Michael Oriard, author of the recent reissue The End of Autumn: Reflections on My Life in Football, contributed his first piece this week to The Washington Post‘s “The League” column.

A major problem in this era of millionaire celebrity athletes is their sense of entitlement, their apparent assumption that they’re different from the rest of us and not governed by the same laws and rules. When they break those laws, they should be treated like the rest of us; no better, no worse. On this basis, convicted felons who do their time should not be excluded from meaningful employment for the rest of their lives. As a society we are committed to both punishment and rehabilitation.