Kevin Olsen, Miami Hurricanes Quarterback, Caught Drunk Driving
September 26, 2014

“What was Kevin Olsen thinking?” people who jump to judge may quickly catechize.  The University of Miami Hurricane Quarterback found his name thrown around more than the football in his team’s games after a run-in with police while drinking and driving that landed him in jail.  This isn’t the first sports player to get mixed up in a sticky legal dispute pertaining to substance abuse and surely there’s no doubt that he won’t be the last.  There’s no denying existence of some sort of correlation between sports and drug abuse.

Kevin Olsen Gets DUI

The 19-year-old athlete already has enough troubles back in his hometown of Wayne, New Jersey.  Over a year ago in May of 2013, Olsen left the scene of an accident without reporting the incident.  To outdo this, he caught a charge for driving under the influence in the early hours of the morning on Monday, September 15.  When officials pulled Olsen over, he smelled of alcohol and sounded intoxicated, according to police.  Kevin did not pass the sobriety test and blew a .04 on the breathalyzer.  He also was found with five different forms of identification on him.  The troubled young man was released on a $6,000 bail by the afternoon.  Kevin Olsen neglected his commitments of planned practice by relishing in this night of drinking.  As another consequence, he was suspended from playing with the team.  “Disappointment from my standpoint,” commented Al Golden, the Hurricanes coach.  “What’s paramount right now is his well-being and helping him through this.  I want to make sure he’s getting the help that he needs and he’s safe.”  Golden went on to say that, although Olsen won’t be partaking in activity with the team for a while, he is confident in the rest of the team’s success.  “Our team is tough,” he explained.  “Our team is mentally tough.  We have a lot of kids doing it the right way every day.”

Does a repeated offense show reason for concern?

When legal issues arise, concern is of utmost original consideration, but if a person continues to on that same troubled path and making similar mistakes, is there an underlying, deeper pressing issue that needs to be addressed?  When it comes to Kevin Olsen, his action of leaving the scene of an accident in his hometown was his first incident and then with a second offense of drunk driving, there seems to be some unmanageability.  These situations of repeat offenders should cause worry for others because typically that means the person has no power over that substance and it could very well take over their everyday life, becoming their unwanted habit.  The sad part of the spiral of addiction is that consequences like arrests, jail, and suspensions don’t keep addicts from going back out and returning to their substance of choice.  They can’t help but go back because they have this compelling sensation to.   This is why punishment fails to treat the mind of an addict because they are suffering from an actual disease.  Hopefully, Kevin Olsen will see that he has to re-prioritize and get situated or face that he may have to find a new way of life to cope with the business of living away from the use of drugs and/or alcohol.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and/or addiction, call The Addiction Recovery Center at 1-888-510-2481 for help today.