Guns guns guns... and motorcycles

Another day, another story about the National Football League and their imag-- err, motorcycle problems.

Former Washington Redskins and New York Giants linebacker LaVar Arrington was hospitalized Monday after suffering a broken arm and three broken bones in his leg (for those scoring at home, the human leg is made up of three bones) in… your guessed it: a motorcycle accident. Now, Arrington, a three-time Pro Bowler, is not under contract for the upcoming season, and will of course remain that way in light of these injuries. He does join another team, of sorts. He joins Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger and Cleveland’s Kellen Winslow Jr. as high profile players seriously injured in motorcycle accidents. Each of these guys represents a salary cap figure or more than $3.5 million a year, and with NFL salaries trending upward, it’s time for teams to start telling their players they can’t own motorcycles. Of course, the league, ideally, has no right to tell grown men how to spend their free time, and their off-seasons, but the teams need to be allowed to protect their investments and ensure the safety of their players. Other sports forbid their players from skiing or riding snowmobiles and other recreational vehicles because of safety concerns, and the NFL should follow suit.

Then again, when suspended NFL players are being questioned in connection with a shooting for the second time in six months, maybe motorcycles aren’t such a big deal.