11 Sports
BY TIMOTHY W YATT Editor-in-Chief
Professional athletes of all kinds are aware of the risks they’re taking with their personal well-being when engaging in a particular sport. Regardless of how “safe” sports have been made, the possibility of injury is almost inevitable. But for one in particular, the dangers seem to be abnormally heightened: auto racing. NASCAR—and other similar entities—puts their “athletes” in harm’s way each time they get behind the wheel. It’s common knowledge that anyone wielding a heavily-tuned vehicle at speeds of nearly 200 MPH are basically asking for trouble. However, those who have the privilege of doing so should treat such honor with the utmost respect. Not only do they hold their own lives, quite literally, in their hands, they hold the lives of the other drivers they share the track with. Now, before I get to the heart of the matter, let me clear the air with this preface: I’m in no way, shape or form a fan of NASCAR or any other type of auto racing for that matter. With that being said, I’m absolutely appalled by the legal system’s handling of the incident involving Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward Jr. that occurred back in early August. (The two were participating in a dirt-track race when Stewart bumped Ward causing him to spin out of control. Ward exited his vehicle in protest and was struck and killed by Stewart’s car on the next lap.) Stewart received zero criminal charges in Ward’s death. Zero. Why? Well, according a grand jury in Ontario County, N.Y. (where the incident took place), there was not enough evidence to support a charge of seconddegree manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide. I’ve seen the video of the occurrence. I’ve seen it multiple times. As Stewart—who is well-known in the
NASCAR world for making it his personal mission to badger rookie drivers—approaches the defenseless Ward, it is patently obvious that Stewart had to have revved the throttle to some degree since his vehicle gave a slight fishtail motion before making contact with Ward. Though stepping out onto a racetrack while a race is in session is an act of poor judgment by Ward, by no means does it justify his death. Apparently what does, though, is a toxicology report indicating he had marijuana in his system during the time of the incident—or so says Michael Tantillo, the case’s district attorney. I have a couple objections to such a notion: 1.) There was no such testing done of Stewart. He was merely interviewed and evaluated by a drug recognition expert on the night of the crash and sent on his way. 2.) It was marijuana! We’re not talking about methamphetamines or alcohol here, we’re talking about marijuana. This isn’t 1936. “Reefer Madness” is a propaganda film, not a documentary. The fact that Ward’s death could be waved off so easily simply because he showed signs of marijuana use is illogical. Evidently, those involved in ruling on the case don’t adequately understand how the drug works. While Stewart may still face civil charges from Ward’s family (as he should), he essentially got away with murder. Even if he somehow didn’t mean to hit Ward, his arrogance and ego clouded his senses nonetheless. He didn’t treat his privilege with its due respect. Last week, Stewart talked publicly for the first time since Ward’s death, where he mentioned that there was never a thought in his head about quitting racing, saying, "That would take the life out of me. This is what I've done all my life." It must be nice to still have that option, huh?
September 30, 2014
How I see it: Tony Stewart got away with murder UPCOMING SPORTING EVENTS
OCTOBER 4 Men’s & Women’s Swimming Patriot Relays 1 p.m. Football @ (22) Lindsey Wilson 2:30 p.m. Men’s Soccer v. (1) Lindsey Wilson 3 p.m. Women’s Soccer v. (6) Lindsey Wilson 4 p.m. Men’s & Women’s Bowling Southern Kentucky Classic Bowling Green, Ky Men’s Golf NAIA Preview Daytona Beach, Fl OCTOBER 5 Women’s Golf Birmingham Southern Shootout Birmingham, Ala