5 years removed from his departure from the Angels, I'm still one of Adam Kennedy's biggest fans. Now, in news that has eluded me for nearly two months, Adam Kennedy was arrested on suspicion of Drunk Driving in my city, Newport Beach, on January 26th. Kennedy, now with the Seattle Mariners, said recently in a statement about the event: "It's something I'm really ashamed of and not proud to bring to the Seattle Mariners, especially not having put on the uniform. It's my first legal trouble, something I'm definitely not looking to ever do again." Today, he was charged with misdameanor driving under the influence. Kennedy is scheduled to be arraigned June 21st. If Convicted, he could face anything from probation and community service to six months in prison.
Now, its really easy for me to defend Kennedy in this situation, and probably the route I would have taken up until recently. I mean, the guy was a childhood hero and someone I've always admired, and I understand that people can make mistakes and foolish decisions, but Andrew Gallo was just making a foolish decision the night he killed Nick Adenhart and two others.
This is tough for me, because on one hand, I want to forgive Adam Kennedy and let all be right with the world. On the other, I know I'd be a total hypocrite if I come down so harshly on one drunk driver (Gallo), but let another off the hook (Kennedy). Granted, Kennedy wasn't as drunk, nor did he kill anyone, but the possibility was still there. Even scarier was the fact that he was literally taking a road that I take home from work.
I think in the end, its going to take time for me to establish how I really feel about the whole thing. Does he do the right thing, serve his time, maybe go around to local schools and speaks about the dangers of driving under the influence? Or does he take the Miguel Cabrera approach and take swigs of liquor in front of cops, then berates them with "Do you know who I am"? I suppose his progress over the next few months will be a good sign on how I feel about the situation.
Interesting ...
ReplyDeletePeople make mistakes. Kennedy is lucky his mistake did not cost anyone else. If Gallo had that luck you'd never even know his name ...
It's okay to forgive people for their mistakes AND to expect they take responsibility for those mistakes and not make them again.