Nathan Rennie Charged with Drunk Driving
Australia's 9news reported today that former Australian Downhill Champion and 2003 overall World Cup winner Nathan Rennie has been fined $3,000 and had his license suspended for nine months after blowing more than seven times the legal alcohol limit.
Nathan Rennie, now 37, blew a 0.362 while driving to pick his girlfriend up at the airport earlier this month. He received a conviction for a similar offence a few years ago.
Video in 9news article
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Way to gossip about peoples personal lives PB/Sarah. ZERO. CLASS.
Shit like this is why the "stretcher selfie" and "hospital bed selfie" exist - because you have lost all sense of personal space. Mind your business and don't talk about peoples personal lives.
@vinay we should probably have covered MvdP's crash—we were pretty pinned during CWX and apparently his MTB season won't be affected. We try to cover as much as possible.
You are mistaken about not even close to daily on the mass shootings, there were 323 mass shootings in the US in 2018, so every 0.88 days, VERY close to daily.
Look, I don't condone intoxicated driving. I just think that just because he chose to make a career in competitive sports doesn't mean something he did wrong should be published on the internet and shared with millions.
@Bomadics : Well yeah, that's the point right. So many drunk drivers worldwide. All go anonymously. Their family, neighbours and friends don't get to know (unless he has to admit he isn't allowed to drive for a while). Out of all those, Nathan is being singled out just because he's known. He doesn't get to tell his mtb buddies worldwide, Pinkbike will do that for him. I don't think that's fair.
Which is still close to daily. Which is bad. Very bad.
This is not "reporting" industry news. This is garbage. Engagement clicks and every cent made from this should be donated to alcohol awareness instead of padding your pockets on gossip.
www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=amp.9news.com.au/article/673f1795-bc12-45b9-8892-c7c853baf178&ved=2ahUKEwiWgdaU257hAhXPJDQIHRlNCIYQyM8BMAF6BAgKEAg&usg=AOvVaw3z9MkvguVpfEJF_14kgwW1&cf=1
Holy sh$$t six fity! Shots fired. I’d love to see that! No way no how as every top rider has a poison beverage sponsor. That would be Pinkbike pissing into the wind. I love it!
Every day, 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.1 This is one death every 50 minutes.1 The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $44 billion.
www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html
It needs to be brought to attention that drink driving is wrong on all accounts no matter whether you're just some Joe on the street or Mother Theresa.
Oh cmon man.
Don´t act as if pinkbike was a first class newspaper and this some investigative journalism of massive proportions.
It´s a guy driving a car under the influence of alcohol. That shit happens every day thousands of times in the world, but you feel it´s your duty to report it cause he used to ride a mountainbike ages ago?
You gotta be joking. Let the authorities do their job. No need to rally the hatemob. Keep that gossip shit outta here and keep to stuff actually relevant to the community.
The real question is why you made the conscious decision to select this as newsworthy over a gazillion other, most likely more relevant to mtb and the community, news.
The simple answer is, because it sells. And that´s disgusting "journalism", if you even wanna call it that.
I think the point is why is this news over some of the other shit mtbers get up to. Seems a bit vindictive to me
@Loki87: Where is this hate mob you speak of? I see no problem with pb reporting on this considering Rennie is known and still active in the mtb scene. The fact it is in the news and gone thru the courts means it is already a public matter. Having things like this known is not always bad as it can highlight an issue and allow people to reach out or offer support. (or shame and spread hatefulness if you have that type of mindset)
It's still a problem that hasn't been fully confronted and probably never will as long as alcohol is so encouraged in society. But we gotta keep imprisoning these drunken drivers for long sentences, give them huge fines, and shame them in public at the very least.
www.madd.org/statistics
I'm surprised that Peaty has a clean record though
Please point out exactly how I used numbers incorrectly other than that I got the math wrong on the frequency ratio at .88 per day it was actually 1.13 per day, this was quickly pointed out and I apologised. This did not change the numbers of mass shootings in the US, this
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_the_United_States_in_2018
is where I got my info, if you want to debate the accuracy of the data on Wikipedia, then great, let me know where we can get more accurate data!
