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NFL Players Union Partners with Uber To Prevent Players Driving Drunk

85 points by awwstn 13y ago

rdl 13y ago
I wonder how long until other organizations do something similar. It'd be kind of interesting if military 24-48h passes (i.e. be drunk for that period) came with a requirement to use Uber or something like it. Drunk driving actually kills more young enlisted people than combat.
rickdale 13y ago
The problem with a service like this for the NFL players is that a lot of them don't want their coaches and teammates to know they were out the night before, or just how wasted they are getting. So if Uber can guarantee anonymity throughout the process then I think players will be more apt to use Uber. Basically a cab service exists everywhere, so for the players its not just the connivence but the real implications of calling a designated driver and their job. Granted drunk driving is infinitely worse, I feel like some athletes will always do what they think they can get away with.
- mpyne 13y ago
  The other problem is that you still have to decide, while drunk, that you're going to call the cab. Even if you completely intended to while sober, people are not typically known for superior decision-making while drunk. If anonymity were the only concern players could generally trivially pay for a cab and avoid using an NFL or NFLPA-provided service. So while I'm glad that the NFL is trying to do something about drunk driving amongst the players, I don't think this is much more than PR fodder in practice.
  - emhart 13y ago
    Anonymity probably matters more to someone who is likely to be recognized by a cab driver. Especially one with a video camera in the car (most major metropolitan cab companies). Uber, on the other hand, make a point of distinguishing their drivers from the rabble. If they can establish trust with the athletes that whether or not they are recognized, they will never be talked about, recorded, etc. it may help with the adoption of the service. Plus, Uber have also positioned themselves as a lifestyle brand. Hailing or calling for a cab may feel like it is below the station of a professional athlete. Uber have positioned themselves to be a sort of modern, distributed chauffeur. They are all small things, but both as a PR win, and a potential tool in the box of the NFL who are desperate to get a handle on the off-field bad-choices of their athletes, this doesn't seem like a bad thing.
    - r00fus 13y ago
      This is a great pilot program. Uber is in a position to provide a vertical solution for ball clubs that uniquely identifies key sore points. Then they can expand to other profitable niches - imagine interview services for large corps where Uber knows how and when to get a candidate from building to building in a city/campus (think: Redmond/MV/Cupertino). Uber is in a much better position than random cab/limo company or possibly even the company itself - as transport is often a sore spot). Uber can iterate/pivot flexibly, while most cab companies (and local governments) can't invest the time or effort to do this for such a small (but lucrative) population.
  - mathrawka 13y ago
    Perhaps the Uber app should offer something where you can "reserve" a ride at a specific location and time in the future. If you are going to be at Foo Bar drinking it up, you can say "Pick me up at 10pm". And at 9pm you get a push notification, "We will pick you up in 1 hour. [OK] [Not Yet] And then you can modify the time to get picked up, so if you decide for another pint you will still have that cab coming to get you even if your decision making is no longer good anymore.
- derefr 13y ago
  If you want real deniability, you might want the service to include another driver that rides in with the car, drives the player's car home, puts it in park in the driveway, and then lets the player transfer back into their own car to slip it into the garage. And also some of those Russian anti-hangover pills.
  - pavel_lishin 13y ago
    It would probably be best if the other-driver also had a mask that mimicked the likeness of the player's face.
    - derefr 13y ago
      (I'm not really suggesting that it appear that the player drove their own car home to outside observers; just that it would be weird and creepy to let some stranger park your car in your garage. It's mostly about not leaving a car parked in front of a bar the next morning.)
  - Hannan 13y ago
    There's a service in my city that does this for 30 or 40 bucks depending on how far they have to go. Minus the hangover pills, anyway. I always wonder what the insurance situation is, but however un(der)-insured they may be, it has to be better than the alternative.
untog 13y ago
Uber’s service would complement an existing program run by the union in which players can summon a car by placing a phone call. I see how using Uber is an improvement, but really, if no-one is using the existing service then I think the problem runs deeper than whether they need to talk on the phone to use it. It's never been difficult to call a cab instead of drunk drive.
- k3n 13y ago
  Yeah I really don't see this going anywhere, it seems more like a PR move by the NFL mated to a PR campaign from Uber. NFL players are some of the highest-paid in any profession in the world, most of which could rent a limo for the entirety of the night whenever they go out and it wouldn't be a drop in the bucket against their earnings. But, they don't...
