With all of the media attention these days centered on NFL players getting caught doing the wrong things, I felt it was appropriate to discuss some of the situations and how it should be viewed.  When it comes to role models, all of these players have affected someone in one way or another simply due to their stature in the football world.

When it comes to role models, we have begun a scary trend towards providing our youth of today with tons of negative role models to look up to.  Gone are the days of Joe Montana, Reggie White, Dan Marino, and others who provided someone positive for our kids to idolize and hope to become one day.  Now we are left with guys, that I will discuss in detail, who provide all kinds of bad examples that might creep into our kids subconscious while growing up. 

Michael Vick is a classic example of someone not being able to cut ties with his former life. While I am not condoning leaving your friends behind when you become famous, you need to be careful who you are hanging around once you do. Vick found this out the hard way that by maintaining acquaintances with his friends from his old neighborhood ultimately helped lead to his demise.

His case is a classic example of wasted talent caused by loyalties towards individuals with questionable character. It has been reported that some of the individuals involved were friendships he retained after he became a public figure. Whenever someone crosses the line from a nobody to a celebrity, they are faced with a tough decision. Do you turn your back on friends you have known your whole life, or do you risk losing everything by hanging out with the wrong crowd?

Vick knows the answer to this question now.

While Brett Favre did not do anything illegal, he is still guilty of not setting a good example with those looking up to him.  Favre has been playing a dangerous game the last five years trying to decide whether or not to retire.  He is guilty of showing to youth growing up that loyalty to others is not overly important.  It is more important to think of your own needs rather than take into account the feelings of those around you.

While I understand the NFL is a business, you cannot conduct business in this fashion in the real world.  Imagine for a second if you were to tell your boss every year that you were going to either quit and move jobs, or you were going to retire.  After the first few times informing him or her about this thought process you would probably find yourself without a decision to make.  They would more than likely let you out of your misery by replacing you with someone who actually wanted to have your job.

Kid these days need to know that having a job is not a luxury that can be taken for granted.  You need to show your employer that you are determined to come to work everyday and give your all because you know everyone is replaceable.  Favre gave those looking up to him the impression that if you do your job well enough, they will cater to your every whim.

Donte Stallworth has always been a classic hard working bring your "A" game individual.  Until that fateful morning, when he killed the man in Florida while driving under the influence of alcohol.  Donte found out the hard way what driving drunk can cause.  He not only ruined his own life, but he also took someone away from his loved ones. 

While I understand that the individual that he ran into was not in the crosswalk, Donte should not have been behind the wheel of the car in the first place.  NFL players get no sympathy from me when it comes to driving drunk.  If they have enough money to stay out and party all night, than they should have enough to call a cab or stay in a hotel nearby until after they have sobered up.  Year after year, NFL players get caught driving under the influence of alcohol.  Donte set both a good and bad example for our kids by showing that it is okay to drive drunk as long as something bad doesn't happen.

Plaxico Buress is a good study in idiocracy. First off, why would he carry a gun into a club unless you needed protection? If he needed protection, he should have hired a trained body guard that could have handled any situation that arose. Secondly, how could he be so careless by shooting himself in the foot. Last but not least, why would he be carrying a gun in a club that is not liscensed in a city that has a zero tolerance for weapons.

Plaxico showed us all that superstars have a feeling of being above and beyond the law. They give off the impression that the laws for us common folk are not meant for them. Why should he have to follow them when he can pay a high priced lawyer to come in and wipe his slate clean. Plaxico showed those looking up to him that it is okay to carry a weapon wherever you go. He showed us that if you are rich enough you might be able to get a free pass. Thankfully, the City of New York and the NFL are not looking at it that way.

Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson is a fool and a half to state it plainly.  He spends more time talking about himself than he does talking about his teammates and fans.  His selfish outlook on life, where he has to be the center of attention all the time, gives off a bad aura for our kids to follow.  He shows the youth that if you are the best player on your team, or the loudest, that it is okay to stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Ocho Cinco should spend more time talking about how he can make his teammates better.  He should be spending less time on the television making a reality show.  He should spend less time twittering about how he is going to tear apart the league.  All of this talk about himself does nothing but say it is okay to brag outlandishly about how good you are and that no one can stop you.  Our kids do not need to learn this trait.  They need to learn the value of playing with others and working closely together to form a solid foundation.

All of the superstars should have made better decisions along the way.  They are necessary for our kids to have as role models so that they can see what to expect if they work hard enough.  While we still have players such as Matt Hasselback, the Manning brothers, and Troy Palamalu for our kids to look up to, these players tend to take a back seat to those I have listed when it comes to media attention.