Commissioner,
I'm now in my 40th continuous year doing sports talk in Dallas-Fort Worth. That's the longest continuous such streak in the country. You've been gracious enough to join me as a guest many times during your tenure. Most of those visits came at the NFL draft—an event I've anchored doing wall-to-wall coverage for three decades now. My station, KTCK, remains the only local station that will tackle the enormity of covering the complete draft every year and we love doing so. I have admired many of the decisions you've made since you've begun as commissioner making your league more accountable for many on and off field actions that previous administrations seemed to have only winked at.
With all that said, I am saddened and incredibly disturbed by the lightness of your penalty imposed on Josh Brent for the vehicular manslaughter which killed NFL player, Cowboy teammate and father Jerry Browne. While in college Brent had served 60 days in jail and had his license suspended for DUI. The night Jerry Browne died Brent was driving between 110 and 134 miles per hour entering an off ramp. His blood alcohol level was .189. But that blood test was administered some time after the accident leaving us to wonder what his actual blood alcohol level was at the time of the crash. Was it 0.20? O.22? It matters not. Suffice it to say, he was dead drunk!
But did the death of his very good friend and teammate jolt Brent into reality? Jolt him into sobriety? No, absolutely not! While out on bail awaiting trial he twice failed substance tests. He also attempted to remove his monitoring device any number of times during that bail period. What was he trying to do, sir, in attempting to remove that device? Got out and get drunk? Go out and get high?
You oversee America's game. Many Americans look toward the league to help set and uphold societal standards. I my estimation this punishment incredibly devalues the life of Jerry Browne. It devalues the grief and suffering of countless of Americans who've lost loved ones to the selfish actions of drunk drivers. And is stunningly devalues the work of thousands and thousands and thousands who've toiled for years trying to alert America about the epidemic of drunken and drugged drivers on our roads every day.
The league SAYS all the right things about core values and requiring accountability. But this punishment is nothing but sad and, in my opinion, something to be ashamed of. As a wise old friend of mine suggested repeatedly in situations like this: "Your actions are speaking so loudly that I can't hear what you're saying."
Thank you considering these thoughts.
Norm Hitzges
Sports Talk Host
KTCK radio
Dallas-Fort Worth