Athletes are conditioned to expect the unexpected – but this?

People who play sports for a living will tell you that they always want to be prepared. Take for example a golfer who is playing in a match play event. He has a four foot putt to win the match unless his opponent happens to drain a 60 footer. The golfer closer to the hole will assume the other guy will make his long range effort. He will expect the unexpected.Similarly a baseball team ahead by three runs in the final inning will expect a stolen base attempt though logic dictates you don't run when behind. Being prepared for the unusual is part of your makeup.Several things have happened in recent days that make me wonder if any athletes were prepared for the unexpected. All of the situations happened off the playing field, but became big news items for teams and fans alike. I'm guessing that the phrase "expect the unexpected" was not honored by those involved. Let's take a look.Do you think Shohei Ohtani expected that his long time friend and interpreter would steal some $16,000,000 from him to supposedly help cover some gambling debts? When the story first broke there was speculation that Ohtani himself was involved in gambling – perhaps on baseball – which all baseball fans know is a big no no. Yes, Pete Rose does come to mind.It appears now though that Ippei Mizuhara acted alone and he has plead guilty to illegal gambling charges. One has to wonder how Ohtani would not notice such a big chunk of money was missing from his bank account.Ohtani started the season slowly, but has been on a roll recently. He has come to grips with the betrayal and his game has improved to what Dodger fans expected.My Takeaway. Always keep an eye on your bank account whether it has millions of dollars in it like Ohtani's or something less than that – like mine! Also do not put too much trust in people, even friends. Anyone can be tempted or possibly feel like they have no choice but to do something so brazen.Do you suspect that Caitlin Clark was prepared for a conversation she had with a reporter from the Indianapolis Star? Sportswriter Gregg Doyle asked Clark about the "heart" symbol she flashed to the crowd after basketball games at the University of Iowa.She responded by saying that she was telling her parents she loved them with the gesture. Doyle then suggested that if she flashed the sign to him, they would get along just fine.There was a lot of talk after the exchange about why it even occurred. Clark herself didn't seem to be bothered by the remark, but her fans (and there are a lot of them) were outraged. After initially remaining silent, the paper suspended Doyle for two weeks without pay and will not allow him to attend Indiana Fever games this season. The punishment seemed to be a direct response to the fans unhappiness.My Takeaway. The comment may well have been said jokingly and Gregg Doyle certainly has the right to freedom of speech. However he likely learned the lesson that words can have consequences. In other words a phrase that I have used many times in my columns over the years applies here. What you have the right to say may not be the right thing to say!Nobody expected Scottie Scheffler to be arrested on his way to his second round tee time at the PGA Championship, least of all the golfer himself. But that is indeed what happened though the facts seem to be somewhat in dispute.After a fatal accident near the entrance to Valhalla Golf Club in the early morning, traffic was backed up. Police were in abundance and Scheffler apparently accelerated and dragged a policeman causing minor injuries to the officer. Scheffler then was taken from the vehicle, cuffed and taken to the police station where he was charged with four different crimes including one felony.He was released in time to make his tee time (a delay in all tee times made this possible) and shot a very good round. Afterwards Scheffler admitted being shaken by the incident, but disputed that he disobeyed police commands.The next day saw Scheffler struggle as the whole incident may have caught up to him.There is a lot of confusion concerning the incident, but eventually it will be adjudicated in some manner, though not likely to be accepted by everyone.My Takeaway. Scottie Scheffler should be treated as anyone else. His #1 ranking in the world of golf should play no role in the outcome. The real tragedy of this story is not whether Scheffler should have been arrested or what affect it had on his golf game. It is (and Scheffler alluded to this) that a man lost his life and his family is now grieving.That seems much more significant, don't you think?I wonder how many members of the Kansas City Chiefs football team were expecting to be asked about a teammates commencement speech. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker gave the address at Benedictine College in Kansas. To suggest that his oratory, consisting of several controversial comments created an uproar would be an understatement.His talk supposedly centered on the role of women in our society with Butker suggesting that the highest calling a woman could hope for was to get married, have children and be a homemaker. He also had derogatory comments towards the LGBTQ community and criticized diversity and inclusion practices.There was an immediate outcry among many, with some fans calling for the Chiefs to cut ties with Butker. Still others rallied to his defense suggesting that everyone has the right to their own beliefs. His speech, they argued, was given at a private college and should have nothing to do with the Chiefs or football itself.My Takeaway. Whether I agree or disagree with some or all of Butker's views is not important. In this country everyone has the right to their views and freedom of speech. However, Harrison Butker should be aware that freedom of speech is not totally unlimited (see Schenk v. United States). What you say can have consequences (see Gregg Doyle above) and though I don't think the Chiefs will part ways with the kicker over this, things could change over time.Also, I would suggest that somewhere Betty Friedan is rolling over...