Problem 2 mass shooting , can only be reduced by banning all relevant weapons ,like most civilised countries have and would if they had a like yours ! You got to get over this 2nd amend stuff and get with the times !
Just watch how the media works, for instance the yellow vest protests in France, still going on and getting worse again, but do we see this in our news, NOPE, because it does not help their agenda.
When there is death rom drunk driving they blame the driver not the car. The problem is not the gun or the car but the person operating them.
Its kind of sad really.
Yeah I think there are a lot of growing problems that contribute to the number of shootings:
1. undiagnosed & untreated mental health issues
2. a lack of people that care or who are involved in these (predominantly) young men's lives that are willing to try to help them
3. easy access to violent material (they tend to fixate/obsess on mass shootings)
4. the feeling of (and reality of) increased isolation brought on by our addictive 'screen culture' and social media fascination
5. easy access to guns
Potential solutions to each of these would require a lot longer conversation.
Nado made me think of sharknado
lol
This is pure clickbait and garbage journalism.No one here is saying its no big deal to drive while intoxicated BUT it serves no other purposes than make PB richer.If so, please tell me how this is going to help a guy with a drinking problem getting better and how this crap article has prevented him to kill someone now that its already happened? Do you guys seriously think some kids reading PB will be like “oh shit I better not drive while Im drunk if I dont wanna end up making the news on PB”?
We can hope that he seeks help for his addiction, but my experiences indicate that repeat offenders are just that, repeat offenders.
Maybe if nathan had read an article like this when he was young it may have help him
- News gives more airtime for this then when he was world cup champ.
- Alcohol can be a great social lubricant, but it's an addictive drug.
- Don't drink and drive. Seriously.
- Own your mistakes (no excuses) and correct them.
- When your a leader/role model your social responsibility is greater than as an individual.
- Rennie is still a character.
I hope the best for him.
- Don't drink and drive. Seriously."
Need to consider the fact that 0.362 is at "seriously hammered" levels, too. 0.400 is where deaths from alcohol poisoning start to happen.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_alcohol_content
The problem with drinking is that once you get to a certain point you've lost all judgement.
www.fenclwebdesign.com/bac-calculator.htm
Well, I have... multiple times. Let's just say after the ninth funeral I've stopped going. Drinking and driving IS NEWS! It's not a ooops I made a mistake and got caught. Its I'm a stupid human who makes selfish life choices. That can seriously alter others lives in many ways.
It's definitely worth shaming a idiot who chooses to drive while clearly intoxicated. If your a person that is in the public eye and has influence apon others. Than it's even more shameful. What a peice of garbage Rennie is. All respect lost.
DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!
I don't what it's like to be a bike "journalist". I work in a different field and find satisfaction that I have helped local communities and the marine ecosystems that they depend on.
Still going to make fun of the Eurobike fashion show though.
@ScandiumRider : Sorry, I'm not familiar with ESPN. BMX technically isn't MTB so fatbmx.com is outside the MTB sphere, though only slightly. Irmo Keizer who typically contributes to coverage of XC type events here on PB used to have a more general sports website covering MTB, skate, surf and snow sports (adrenalinsports.nl). They still stuck to the sports side of the athletes. For even more general news I just read the regular news websites. Sure if a gymnastics athlete has been caught using cocaine it is being mentioned as it is the reason he's being excluded from competition. But you've found websites that cover sports in general and also delve into their unrelated personal lives? Are you sure you aren't looking at sports-celebrity-glamour-gossip websites instead? And, did the mention that Rennie was caught driving after drinking?
@brianpark : I think Vernon Felton was onto something when he was exploring having his own branded bike being made. It may be the very point of a trade show like that.