  - gph 13y ago
    >NFL players are some of the highest-paid in any profession in the world, most of which could rent a limo for the entirety of the night whenever they go out and it wouldn't be a drop in the bucket against their earnings. But, they don't... Well to be fair, a lot of players in the NFL only make it in the league for a few years if they are lucky and make closer to the league minimum. I would think a lot of software developers stand to make more money over their careers than some of these guys do. That's to say, not everyone playing in the NFL right now stands to retire with millions of dollars in the bank, especially if they have the mentality of renting a limo everytime they go out.
    - ollysb 13y ago
      I'm pretty sure most of the players don't worry about that until the cash stops rolling in...
    - mattlutze 13y ago
      http://www.steelersdepot.com/2011/07/2011-2014-nfl-minimum-base-salaries/ http://www.steelersdepot.com/2011/07/2011-2014-nfl-minimum-b... League minimum this year is $405,000. I think they can afford a cab on that wage. What isn't considered is the thousands of players on farm teams that make 80k. However, they're generally not the ones ending up in the news (nor the ones that this benefit covers).
kasey_junk 13y ago
It's important to note this is the NFL Players Union, not the NFL. That gives it a better chance of being successful.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- awwstn 13y ago
  Whoops, thanks! I just added that. I assume eventually the mods will switch this to the NYT headline, but I didn't think it conveyed much information.
- corresation 13y ago
  The existing programs were also under the players association, which gets rid of the issues others have mentioned about things like anonymity. It also makes questionable the various claims that this is a PR move by the NFL: These are legitimate actions by the players association to try to improve the safety, security, and careers of players. Making the process easier (or even just "hipper") is a good thing, and pointing out that comparatively they already have a slightly harder process doesn't mean much: Such is the case with almost everything we do, making tasks slightly easier.
socrates1998 13y ago
It sounds good, but players have already had a program in place to help them. This app might help a little, but I don't think it will solve the problem. And they can afford taxis and car services. Football players have this "I can do anything" mentality that gets them into trouble. This mind set also makes them good football players. The problem is the tension that exists between the employee and the employer. The employer doesn't want the employee to know what they do. The employer will use any information he can to gain an upper hand. Players hide injuries, then pay cash to non-team doctors. They will continue to hide their partying activities as well.
bpm140 13y ago
This seems like a purely PR move. Not only is there nothing wrong with that, it's probably worth figuring out how other people can get national press with flimsy stories. I see what Uber gets out of this, but what reason would the NFL Players' Union have for participating in the marketing of this? I don't remember hearing a lot about drunk-driving players in the press, so essentially the Players' Union is making it a topic of conversation. Why?
- jacalata 13y ago
  You just haven't been reading the right press? eg: http://fansided.com/2013/08/06/nfl-eyes-stricter-dui-penalties-to-curb-drunk-driving-arrests/ http://fansided.com/2013/08/06/nfl-eyes-stricter-dui-penalti... overview: https://www.google.com/search?q=nfl+drunk+driving+-uber https://www.google.com/search?q=nfl+drunk+driving+-uber
the_watcher 13y ago
The brilliance of this move is that Uber is more high end than cabs. A lot of players like arriving in style, which leads to the returning home drunk. With Uber, you can arrive in a town car. If I were Uber, I'd make a big deal about the NFL app getting priority on the nicest cars in their fleet to try and appeal to this.
- jacalata 13y ago
  Is it more high end than the existing car service?
cfesta9 13y ago
Uber is an incredible service. Perhaps a system within a bar/clubs POS system would be most helpful. If your bill is over X amount then the bartender could suggest a Uber for you or have the ability to charge a Uber to your bill if you agreed. Just a thought. Also Instead of Uber preventing NFL players driving drunk. Uber should prevent players driving after games who have suffered concussions or big hits.
kevincrane 13y ago
Yesss, NFL and HN on the same page! My worlds are colliding. Anyway, I don't know if this will be good enough to solve the problem. As someone else mentioned earlier, the NFL already has a system in place for all players to get free rides at any time, no questions asked (plus a legion of fans who would bend over backwards to drive an NFL player home). I think this could be an improvement with regards to the UX and ease of use for the players, but this still may not be enough to solve the main problem. Edit: if we want to get more in-depth as to why this might not fix the problem, look at the kind of people who become NFL players. They're often from lower-income backgrounds where sports were their one outlet for success. When you go from perpetually struggling financially and are suddenly thrust into a world where you are making millions and surrounded by adoring fans, you think you're invincible. Cops wouldn't dare to arrest a football deity would they? Unfortunately that can get to their heads and leads to situations where they choose to drunk drive instead of call a free cab.
