But they're mostly off-color, and this is a family newspaper. So, to see them, you'll need to turn on your computer and surf the Internet. Or stay up to watch Leno and Letterman.

You stop laughing because we're talking about a group of football players who are big and strong and rich, and who've grown accustomed to not being held responsible for their actions. And because we're talking about professional athletes who were drinking and partying and concerned only with their own pleasure. And because we're talking about a pack of aroused, self-indulgent young men who, by all accounts, were out of control.

The 17 or more Minnesota Vikings who turned a three-hour cruise on Lake Minnetonka last week into an X-rated version of "The Love Boat" obviously didn't care about their league, or their team, or their place in the community. They didn't care that their adult-video antics took place in full view of other passengers. They didn't care that their behavior might become a national embarrassment.

Not because they participated in a sex party - according to news reports, all the carnal interaction was between consenting adults - but because they shamefully did so in front of witnesses, with no regard for potential consequences.

As the investigation progresses, there's a real chance the players involved will need an attorney. Witnesses told police that players offered female crewmembers money for sex, which, if true, is as illegal as it is despicable. Also, because any player charged could be in violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy, the league is closely monitoring the situation.

Fact is, the team owners in all sports need to take tougher stands against players whose behavior embarrasses their organizations. This can't be only a league matter, anymore. There's too much at stake.

Not only is America getting fed up with players who have too little appreciation for the privileged life they enjoy - with spoiled, over-paid athletes who refuse to accept that they are role models, whether they want to be or not - but many of us are becoming increasingly worried about the messages these self-absorbed punks are sending to our kids.

The owners sign the checks. They should demand that their employees conduct themselves properly, even admirably, especially in the public eye. And those standards need to be written into the players' contracts so the owners can get rid of anyone who embarrasses their teams.

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