Missouri Gov. Mike Parson should have stuck to politics.
Sportswriters get reminded often when they leave their lane. Stick to sports, we are told. Politicians don’t seem to get the same reminder.
Maybe they should.
By letting his inner Kansas City Chiefs superfan get the best of him, Parson made a mistake that will follow him long after his final year in office ends.
He will now always be the governor who tarnished his tenure by currying favor with his favorite football team.
It’s too bad Parson’s biography already came out, because maybe a chapter could have been devoted to what he was thinking when he commuted the sentence of Britt Reid.
The former Chiefs assistant coach and son of Kansas City head coach Andy Reid pleaded guilty in September 2022 to driving while intoxicated resulting in serious physical injury after his pickup truck crashed into two cars at nearly 84 mph near a Chiefs facility. Among those injured in Reid’s crash was 5-year-old Ariel Young. She sustained a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for 11 days. The collision caused complications she is still struggling with today, a lawyer representing her family told Kansas City media.
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In November 2022, Reid was sentenced to three years in prison. Last Friday, Parson called an audible. Now Reid will be on house arrest instead.
Some trade.
Dumping the news on a Friday didn’t stop deserved negative reaction. Parson is receiving rightful criticism from all sides of the political spectrum. When the left and right come together to call you out in our divided times of 2024, you should realize you messed up.
Playing football favorites with a repeat offender? Some flags are worse than others.
Previous Reid scrapes with the law included gun trouble, controlled substance trouble and driving under the influence trouble. Months before his crash, he dodged more trouble after he was accused of punching an off-duty police officer’s window during a road-rage incident.
“The Court carefully considered the evidence and the harm to our 5-year-old victim, Ariel, and her family,†read part of a statement released by Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker. “It also properly considered the unlawful behavior of the defendant, a repeat offender in other states who chose again to drive while intoxicated. I believe that this was a tragic case for the Court to weigh, and I am grateful for the judge’s thoughtful and deliberate decision-making. I had believed that the sentence was an example for others that even those with resources and privilege were not above the law. The Governor did not contact anyone who handled this case, or those directly impacted, including Ariel’s family. There simply can be no response that explains away the failure to notify victims of the offender.â€
One must truly go above and beyond to top “Chiefsaholic,†the costume wearing, bank robbing Chiefs fan, as the most embarrassing supporter of the Super Bowl champs. Yet Parson managed to do it. Chiefsaholic pleaded guilty to his crimes days ago. Perhaps Parson will plan a rescue mission for him, too?
This isn’t a left or right issue. It’s just plain wrong. Anyone pretending otherwise would be singing a different tune if their daughter was still wrestling with the aftermath of Reid’s damage while Reid was getting comfortable at home.
Parson just can’t seem to get sports right.
I’ve watched him show up at a golf event and stand in front of fans who paid good money and arrived early for prime viewing spots. He pulled a rug out from beneath ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC during a quest for state tax credits after indicating he supported the ownership group. He had such little interest in Mizzou football in 2021 that his office requested that Marching Mizzou travel to Jefferson City to perform in a parade on a football game day, but guess who was front and center for the Tigers’ Cotton Bowl victory this past season? Parson never got very involved with ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ right to keep the Rams, but his love for the Chiefs is well known.
He was among the fans on hand during the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City when gunfire left one dead and nearly two dozen injured, more than half of which were children.
Thugs, Parson called the shooters.
Well, Reid drove a 5,000 pound bullet into 5-year-old girl and just caught a pass from that same governor, one who cites law and order among his top priorities.
Parson should have stuck to politics, because this one will stick to him.