The Man, The Meth, and How the hell do you still have a job?

I don't normally follow NASCAR, at all. I don't think about it, write about, watch it, argue for or against its importance to the world of sports, nothing. But what I do know is that NASCAR captures the attention of millions of fans nationwide and is becoming one of the fastest growing events (in popularity) in the world.

And what I also know is when you begin to group NASCAR with the NFL, MLB, and NBA, every fan is going to have his or her favorite athlete. What Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, and Tony Romo may be to their respective sports, perhaps Jeremy Mayfield is to NASCAR.

Like a deadly epidemic spreading continent to continent, substance abuse has finally made its way to NASCAR's shores. And no, we're not talking about the Budweiser that Dale Jr. promotes on his Chevy.

Jeremy Mayfield is now publicly a druggie. Mayfield OD's on prescription medication and uses meth. No, this was not an accusation from an angry fan in an attempt to taint the image of an undesirable athlete. This is for real.

Explain to me how Jeremy Mayfield still has an open door to get back into racing after testing positive for meth during a random drug test. Explain to me how - why - he gets his job back! Would you? Probably not! Heck, in my hometown, local residents who got slapped with a DUI the night before get their own little section of the freakin' newspaper! Granted, the criminal justice system must take its normal course - he's deserving of that much - but somehow Jeremy Mayfield has a window of opportunity to apply for reinstatement. I'll devote a post down the road to athletes and the complete disregard for their actions. Suspensions only do so much.

In one testimony, Mayfield's stepmother - mind you, this is family we're talking about here - witnessed him using meth at least 30 times in the last seven years. Not necessarily in response to the testimony but still mind-blowing, Mayfield claims, "I don't need to go to rehab...because I don't have a problem." Really?

If this guy is back in his car in the next few months, I will be disgusted. I don't understand how NASCAR would be able to trust a man who has used meth for at least seven years to remain clean and operate a vehicle. For a living. We're talking about a race car here. And shame on NASCAR if they are so naive to believe that in random drug testing down the road, Jeremy Mayfield will be rid of a meth addiction.