Why do professional athletes get free passes? When did they earn a “Get Out of Jail Free” card? Maybe it is me, but the dice seem loaded.

It seems that certain professional athletes are getting in trouble with the law all the time. Drunk driving. Assault. Domestic violence. Animal abuse. Theft. Murder. They are not only placing themselves in danger, but those around them. And many of them come back to their sport after only a slap on the wrist – if that. That is ridiculous. If we do not accept this kind of behavior from kids, why do we allow it from professional adults? Too many athletes are involved in crime, and it needs to stop. They need to realize the pain it causes.

Worst of all, some inappropriate actions by professional athletes get brushed under the rug. A few months ago, NBA superstar LeBron James was caught speeding at 101 mph, and his response was anything but remorseful.

“I was doing 101,” James said according to The Associated Press as posted on ESPN’s Web site. “That’s it. I was speeding. I got caught. It happens. I’m not going to jail or nothing like that. I wasn’t drunk. I was just speeding. That’s it.”

He is right; he was not drunk. But he acts like going 101 mph is no big deal, and that is just the problem: many people speed obsessively and they are fine – for a while – but all it takes is one crash. It may not be drunk driving, but it is stupid driving. Is there jail time for DWS (Driving with Stupidity)?

It is absolutely intolerable when these athletes create victims. If they want to wrap themselves around a tree and go up in flames along with their car, that is up to them, but they do not have the right to hit other vehicles. What if it involves a minivan full of kids? When you drive that fast, you cannot control the outcome, so you are not only putting yourself in danger, but every other person on the road. And that is just not right. We need stricter regulations to avoid those situations.

LeBron James should be thankful he is still alive, because driving 101 mph is a major risk. But more so, he needs to realize the reality of death, and the pain – the agony – it causes.

We, at Cornerstone, understand this all too much: Kendra Ross. Katey Kingsbury. Scott Underwood. Our campus has had to spend much time grieving this semester due to car accidents.

“With the accident, for a while it was really hard to focus on school work just because a lot of things reminded you of either Kendra or Katey, and then you would just automatically remember the accident and how things weren’t how they used to be.

“Another hard part was how people expected you to get back to a normal life right away,” said Kurtis Koffkey, a sophomore track athlete. “A lot of people expected the track team to act normal again a week after, so it was really hard to complete the grieving process when others expected you to be done. The rush of the grieving process in today’s society hurt us emotionally and definitely school work-wise. Just getting back on track was really difficult.”

Each time I hear about another accident, I hold my breath, hoping it will not happen again. But it seems inevitable that this process will continue the way accidents are befalling our community this year. If professional athletes could only know the devastation and loss people experience, maybe it would change their behavior.

The CU community pulled together while Kingsbury was in the hospital and gave her a bigger “Welcome Home Party” than most other Cornerstone events. That was a good moment, but at the same time, the campus went through weeks of concern up to that point. We all remember where we were when we heard about the accident. I was in the Hansen Athletic Center.

And to hear Ross’s parents speak at the Kingsbury’s party was unspeakable. They were also short for words, but they somehow found a way to get up in front of an enormous crowd and speak with joy for Kingsbury, while remembering their daughter who had passed away.

Then most recently, CU alum Scott Underwood passed away in a car crash. The men’s soccer team will not forget him. The bright smile on his face is now gone. He loved the university, and those who knew him could not help but love him back.

These are the names that grab our hearts. These are the people that we knew. This is the grief that car accidents cause.

When will LeBron learn?  When will the entire population of professional athletes get their heads on straight? We do not need any more deaths. We need peace. We need responsibility.

Stop pushing the limits. Stop expecting like you have a right to drive recklessly and place everyone on the road in danger.

Accidents have happened way too frequently this winter for many different reasons, and it hurts. It is eye-opening. It is scary. If the LeBrons of this world will just start thinking about the consequences of reckless driving and the reality of death, maybe that will make a difference – maybe that will save lives.