Former Australia opener David Warner has been criticised for an Instagram post that appeared to be making light of his drunk-driving offence back in April.
Warner was playing in the Pakistan Super League at the time, and a long break between matches gave him an opportunity to fly back to Australia, where he found himself embroiled in a drunk-driving situation. Warner was caught by the cops in Sydney, and later he failed a breath-analyser test.
In the Instagram post in question, Warner is in a car with his daughter. The caption with the post read: “My DD [designated driver] for the day.”
To some, it may come across as an innocuous, light-hearted post, but there are also many who think that such posts belittle the horrible offence of drunk driving.
Drive to Survive founder Ian Luff took strong exception to the post. “People look up to high-profile sportspeople and have an expectation that their behaviour sets an example,” Luff told the Daily Telegraph.
“People need a wake-up call, and public figures should be setting a better example, not dismissing it,” he added.
Victims’ advocate Howard Brown had a similar stance on the matter. “We’re trying to save people’s lives, and he is thinking the whole thing is a great joke,” Brown said.
Warner, who captains Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League, was charged with a mid-range offence.
Warner returned to Pakistan shortly after the incident, and things went from bad to worse for him. Before the incident, Warner’s Karachi Kings had won all three of their matches; however, once he returned, their world came crashing down. Their form dipped so badly that they even failed to reach the play-offs.
It’s a problem for sure!
One can’t help but agree with those two gentlemen’s observations on the matter. Drunk driving has taken many innocent lives, and it’s a big scourge. It should be taken very seriously. Warner may not have meant to offend people, but as said before, it’s a serious issue, and he should have been careful.
Warner hasn’t entered a plea yet, but it is expected he will go for a guilty plea. His lawyer Bobby Hill had earlier said, “He knows what he did was wrong. He accepts that it was a reckless decision, a foolish decision to get in his car instead of taking an Uber. It’s not a crime to have a glass of wine on the day of the lord’s resurrection. In fact, some would consider that completely appropriate. His crime is, as I said, choosing a foolish plan A instead of a plan B.”