- blackcat 13y ago
  You might like this. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5002974 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5002974
  - kevincrane 13y ago
    Yep, I remember seeing that a while ago (and you're right, I did like it). I had the CSV file saved on my desktop for a while in the hopes that I could do something fun with it, but I never did.
- jriley 13y ago
  I tried to verify if NFL players are "often from lower-income backgrounds". I found some data for basketball: "...most NBA players come from relatively advantaged social origins and African Americans from disadvantaged social origins have lower odds of being in the NBA than African American and white players from relatively advantaged origins" http://irs.sagepub.com/content/47/1/43 http://irs.sagepub.com/content/47/1/43 http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/6777581/importance-athlete-background-making-nba http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/6777581/importance-athlet...
far33d 13y ago
This is a great strategic partnership even if the net value is low to the NFL. 1) The cost to uber and the NFL is basically zero. It leverages existing functionality and the NFL already pays for this kind of service. 2) The NFL gets good press about drunk driving prevention and might actually prevent a few accidents. 3) Uber gets itself in the NYTimes, top of hacker news, etc for free, exposes itself to lots of new users, and reinforces itself as a brand aligned with luxury and convenience.
jacalata 13y ago
For all those who are trying to speculate on the benefits of this over the "existing car service" mentioned on the article, here is some actual information about it: http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201304/nfl-players-worry-about-privacy-when-using-car-service http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201304/nfl-players-worry...
pwthornton 13y ago
Some enterprising owner should set up an account with Uber to provide free rides for their players. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than DUIs, wrongful death lawsuits and suspensions and fines by the NFL. Services like Uber go beyond calling a cab company because they are easy to use in a way that digitally-savvy people understand (and most NFL players are pretty good with smartphones) and the cars are nicer than cabs. In certain cities, it's easy to get a cab. You pretty much just need to stand on the corner of a street for a few minutes. In other cities, it can be a nightmare. In those markets where getting a cab can be a huge problem, this will help a lot. And this will also help in markets where cab drivers refuse to leave the city. It's easy to get a cab in DC, but most cab drivers won't leave the city limits, which can be an issue if a player doesn't live in the city. That's something that a lot of people overlook when they say, "how hard is it to get a cab?" The real question is, "how hard is to get a cab that will take me to where I want to go in a timely manner?" That's where Uber shines.
- jacalata 13y ago
  That would get them right back to the original NFL program they had a couple years ago, which nobody used because they are concerned about the NFL/team knowing where they've been. They didn't have to call a cab. They called a private number that provided a chauffeur with their choice of limo, Hummer, etc that will arrive within 30 minutes and take them wherever they want to go.
  - pwthornton 13y ago
    Do they have non-limo options and how expensive is this service? I wouldn't call arriving within 30 minutes exactly fast. You can get a cab or Uber within minutes.
raawlls 13y ago
Good for Uber, and I understand the want to prevent the players' safety, but seriously, that's ridiculous. The fact that this deal is in place says a lot about the maturity of professional athletes.
paul_f 13y ago
My first reaction? What bunch of pampered babies. If your employer has to design a service to keep you from driving home drunk, you clearly are the definition of pathetic. Miserably unable to deal with the basics of life.
mathattack 13y ago
I think this only solves a few of their alcohol related problems. http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500290_162-6975132.html http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500290_162-6975132.html http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Police-find-Colts-DT-laying-drunk-in-a-ditch-n?urn=nfl,261198 http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Police...
will_brown 13y ago
I think this is great for both Uber and the NFL. This is good PR for both, brings additional legitimacy to Uber and highlights the NFL's efforts to address this issue (at the end of the day maybe save some careers if not lives). However, if the NFL was truly serious they would contractually require all players to install breathalyzer car starters (if you don't know search it) in their vehicles. Is that extreme? No, not in light of all the other contractual obligations NFL players/professional athletes already agree. One example is UFC fighters contracts include provisions in which they agree not to drive motorcycles.

