The Snake's Latest Troubles

Great article from Kevin Scarbinsky at The Birmingham News:

If he's guilty, it's time for the Snake to go
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Kenny Stabler stares at the camera. Harsh, white light bathes the top of his retreating mane of white hair. He's not quite smiling but not exactly scowling. He's not doing much of anything. He's just, kind of, there.

His look is absent. Vacant. Blank.

It's not a pretty picture.

Mug shots never are.

For a decade, Stabler's been the straw that stirs the drink as the radio analyst for Alabama football games, but that colorful phrase was drained of its color over the weekend, much like the Snake's face.

Was anyone who knows anything about him surprised that Stabler was arrested early Sunday morning for a traffic violation in Robertsdale, not far from his home in Foley, and charged with DUI?

It's the third time, after incidents in 1995 and 2001, that he's been accused of driving under the influence. The man has lost his charm.

If he's guilty, it's time for the University of Alabama, which educated him, and Learfield Communications, which employs him, to stop enabling him.

It's time for the people who care about him and profit from him to force him to put down the microphone and help him put down the bottle.

It's time for Stabler himself to stop talking and start listening.

If he's guilty, he should be taken off the air.

He should be gone, but forgiven and not forgotten.

It's hard to meet Stabler and not like him. One of the most popular football players in Alabama history, old-timers division _ flip a coin between him and Joe Namath _ has become one of the most popular former players.

In my brief and infrequent exchanges with him, he's been funny and friendly and as down to earth as the run in the mud, his game-winning touchdown slog against Auburn 41 years ago. But he's more than an engaging personality available as a charity golf celebrity and an after-dinner speaker.

He's one of the voices of Alabama football.

He's an ambassador for his old school.

That means the old quarterback has a responsibility beyond knowing the down and distance and explaining why John Parker Wilson found Matt Caddell open for the winning score.

Staring into a police camera is not part of the job description.

Alabama AD Mal Moore and Learfield Communications senior vice-president Steve Gowan acknowledged the gravity of the situation by releasing brief, almost identical statements Monday afternoon.

Both men offered support for Stabler, as they should. Both said they're still gathering information about the situation, as they should. Neither addressed his future on the Alabama broadcasts.

Stabler's on-air future should be over, but that's not as important as the rest of his life away from the microphone.

He bears the ultimate responsibility for his actions, but his popularity, going back to his college days, has been fueled by his wild-child personality.

Trouble is, he's 62. He hasn't been a child for a very long time, and any time anyone mixes drinking and driving, he risks leaving a child without a parent, or a parent without a child.
A voice can be replaced. A life can't.

If he's guilty, imagine how much stronger Stabler's voice would be if he found the courage to admit his mistakes. He could become an influence instead of succumbing to one.