Sometimes it's best to live on the safe side.
That's what Carolina Panthers Coach Ron Rivera has been doing by banning the use of hoverboards by his players inside the team's facility.
A hoverboard is a motorized board with two wheels and no handles, handle bars or anything else to hang on to. The rider propels and turns it by leaning.
Rivera has instituted the ban not just because he's afraid one of his key players -- like quarterback Cam Newton or linebacker Luke Kuechly -- might get hurt before Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Arizona Cardinals. He instituted the ban when he heard reports that internal short circuits with the machine's lithium ion batteries led to overheating and units bursting into flames.
The issue has grown to the point that major airlines have banned them.
"Have you seen these things on YouTube blowing up?" Rivera said. "I mean, that's what concerns me more than anything else. What if something crazy happens?
Rivera said he showed the team a video of a hoverboard catching on fire.
"I said, 'Guys, we can't have those in here. You bring one of those things in here and they short-circuit, and the next thing you know we've got a freaking fire here,' " Rivera said.
"I will say this, too: I caught them drag racing in the freaking hallway one time, too."
Rivera didn't say which players he saw racing the hoverboards, but he said a lot of players own them and some players, like Newton, like to ride them into work.
Tight end Ed Dickson said about 25 players rode hoverboards to a food truck earlier this year, but wasn't upset when Rivera banned them.
"It wasn't like mean or anything like that," Dickson said. "It was like, 'Guys, I've seen a video on the safety issue. I don't want them in the locker room.' Guys appreciated it."
Better to be safe than sorry.
The losses add up
Not only did St. Louis lose a football team last week when the NFL owners voted to approve the Rams' move to Los Angeles, but there are several financial losses the city and state will have to absorb with no football team.
For starters, there are the hotels and restaurants in downtown St. Louis that did extra business on game days.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said the city stands to lose about $4 million in tax revenue generated by the Rams. In addition, city and state taxpayers are still on the hook for about $100 million to pay off the Edwards Jones Dome the Rams' home in downtown St. Louis, which was built with public money. The bond debt won't be repaid until 2021.
Also, a new riverfront stadium won't be built, so approximately 5,000 construction jobs are now lost.
When things are added up, no wonder St. Louis football fans are now showing hatred to Rams owner Stan Kroenke and the NFL executives who helped take the team away.
Web heads
From the web site, fark.com
• "Johnny Manziel seems to be doing fine, as he was spotted at a liquor store and was said to be in good spirits," in reference to the Cleveland Browns quarterback admitting to having past problems with alcohol and continuing to drink.
• "Is James Harrison done playing football? 'It's hard, I'm old,' " in reference to the 37-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker who is unsure about his future.
Sports quiz
What NFL team did Ron Rivera play for?
Answer
Chicago Bears in 1984-1992.
Sports on 01/19/2016