85 points by awwstn 13y ago

rdl 13y ago

I wonder how long until other organizations do something similar. It'd be kind of interesting if military 24-48h passes (i.e. be drunk for that period) came with a requirement to use Uber or something like it. Drunk driving actually kills more young enlisted people than combat.

rickdale 13y ago

The problem with a service like this for the NFL players is that a lot of them don't want their coaches and teammates to know they were out the night before, or just how wasted they are getting. So if Uber can guarantee anonymity throughout the process then I think players will be more apt to use Uber. Basically a cab service exists everywhere, so for the players its not just the connivence but the real implications of calling a designated driver and their job. Granted drunk driving is infinitely worse, I feel like some athletes will always do what they think they can get away with.

mpyne 13y ago
The other problem is that you still have to decide, while drunk, that you're going to call the cab. Even if you completely intended to while sober, people are not typically known for superior decision-making while drunk. If anonymity were the only concern players could generally trivially pay for a cab and avoid using an NFL or NFLPA-provided service. So while I'm glad that the NFL is trying to do something about drunk driving amongst the players, I don't think this is much more than PR fodder in practice.
- emhart 13y ago
  Anonymity probably matters more to someone who is likely to be recognized by a cab driver. Especially one with a video camera in the car (most major metropolitan cab companies). Uber, on the other hand, make a point of distinguishing their drivers from the rabble. If they can establish trust with the athletes that whether or not they are recognized, they will never be talked about, recorded, etc. it may help with the adoption of the service. Plus, Uber have also positioned themselves as a lifestyle brand. Hailing or calling for a cab may feel like it is below the station of a professional athlete. Uber have positioned themselves to be a sort of modern, distributed chauffeur. They are all small things, but both as a PR win, and a potential tool in the box of the NFL who are desperate to get a handle on the off-field bad-choices of their athletes, this doesn't seem like a bad thing.
  - r00fus 13y ago
    This is a great pilot program. Uber is in a position to provide a vertical solution for ball clubs that uniquely identifies key sore points. Then they can expand to other profitable niches - imagine interview services for large corps where Uber knows how and when to get a candidate from building to building in a city/campus (think: Redmond/MV/Cupertino). Uber is in a much better position than random cab/limo company or possibly even the company itself - as transport is often a sore spot). Uber can iterate/pivot flexibly, while most cab companies (and local governments) can't invest the time or effort to do this for such a small (but lucrative) population.
- mathrawka 13y ago
  Perhaps the Uber app should offer something where you can "reserve" a ride at a specific location and time in the future. If you are going to be at Foo Bar drinking it up, you can say "Pick me up at 10pm". And at 9pm you get a push notification, "We will pick you up in 1 hour. [OK] [Not Yet] And then you can modify the time to get picked up, so if you decide for another pint you will still have that cab coming to get you even if your decision making is no longer good anymore.
derefr 13y ago
If you want real deniability, you might want the service to include another driver that rides in with the car, drives the player's car home, puts it in park in the driveway, and then lets the player transfer back into their own car to slip it into the garage. And also some of those Russian anti-hangover pills.
- pavel_lishin 13y ago
  It would probably be best if the other-driver also had a mask that mimicked the likeness of the player's face.
  - derefr 13y ago
    (I'm not really suggesting that it appear that the player drove their own car home to outside observers; just that it would be weird and creepy to let some stranger park your car in your garage. It's mostly about not leaving a car parked in front of a bar the next morning.)
- Hannan 13y ago
  There's a service in my city that does this for 30 or 40 bucks depending on how far they have to go. Minus the hangover pills, anyway. I always wonder what the insurance situation is, but however un(der)-insured they may be, it has to be better than the alternative.

untog 13y ago

Uber’s service would complement an existing program run by the union in which players can summon a car by placing a phone call. I see how using Uber is an improvement, but really, if no-one is using the existing service then I think the problem runs deeper than whether they need to talk on the phone to use it. It's never been difficult to call a cab instead of drunk drive.

