmless low-level narcotic dabbling are persecuted as well. Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones suffered an attack by law enforcement officers on July 11 because he was discovered in a car cutting cocaine with a credit card. He was arrested for possession of 6 ounces of cocaine, just six times the legally defined quantity necessary for a charge of “possession with the intent to sell.” Fortunately for the Jaguars and their fans, he was released on $2500 bond before he missed a single regular season game. Jones is Jacksonville’s leading receiver, after all.

Matt Jones: Everyone deserves a second chance.

In a display that all too clearly demonstrates collusion between law enforcement and the NFL, the league decided to suspend Mr. Jones for the three final games of the regular season. Luckily, the Jaguars were 4-9 by then, and every game the wide receiver missed was meaningless. Throughout the season, only some savvy legal maneuvering and an agreement to enter a “pre-trial diversion program” have prevented Mr. Jones from being forced to face the legal consequences of his actions. With any luck, he’ll back on the field and leading the Jaguars in receptions again next season.

It’s time for law enforcement officials to stop persecuting NFL players. These citizens have more important things consider than every quibbling law that’s ever been written about firearms, drugs, etc. We, the NFL fans, can’t afford to have our players sitting in courthouses and jails when they ought to be on the field practicing. They have a GAME to play, for God’s sake, and it’s time we let them play it. Our playoff hopes depend on it.