We see athletes and celebrities in the news constantly. The reasons range from divorces to DUI’s, to drug possessions and everyone once in a while for something good they have done. The question always gets raised as to whether a celebrities or athlete is treated differently by the long arm of the law when they’ve done something wrong. The most recent example is the infamous Lindsay Lohan. She’s been in and out of jail over the last year or so from drug possessions to DUI’s and yet it seems she will never actually go to jail for any length of time. The buzz around this is that if a normal person was to commit the same crimes, they would pay a far worse consequence for the actions. In all honesty though, they probably wouldn’t. Lohan has been most notably in trouble for her drinking issues and recently had a warrant issued for her arrest for a failure to appear in court where she claimed a well-publicized excuse for not being able to make it. Truth of the matter, anyone would have made up an excuse, it just wouldn’t have been publicized. A normal person also likely wouldn’t have spent any time in jail for this because Lohan isn’t guilty of a violent or very serious crime. She isn’t a threat to society and there is no reason to detain her.

In reality, some stars get worse punishment than an ordinary individual would simply based on their celebrity status. The State sees an opportunity to make an example out of the highly publicized individual and show the rest of the world they are serious about their laws and enforcing them. The best and most recent example of this would be Plaxico Burress who quickly went from Super Bowl superstar for the New York Giants, to the recipient of a lengthy jail sentence for a crime of stupidity. Burress inadvertently shot himself in the leg with a concealed weapon while in a nightclub with some friends when he forgot to keep the safety on. As a result, he became subject to one of the strictest gun laws in the U.S. in New York and received a two year sentence. It was widely known that Plaxico received a much harsher sentence because of his celebrity status and the State wanted to make an example out of him and his conduct.

Most legal issues we hear about in the news are like those Mel Gibson has encountered a few times during his career, DUI. History has shown that DUI’s are not likely to be a one and done scenario for most people. This is no different for Mel Gibson who has been charged with multiple DUI’s and after his second in 2006, was only given a fine and probation. This seems like a scenario where celebrities and athletes get off easier than an ordinary individual. Without knowing the specifics of what Gibson went through following his DUI conviction, merely receiving probation for a second offense seems too light and only inviting the opportunity to drink and drive once again with the possibility of a much worse result.

These are of course just a few examples out of many that involve legal issues of the rich and famous, but they mostly go against the notion that professional athletes and celebrities get off the hook because of their status. This is not to say it doesn’t happen and having endless resources and access to the best attorneys in the world doesn’t hurt either. Money can’t buy happiness as they say, but it can buy your way out of jail from time to time.

Give your opinion. Do you think Professional Athletes and Celebrities get off easy?