No excuses for stars to drive impaired

Of all the stupid, thoughtless, idiotic things a star athlete can do, drinking and driving is near the very top of the list, right there with ... let's see, being one of a handful of men in the same room with one woman, or taking a puff from that funny looking cigarette the night before a scheduled drug test.

It simply makes no sense why today's star athletes continue to get busted for driving while impaired -- and in so doing, endanger their lives, the lives of others, and to a lesser degree, their careers and reputations.

Dolphins receiver Chris Chambers is the latest athlete to be caught doing this very dumb thing. He was somewhere in North Carolina last week when he was stopped for speeding and driving while impaired.

I have no clue whether Chambers is guilty or innocent. But barring a total fabrication of the facts by the arresting officer, one has to believe Chambers must have had something in his system that shouldn't have been there when he got behind the wheel.

So why the no-tolerance policy on this blog for the most stupid crime any star athlete can be accused of? Because it NEVER has to happen.

Note to athletes: Ever heard of limos? Ever heard of cabs? Ever heard of getting a friend to drive you home?

Chambers, like it not, guilty or not, now joins a Goggle search of athletes busted while driving impaired. This dumb incident has put his good name in the same company with folks such as hockey's Sergie Federov and Peter Worrell, baseball's Carlos Guillen, football's Koren Robinson, the Heat's James Posey, Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski, hockey's Dany Heatley, and St. Louis Cards' manager Tony LaRussa.

All of them have been busted doing this really moronic thing.

Thank God Chambers isn't on the same list with Rams defender Leonard Little and Cards pitcher Josh Hancock -- the sad list that includes people who have died or killed someone while driving impaired.

And the sadder thing is it can be prevented. Just ask Dan Marino.

Marino, you see, has been known to tip a few back every once and I have zero problem with him doing that. But knowing himself. Marino actually went out and bought himself a limousine during his playing days. The guy would drink on nights he would tape his TV show in Coconut Grove but at the end of the night he'd get in his limo and his driver would take him home.

No incident. No problem.

(Little known fact: Marino's driver at the time was the father of former UM linebacker Dan Morgan.)

When Danny would decide to go out for dinner on the road, he would hire a limo for himself and his buddies or he'd make sure he had a trusted friend that would drive a rental car.

The point is Marino NEVER would put himself in a situation that would compromise his or anyone else's life, his career, or his reputation.

Fast forward to today's athletes. Many of these guys are making more money than Marino did during his heyday. They have the money to buy security from a drunk driving incident.

It's just too bad many don't have the brains to prevent it.