Teams Send Right Signals on Drugs

There is much to regret in the situations involving two of San Diego’s better professional athletes and drugs, but the owners of the Chargers and the Padres have acquitted themselves well in both.

The public does not know the full story in the cases of Alan Wiggins and Chuck Muncie, only that the Padre second baseman and Charger running back have experienced recurring problems with drug abuse. In both cases, the team management has said the men will not play for the San Diego clubs again.

It’s sad to see anyone’s career jeopardized by drug use. And the growing resentment between Wiggins and the Padre management, just one year after the team’s great championship season, seems particularly unfortunate.

We hope Wiggins and Muncie overcome their drug problems. That they have fallen victim to a particular illness does not make them bad guys. Nonetheless, we think the signals being sent by Charger owner Alex Spanos and Padre owner Joan Kroc and President Ballard Smith are the proper ones. Drug and alcohol abuse are undermining many segments of our society, and highly visible institutions such as sports teams should do all they can to underscore the point that this is a situation that cannot be tolerated.