Just to put my comments in context, I always only comment on what you write on do, not on who you are so don't take my criticism personally. It is probably pretty clear that I don't like this article and our criteria for what news should be shared with millions and what shouldn't are different (and there is a huge middle ground where it is fine to either publish it or not). So I'm not going to beat that horse. I trust there is some good stuff coming up. If you're going to have your best articles bundled and published in print my Misspent Summers, I hereby place my order
But, coming from the other side - drinking and driving definitely doesn't deserve to be ignored. Rennie was a bad actor here. And if you chose to do it, you should expect some humiliation. Initially I felt bad for him (assuming he's an addict), but I would feel much worse for anyone who he could potentially have harmed.
I am somewhat ambivalent about it being posted here at this point. But I can see the side of those who see some benefit in it.
I hope Rennie gets his shit together and looks after his addiction for his own sake and everyone else around him.
I'm not about to tell you who's right. I can see both sides. Some people say you shouldn't do things you wouldn't want plastered all over the front page of your local paper - or Pinkbike. Those are probably wise words to (try to) live by.
...and obviously the fuzz that pulled him over too....and the judge...and societal laws....
...and why not name and shame?
It appears that Steve peat's dog doesn't feel good at a moment and has difficulty to shit properly. The PBDHC (PinkBike Dog HelpCenter) sent his best vet @marklevy to Sheffield to inspect the poor animal. On ce arrived, the dog had disappeared. Police officers guess that the dog had seen the vet coming with his linkage fork equipped mtb and he ran for his life. Officers forced Levy to mount a decent fork on his bike which after the dog came back, miracle!
Btw doesn't Rennie work with a mtn bike camp or park? He's still relevant in mtn biking...
ARE YOU PINKBIKERS FVCKING ALL DRUNK OR PLAIN KIDDING EVERYONE?
.
Nathan blew 0.35% of alcohol. In every smaller country with ZERO limit he would be immediately in evening news, arrested by police and considered of committing a crime. What is here to advocate for him? It absolutely doesn't matter whether he's having some private problems, health problems or anything. 0.35% of blood soaked in alcohol is crazy fvcking amount. You don't get it by drinking couple of those ozzy beers.
The guy is a really well known mountain biker. This is related to MTB.
I just read the update about the bike store thieves in California getting caught, and the poor employee who tried to stop them only to get badly injured. The comments section quickly turned into a comparison of health care systems among various countries. PB readers took a story that was about bikes and turned into a debate that was not bike related at all. This is far from the first time this has happened on PB.
If readers are going to do this in the comments, how can anyone complain about PB reposting an already published news
story about someone who is very much a part of mountain bike culture?
I don’t get that. I get it appears to be an addiction - but now this is the second time he’s been caught - are we to think he’s only done it twice and been cause both times? Come on, it’s been many times - and yet we’re worry about causing him further pain? Obviously ZERO regard for other humans. Like many have said - if an innocent suffered because of his actions, I would feel bad for them!!! I don’t worry about causing someone with such little regard for others, caught several times (and by law of averages - has done this many many times). I don’t worry about causing him more pain.
I just don’t get it. Famous/pro athletes/celebrities - this isn’t PB doing anything wrong. These celebrities or athletes - they are role models, some icons, many held in high regard by young and old alike. It’s not a PB reporting issue, media in all spirts do it. Tiger Woods crashing a car drunk fleeing from his GF or whatever, NHL players charged with Spousal Battery, NFL players... should we ignore it because they were once champions and poor them - they’re famours and never any privacy. Joe Blow ‘blows’ 7 times over the limit or whatever it was - it’d be reported in the local news, tv, newspapers. It’d be reported in NFL weekly and NHL.com (and has been), MLB, whatever. This IS news, albeit bad. And no, zero concern from me that this might make it worse for NR. Maybe, maybe - it’ll snap him into saying “f@ck did I screw up again - and a community (MTB) that supported me, damn I’m so embarrassed. Let’s fix my problems”. Simplistic for sure, stupid sounding - yep. But that’s a positive outcome for Nathan AND the mtb community he is in. (Reports he coaches and was raising money last year for cancer - all great).
