Good article but sometimes a punk is just a punk.
I think the article is less about punks being in professional sports and more about our society's decline into idolizing the punks.
The author has a great point, but one that can be expanded out of the racial arena as well. Think about it. In the 1950's, who were the sports idols? Rocky Marciano, Bill Russell, Mickey Mantle, Johnny Unitas, etc.
Yes, some of these guys had their problems, but how do those problems compare to their current counterparts of: Mike Tyson, Kobe Bryant, Barry Bonds and Michael Vick.
Somewhere along the way, professional sports became MUCH more interested in the bottom line than in the box score.