103 replies to this topic

[Z Winged Dangler]

He might have gotten away with it had he not been driving the wrong way on a 1 way street in downtown Grand Rapids. Hahah. Caught the story on the local news.

That's some funny stuff right there. Really he should have just left his car at home if he was gonna go for a night out on the town and cabbed it.

[The Axe]

That's some funny stuff right there. Really he should have just left his car at home if he was gonna go for a night out on the town and cabbed it.

Seems like almost no one can follow this simple concept.

[dirtydangles]

No "we" weren't. Speak for yourself. Drinking and driving is bad, But people f*** up, learn their lesson, and move on all the time. Hopefully this kid will too. If not, then he actually has a problem, rather than just being a dumbass kid (which is what I'll assume he, and Kane, are until they grow up or do something really bad).

Wow, people getting pissy on these boards lately. I'm gonna say this: driving drunk isn't simply a lesson you learn and move on. You shouldn't have to learn a lesson by putting people in danger. I never learned not to drink and drive through screwing up and doing it. They preach this stuff to kids from an elementary school age and if you still do it you are dumb as f*** and it shows you have little foresight for the safety of others. This makes it seem as though the expense and inconvenience of calling a cab was not worth the risk of people's lives he put in danger. If all "dumbass kids" did this we would be in huge trouble. Not to mention he then provided false information to the authorities...

[sleepwalker]

If all "dumbass kids" did this we would be in huge trouble.

I hate to shatter your utopian fantasy of reality, but most that drink have.

Edited by sleepwalker, 15 November 2012 - 08:40 PM.

[Travis]

He might have gotten away with it had he not been driving the wrong way on a 1 way street in downtown Grand Rapids. Hahah. Caught the story on the local news.

I've seen plenty of people drive the wrong way down tha street stone cold sober. Not excusing him in anyway because its reckless and idiotic, but it seems like a tough street for a lot of people for whatever reason.

As soon as the article I read said "wrong way" and "downtown" I knew exactly, haha.

That said, real bonehead move from the kid. A lot of them seem to live only a couple of blocks from the arena, he should have slept it off or called a cab. No excuse for drinking and driving.

[kipwinger]

Wow, people getting pissy on these boards lately. I'm gonna say this: driving drunk isn't simply a lesson you learn and move on. You shouldn't have to learn a lesson by putting people in danger. I never learned not to drink and drive through screwing up and doing it. They preach this stuff to kids from an elementary school age and if you still do it you are dumb as f*** and it shows you have little foresight for the safety of others. This makes it seem as though the expense and inconvenience of calling a cab was not worth the risk of people's lives he put in danger. If all "dumbass kids" did this we would be in huge trouble. Not to mention he then provided false information to the authorities...

Sanctimonious much? I'll go ahead and assume that you've never been drunk and drove, or been tipsy and drove, or been legally drunk and but felt fine and drove.

The kid f***ed up, it's not an uncommon screw up, and he's not a s***ty person or a dangerous degenerate or anything else. He's just a stupid kid who made a mistake and got caught. Now he gets to pay for it.

[thegerkin]

I've seen plenty of people drive the wrong way down tha street stone cold sober. Not excusing him in anyway because its reckless and idiotic, but it seems like a tough street for a lot of people for whatever reason.

^^ This. I've had this happen to me while sober in Chicago (not a great place to drive on the wrong side of the road lol). But my sobriety also helped me correct the situation ASAP. Accidents happen, but drunk driving increases that risk. I know I sound like a M.A.D.D. groupie, but it's a simple fact. I'm in my mid-30's, I've driven while not in good shape, and everyone I hung out with did the same things. But we were between 16-20 and it was dumb as hell. Every time I see a smart, up-and-coming athlete pull this garbage, I just hope I'm not on the same road they are.

Opposite side of the coin: He's still young and yes, alcoholism is a disease, and I hope he doesn't have an alcohol problem. But having listened to a lot of junior players over the years (my friends parents were billitts), being a steady drinker is extremely common and we're talking 14-16 year olds. Scary prospect, but it's in the hockey culture (and elsewhere, not picking on hockey).

[IILeiBlazeII]

Yes, everyone makes mistakes (god knows I made PLENTY at Riley's age)... but the issue people forgiving Sheahan aren't grasping is that while plenty of people do stupid things while their young, Riley endangered not only himself, but the people around him. I've been on-my-butt drunk plenty of times, but not one of those times did I ever sit behind the wheel. It isn't hard for you (or the establishment you're drinking at... or the DD at a party) to call a cab (and if you say the cab is too expensive, you probably can't afford your alcohol tab you just racked up). Don't you guys have loved ones (or at least care about yourselves)? I mean, double the legal limit or more is BAD NEWS BEARS. If I lived in Grand Rapids, I wouldn't want him driving in that state with my wife on the road, too...

Now, am I saying damn him to hell? Not hardly. Do I want him out of the Red Wings organ-i-zation? No (assuming he turns his act around in short order). But don't make excuses for the kid, either. Second offense - he already got his warning. I hope he doesn't get coddled by the law 'cause he's a big-shot hockey player and gets the book thrown at him so he learns the hard way (like most of us had to do).

