Sports have and always will be filled with controversy. Whether it’s cheating, lying or drugs, tons of athletes have succumbed to the ne gative sides of fame and fortune.

But recently, athletes have taken it to another level. The major headlines in sports have had to do with violence, both on and off the playing fields. Suspensions have been dished out, and, sadly, a life has been lost.

In a sight that has become all too familiar in the NBA, players from the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets brawled at a December game. Players threw punches and tackled each other to the floor. They gave fans at Madison Square Garden a wrestling match in addition to the basketball game they paid to watch.

The fight resulted in several suspensions, including a 15-game suspension for Nuggets’ forward Carmelo Anthony, who was leading the league in scoring.

(Photo: Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets. Credit: Associated Press) 

Unfortunately, suspensions haven’t been the harshest consequence in a sports-related confrontation. On the morning of Jan. 1, Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed outside a Denver nightclub. He was leaving a birthday party at the club for Kenyon Martin, a forward for the Nuggets.

A fight broke out, followed by a drive-by shooting. Williams wasn’t involved in either incident -- in fact, he was in his limo leaving the club -- but he was shot by stray bullets from the shooting. He was only 24 and on his way to a stellar career.

Williams’ tragic and senseless death is a shocking reminder of the dangers athletes can face when they are in the limelight, even if they are not involved in any confrontations.

When violence gets in the way of the game and dominates the news, it is a sign of a serious problem. Unfortunately, there seems to be no practical solution.

How do we really tell players not to fight on or off the playing field?  Can we tell them not to go out to clubs? It seems the only thing we can do is hope that athletes keep their cool and use their best judgment.

It’s scary to think that players can put their careers and well-being in jeopardy, but that seems to be the honest truth. What is even scarier, though, is that there might not be a solution to the problem.

Vidur Malik is a senior at Mission San Jose High in Fremont. His column, “Unnecessary Roughness,” appears on this blog the third Tuesday of every month.