Burgos: Still searching for that role model

When Gilbert Arenas declared for the NBA Draft in 2001 as a combo guard out of the University of… When Gilbert Arenas declared for the NBA Draft in 2001 as a combo guard out of the University of Arizona, he was sure he would be drafted in the first round, which would guarantee him millions of dollars.

Like anyone about to become a millionaire overnight, Arenas went on a spending spree. His biggest toy? A Cadillac Escalade equipped with $50,000 in extra features, including a new sound system, four TVs, a six-disc DVD player, 22-inch rims and a security camera mounted on the rear bumper.

But the whole deal hit a snag. Arenas ended up being selected in the second round, inking a contract for the modest sum of $845,252 to be paid over two years. After taxes and agent fees, Arenas’ purchase of the Escalade turned out to be a bit more than he could afford.

As it turned out, Arenas didn’t think the whole thing through.

In the subsequent eight years, Arenas became a model citizen in the NBA. He’s been smart on the court and financially frugal. He has made good decisions. It paid off — literally — when in 2008 Arenas signed his biggest contract to date: a six-year, $111 million deal.

Aside from some injuries, things were going well for Arenas. Until recently, when yet again, Arenas didn’t quite think things through and pulled the trigger (pun intended) on another ill-conceived decision. Arenas allegedly stored four unlicensed, unloaded weapons in the Washington Wizards locker room and reportedly threatened teammate Javaris Crittenton. For his part, Crittenton retorted by flaunting a weapon of his own, according to a Washington Post report.

I know the giddy purchase of a flashy car and flashing a gun aren’t one and the same. And, in Arenas’ defense, this is probably not the first time in the history of pro sports that a gun has made its way into a locker room. But it is the first time it’s been reported, and Arenas was the athlete stupid enough to actually tote the weapon.

But what does this whole fiasco say about professional athletes in general? During his playing days, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley famously proclaimed that he is not a role model. Barkley preferred to leave that distinction to parents, teachers and the like.

Many disputed his claim, insisting that there is an inherent quality of being a public figure that, whether accepted or not, bestows the responsibility to serve as a proper role model for society’s youth.

In theory, that argument seems valid. But there’s one glaring problem: athletes consistently act in ways that disallow the general public to arbitrarily hold them on a high pedestal simply because they are famous. In a world where Tiger Woods has multiple mistresses, Kobe Bryant was accused of sexual assault, Michael Jordan is a degenerate gambler and Michael Phelps is taking bong rips, why should anyone expect anything exceptional from these guys outside of their athletic careers?

With Arenas, who knows? He faces an indefinite suspension from the league and a felony charge. He’s always been a lovable and funny athlete to follow, but he’s never had it in full perspective. I don’t personally condemn Arenas. I was neither surprised nor expectant of his alleged actions. More than anything, I was reminded of Barkley, and how pertinent his claims seem to be.

Apparently Sir Charles had it right all along. Why should I idolize someone who bounces a ball for a living when I could be considering other happenings in Washington this week? If I recall, another man working in the capital, with far greater awareness than Arenas, just marked the one-year anniversary of the day he moved to D.C. for his new job. Arenas is no president, no great diplomat. His place in society is far more marginal, and his story is far less important. Gilbert Arenas is, in fact, no role model. He is, rather, just another person with a lot of money, a big ego and a lack of sensibility.