[Buppy]

Yes, everyone makes mistakes (god knows I made PLENTY at Riley's age)... but the issue people forgiving Sheahan aren't grasping is that while plenty of people do stupid things while their young, Riley endangered not only himself, but the people around him. I've been on-my-butt drunk plenty of times, but not one of those times did I ever sit behind the wheel. It isn't hard for you (or the establishment you're drinking at... or the DD at a party) to call a cab (and if you say the cab is too expensive, you probably can't afford your alcohol tab you just racked up). Don't you guys have loved ones (or at least care about yourselves)? I mean, double the legal limit or more is BAD NEWS BEARS. If I lived in Grand Rapids, I wouldn't want him driving in that state with my wife on the road, too...

Now, am I saying damn him to hell? Not hardly. Do I want him out of the Red Wings organ-i-zation? No (assuming he turns his act around in short order). But don't make excuses for the kid, either. Second offense - he already got his warning. I hope he doesn't get coddled by the law 'cause he's a big-shot hockey player and gets the book thrown at him so he learns the hard way (like most of us had to do).

I don't think anyone is suggesting that drunk driving is in any way OK. But it is just a dumb mistake. Alcohol impairs your judgement, so drinking responsibly usually means planning ahead; something young people are notorious for not doing. It seems he enjoys a party, so a .17-ish BAC isn't necessarily fall-down drunk. It could have had tragic consequences; fortunately it didn't. Hopefully, the legal process will serve its purpose and he'll learn his lesson. Throwing the book at him would mean jail time. I don't think his history suggests that is warranted.

[MulesWillFly93]

I gotta say, this is pretty disappointing. There are a lot of circumstances where I could cut him some slack - if his BAC was borderline, if it was the first time he'd gotten arrested, if he'd had a bad childhood and needed some extra help getting his life in order. I can't say anything either way on that last one, but he's not making any points with me on the first two. If his first run-in with the law didn't make an impression, how many times is it going to take for him to clean up his act? I want to see him change, of course, but if I were the Wings brass, my patience would be wearing thin at this point.

[cusimano_brothers]

I'm sure he will have the best lawyer(s) money can buy.
His life will make for an interesting book.

[Rick D]

There is no excuse for this.
The kid should know better, especially since he as been in trouble for drinking related offenses in the past. Someone with so much to look forward to in the future should be making better choices than this, and not putting peoples lives at risk.

[kipwinger]

I honestly can't believe how much stone throwing is going on here. Who knew LGW was so full of morally, ethically, and behaviorally PERFECT individuals? I know I screwed up a lot in my youth, then learned my lessons and got over it. How lucky for all of you that you've never done anything wrong or irresponsible before. Nothing to get over. Easy.

Here's hoping Riley (and the rest of us degenerates) can one day live up to the high bar that you've set for us. Lord knows you'll all be there waiting to point a finger and give us a good old fashioned self-righteous sermon if we don't.

[BottleOfSmoke]

Had a long response typed up that was probably entirely too personal. Moral of the story for me is that yes, I get being young and dumb--I once firmly fell into that category and made some monumentally bad decisions--BUT sanctimonious or not, there is a lot at stake when someone makes the decision to drink and drive. The fact that this is the kid's second go round with this situation is unfortunate. Some people don't get to screw up a second time.

[Buppy]

Had a long response typed up that was probably entirely too personal. Moral of the story for me is that yes, I get being young and dumb--I once firmly fell into that category and made some monumentally bad decisions--BUT sanctimonious or not, there is a lot at stake when someone makes the decision to drink and drive. The fact that this is the kid's second go round with this situation is unfortunate. Some people don't get to screw up a second time.

Public intoxication and OWI are two very different things. This is not a second offense.

[cusimano_brothers]

Maybe Sheahan has a "Stupidity Bucket List".

[BottleOfSmoke]

Public intoxication and OWI are two very different things. This is not a second offense.

I was referring to it being his second alcohol-related offense, but you're right--they are two very different situations. I don't really fault him for the first, just hope this does not become a pattern that continues to escalate for him.

[StormJH1]

Drunk/impaired driving is wrong, make no doubt about it. But people get on their high horse about this issue like none other, when virtually EVERY person who has ever drank at a bar and then driven home has probably broken DWI laws to some degree. And if you don't drink, but use your smartphone while driving every once in awhile, don't try to tell me you're any better than a drunk driver, either.

Sheahan did a bad thing, and the law will punish him for it to the extent sorted out by the system. If it happens again, we can start to talk about a pattern. But the way people "discard" people with a DWI as if they must be "alcoholics" bothers me, even if the underlying offense IS wrong. You don't have be an alcoholic or chronic screw-up to make a mistake.

[kipwinger]

Drunk/impaired driving is wrong, make no doubt about it. But people get on their high horse about this issue like none other, when virtually EVERY person who has ever drank at a bar and then driven home has probably broken DWI laws to some degree. And if you don't drink, but use your smartphone while driving every once in awhile, don't try to tell me you're any better than a drunk driver, either.

Sheahan did a bad thing, and the law will punish him for it to the extent sorted out by the system. If it happens again, we can start to talk about a pattern. But the way people "discard" people with a DWI as if they must be "alcoholics" bothers me, even if the underlying offense IS wrong. You don't have be an alcoholic or chronic screw-up to make a mistake.

Well that's probably the most reasonable thing I've seen written on the issue. Well done.

[Rivalred]

Driving the wrong way drunk down a one way street is like scoring on your own net in OT during the playoffs - you just don't do it

Edited by Rivalred, 20 November 2012 - 09:45 PM.