Everyday Ethics

In a seemingly endless Spring of sports scandals, the University of Arkansas fired head football coach Bobby Petrino, following revelations that his mistress, who was also a former employee of his football program, was involved in his recent motorcycle accident.  Part of the explanation of Petrino’s firing was that he had engaged in a “pattern [...]

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Ozzie Guillen has built a reputation as someone who says what he thinks, consequences be damned.  That trait showed itself again during a recent interview with Time magazine, where Guillen spoke favorably of Fidel Castro, stating that he “loved” and “admired” him.  These comments were not well-received in Miami, a city that is literally filled [...]

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It has recently come to light that the New Orleans Saints, under the direction of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, engaged in a practice of paying “bounties,” financial benefits awarded to players who made extremely hard or vicious hits on certain opposing players.  While the precise details of these bounties is apparently open to debate, the [...]

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Here, as promised, is the third and final installment in our analysis of the ethical obligations of the San Diego Chargers to their injured star, Shawne Merriman.  Thus far, we have discovered that looking at consequences did little in helping us to resolve this question, while considerations regarding contractual obligation were helpful, but still unclear.  [...]

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Our previous article examined ethical questions regarding the current injury situation of San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman.  Specifically, we asked whether an evaluation of potential consequences could tell us whether the Chargers should allow Merriman to play, and if there are any ethical concerns with doing so.  We found that there are some significant [...]

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Most people strive toward some measure of personal success.  This can be quantified in a variety of ways, depending upon what sorts of goals are most important to you.  A lesser number of people also strive to live ethical lives, and this too can be variously defined.  Finally, a select few wish to be both [...]

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 For those who are unfamiliar with the topic at hand, Shawne Merriman is an all-Pro linebacker for the San Diego Chargers.  During the preseason, Merriman sustained significant injuries to two ligaments in his knee.  He has been advised by five different specialists to have immediate surgery to repair the damage, which would force him to [...]

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