k3n 13y ago
Yeah I really don't see this going anywhere, it seems more like a PR move by the NFL mated to a PR campaign from Uber. NFL players are some of the highest-paid in any profession in the world, most of which could rent a limo for the entirety of the night whenever they go out and it wouldn't be a drop in the bucket against their earnings. But, they don't...
- gph 13y ago
  >NFL players are some of the highest-paid in any profession in the world, most of which could rent a limo for the entirety of the night whenever they go out and it wouldn't be a drop in the bucket against their earnings. But, they don't... Well to be fair, a lot of players in the NFL only make it in the league for a few years if they are lucky and make closer to the league minimum. I would think a lot of software developers stand to make more money over their careers than some of these guys do. That's to say, not everyone playing in the NFL right now stands to retire with millions of dollars in the bank, especially if they have the mentality of renting a limo everytime they go out.
  - ollysb 13y ago
    I'm pretty sure most of the players don't worry about that until the cash stops rolling in...
  - mattlutze 13y ago
    http://www.steelersdepot.com/2011/07/2011-2014-nfl-minimum-base-salaries/ http://www.steelersdepot.com/2011/07/2011-2014-nfl-minimum-b... League minimum this year is $405,000. I think they can afford a cab on that wage. What isn't considered is the thousands of players on farm teams that make 80k. However, they're generally not the ones ending up in the news (nor the ones that this benefit covers).

kasey_junk 13y ago

It's important to note this is the NFL Players Union, not the NFL. That gives it a better chance of being successful.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
awwstn 13y ago
Whoops, thanks! I just added that. I assume eventually the mods will switch this to the NYT headline, but I didn't think it conveyed much information.
corresation 13y ago
The existing programs were also under the players association, which gets rid of the issues others have mentioned about things like anonymity. It also makes questionable the various claims that this is a PR move by the NFL: These are legitimate actions by the players association to try to improve the safety, security, and careers of players. Making the process easier (or even just "hipper") is a good thing, and pointing out that comparatively they already have a slightly harder process doesn't mean much: Such is the case with almost everything we do, making tasks slightly easier.

socrates1998 13y ago

It sounds good, but players have already had a program in place to help them. This app might help a little, but I don't think it will solve the problem. And they can afford taxis and car services. Football players have this "I can do anything" mentality that gets them into trouble. This mind set also makes them good football players. The problem is the tension that exists between the employee and the employer. The employer doesn't want the employee to know what they do. The employer will use any information he can to gain an upper hand. Players hide injuries, then pay cash to non-team doctors. They will continue to hide their partying activities as well.

bpm140 13y ago

This seems like a purely PR move. Not only is there nothing wrong with that, it's probably worth figuring out how other people can get national press with flimsy stories. I see what Uber gets out of this, but what reason would the NFL Players' Union have for participating in the marketing of this? I don't remember hearing a lot about drunk-driving players in the press, so essentially the Players' Union is making it a topic of conversation. Why?

jacalata 13y ago
You just haven't been reading the right press? eg: http://fansided.com/2013/08/06/nfl-eyes-stricter-dui-penalties-to-curb-drunk-driving-arrests/ http://fansided.com/2013/08/06/nfl-eyes-stricter-dui-penalti... overview: https://www.google.com/search?q=nfl+drunk+driving+-uber https://www.google.com/search?q=nfl+drunk+driving+-uber

the_watcher 13y ago

The brilliance of this move is that Uber is more high end than cabs. A lot of players like arriving in style, which leads to the returning home drunk. With Uber, you can arrive in a town car. If I were Uber, I'd make a big deal about the NFL app getting priority on the nicest cars in their fleet to try and appeal to this.

jacalata 13y ago
Is it more high end than the existing car service?

cfesta9 13y ago

Uber is an incredible service. Perhaps a system within a bar/clubs POS system would be most helpful. If your bill is over X amount then the bartender could suggest a Uber for you or have the ability to charge a Uber to your bill if you agreed. Just a thought. Also Instead of Uber preventing NFL players driving drunk. Uber should prevent players driving after games who have suffered concussions or big hits.

kevincrane 13y ago

Yesss, NFL and HN on the same page! My worlds are colliding. Anyway, I don't know if this will be good enough to solve the problem. As someone else mentioned earlier, the NFL already has a system in place for all players to get free rides at any time, no questions asked (plus a legion of fans who would bend over backwards to drive an NFL player home). I think this could be an improvement with regards to the UX and ease of use for the players, but this still may not be enough to solve the main problem. Edit: if we want to get more in-depth as to why this might not fix the problem, look at the kind of people who become NFL players. They're often from lower-income backgrounds where sports were their one outlet for success. When you go from perpetually struggling financially and are suddenly thrust into a world where you are making millions and surrounded by adoring fans, you think you're invincible. Cops wouldn't dare to arrest a football deity would they? Unfortunately that can get to their heads and leads to situations where they choose to drunk drive instead of call a free cab.