It is news. It is real. Our little bubble isn’t perfect and pretty always... and I thank PB for bringing light to this, maybe it’ll help someone!!!! Maybe someone will remember the comments from people with hard stories of lost ones from drunk drivers on here. Maybe something will jog their memory as they stumble to the car in a drunken stupor - and just maybe they’ll leave the car and get home another way... that’s a big ‘rainbow and unicorn’ dream I just described - but maybe one person can be saved because of this.
Hopefully Mr Rennie gets better.
I’m glad PB doesn’t shy away from the ‘dark stuff’.
As for positives vs negatives, if you look at the homepage right now we've got TONS of bike checks, reviews, event reports, analysis, videos, destination pieces, and more. I'm stoked that 90% of the stuff we put out celebrates MTB and is super positive, but we do also have a job to do by reporting on stuff like this.
On the topic at hand, contacting Nathan to hear his story should be the first point of call. Maybe showcasing his wrongs alongside the work he's doing to make amends (prior to and after the DUI) and a new life may have been more applicable than headlines and out of context news cut and pasted from a news source hell bent on traffic over truth. Not only that, but a lot more inspiring to others that may find themselves somewhere that's as destructive in their life. I'm not condoning drink driving for a second, I've been hit by two DUI drivers in my time, but this kind of 'journalism' can be just as destructive to life as the offence itself.
That's responsibility in journalism. If there is such a thing anymore.
With all the coin from your part of the hemisphere and now ours in Australia, there's no real budget issue. You've taken so much money from the small industry/scene here as it is, it's the least that could be done.
I used to root for Tom Brady, an undisputed champion, sports hero, and a specimen of athletic ability. Then, I found out he supports Trump. Yeah, he can throw a football, but compliance with bigotry and callousness shifts my perception of him greatly; he is no one to look up to.
There is however a striking difference here -- Tom Brad has every goddamn advantage in the world re: opportunity to grow and to be a better person. He is inundated with wealth, power, fame, and resulting opportunity. Brady has further made a _choice_ to be a monger of fear. Renne clearly has a disease, one that has affected many close to me, alcoholism. He needs help. If Renne holds onto anything dear that could help him to conquer his demons it is surely his hands-down legend status. Being called out on PB is one way to help him realize that and recover.
Sometimes the truth sucks. It always hurts to witness the demonstrated mortality of our heroes, but to witness is to acknowledge, and that's always the first step.
But to hear you tell it, I MUST BE LYING because my parents divorced when I was young, filed for bankruptcy and lost a house so we were poor, and we are black.
By spreading this view point you completely ignore the difficult, but far more powerful balance between environment, nurture, and temperament. Instead, this view irons all people out into the same with the only differences from one to another being a measure of affluence during upbringing.
It's a flawed and dangerous view.
That is, alcoholics (potentially Renne) are proven to be genetically predisposed to the condition. a*sholes (like Brady) are such by their own choice.
That said, I do think PB could have demonstrated more class (less TMZ-like) with their reporting; to acknowledge his struggle and by some means, offer him support in some way, whilst facing the music.
I'm not trying to say drunk driving is OK, and I'm really NOT into public shaming. Next PB will be running the whole "social credit" system (like China) which is just a soft form to tyranny.
Both sides of this argument are right, but somebody needs to focus on the underlying issue! How it's viewed by all of us as a society! How much 5hit do we see here on PB conflating biking, drinking, and general good times? So when someone starts biking, drinking, and having a good time then develops an addiction we make a pariah of that person? We're all complicit in setting a trap that many get caught up in. And the good majority of us have no clue how addiction affects the decision process. No clue how one becomes a slave to the chemical processes that take hold.
So as someone that's lost a brother to addiction and the follow on behaviors AND lost friends to drunk driving AND worked in law enforcement so I could see many of these affected up close and personal AND spent a good deal of time in a relationship with someone with a PHD in Psychology, I'll say both sides of this argument are right. But as usual the best plan of action is somewhere in the middle.
Ok fine I stand corrected. But please dont try to tell me this is relevant to mountain biking in anyway. This is purely a trash article to get clicks
This is garbage journalism.
That’s illegal too isn’t it.