blackcat 13y ago
You might like this. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5002974 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5002974
- kevincrane 13y ago
  Yep, I remember seeing that a while ago (and you're right, I did like it). I had the CSV file saved on my desktop for a while in the hopes that I could do something fun with it, but I never did.
jriley 13y ago
I tried to verify if NFL players are "often from lower-income backgrounds". I found some data for basketball: "...most NBA players come from relatively advantaged social origins and African Americans from disadvantaged social origins have lower odds of being in the NBA than African American and white players from relatively advantaged origins" http://irs.sagepub.com/content/47/1/43 http://irs.sagepub.com/content/47/1/43 http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/6777581/importance-athlete-background-making-nba http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/6777581/importance-athlet...

far33d 13y ago

This is a great strategic partnership even if the net value is low to the NFL. 1) The cost to uber and the NFL is basically zero. It leverages existing functionality and the NFL already pays for this kind of service. 2) The NFL gets good press about drunk driving prevention and might actually prevent a few accidents. 3) Uber gets itself in the NYTimes, top of hacker news, etc for free, exposes itself to lots of new users, and reinforces itself as a brand aligned with luxury and convenience.

jacalata 13y ago

For all those who are trying to speculate on the benefits of this over the "existing car service" mentioned on the article, here is some actual information about it: http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201304/nfl-players-worry-about-privacy-when-using-car-service http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201304/nfl-players-worry...

pwthornton 13y ago

Some enterprising owner should set up an account with Uber to provide free rides for their players. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than DUIs, wrongful death lawsuits and suspensions and fines by the NFL. Services like Uber go beyond calling a cab company because they are easy to use in a way that digitally-savvy people understand (and most NFL players are pretty good with smartphones) and the cars are nicer than cabs. In certain cities, it's easy to get a cab. You pretty much just need to stand on the corner of a street for a few minutes. In other cities, it can be a nightmare. In those markets where getting a cab can be a huge problem, this will help a lot. And this will also help in markets where cab drivers refuse to leave the city. It's easy to get a cab in DC, but most cab drivers won't leave the city limits, which can be an issue if a player doesn't live in the city. That's something that a lot of people overlook when they say, "how hard is it to get a cab?" The real question is, "how hard is to get a cab that will take me to where I want to go in a timely manner?" That's where Uber shines.

jacalata 13y ago
That would get them right back to the original NFL program they had a couple years ago, which nobody used because they are concerned about the NFL/team knowing where they've been. They didn't have to call a cab. They called a private number that provided a chauffeur with their choice of limo, Hummer, etc that will arrive within 30 minutes and take them wherever they want to go.
- pwthornton 13y ago
  Do they have non-limo options and how expensive is this service? I wouldn't call arriving within 30 minutes exactly fast. You can get a cab or Uber within minutes.

raawlls 13y ago

Good for Uber, and I understand the want to prevent the players' safety, but seriously, that's ridiculous. The fact that this deal is in place says a lot about the maturity of professional athletes.

paul_f 13y ago

My first reaction? What bunch of pampered babies. If your employer has to design a service to keep you from driving home drunk, you clearly are the definition of pathetic. Miserably unable to deal with the basics of life.

mathattack 13y ago

I think this only solves a few of their alcohol related problems. http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500290_162-6975132.html http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500290_162-6975132.html http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Police-find-Colts-DT-laying-drunk-in-a-ditch-n?urn=nfl,261198 http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Police...

will_brown 13y ago

I think this is great for both Uber and the NFL. This is good PR for both, brings additional legitimacy to Uber and highlights the NFL's efforts to address this issue (at the end of the day maybe save some careers if not lives). However, if the NFL was truly serious they would contractually require all players to install breathalyzer car starters (if you don't know search it) in their vehicles. Is that extreme? No, not in light of all the other contractual obligations NFL players/professional athletes already agree. One example is UFC fighters contracts include provisions in which they agree not to drive motorcycles.