Athletes at Syracuse have it made. Really, athletes at any school have it made, with their celebrity status, free team gear and scholarships to play games.

So, considering these perks, it’s pretty easy to openly despise the SU football team when it does something silly like lose 11 games in a row. But did you ever think about maybe going up to a group of Orange football players after a party and shooting them?

You haven’t?

Neither have I. That makes us sane.

But what happened at Duquesne over the weekend was insane-and extremely eye-opening.

If you haven’t heard, two random non-students came up to two Duquesne basketball players after a school-related party in the wee hours Sunday morning and shot them after one of the men’s girlfriend started talking to one of the players. When teammates came over to help, the gunmen shot them, too.

Police say it was a random act of violence, but I’d have to think them being athletes had something to do with it, since the guy shot only players and was upset at his girlfriend talking to them.

Listen, it’s tough enough being an athlete already. Entire campuses place way too much emotional stock in them and when players don’t come through, they have giant targets placed on their backs. Look no farther than SU, where an entire university’s morale can fluctuate for four straight years on Gerry McNamara performances.

So when something like the Duquesne incident happens, it’s a chilling reminder that these kids-yes, kids-have a little too much riding on them. We as a school ask for our football and basketball players to represent us nationally and deliver successfully… or else. Well, it’s OK if ‘or else’ means booing a player or ripping his performance in the media, two things I’m admittedly guilty of. But it’s obviously not OK if ‘or else’ means brutal violence.

The common student is jealous of the college athlete, no question. We have to pay at least $40,000 a year for an education and even if we earn academic scholarships, they almost never equal the full rides many athletes get. Plus, we all see the free Nike and Under Armour gear each team receives, know about the SUpercard bonus money and wish we had the personal tutors and superior facilities available to athletes at Manley.

And not much aggravates the average student more than seeing Eric Devendorf walk into a party and receive rock-star treatment just because he can dribble a basketball.

So I’m sure a number of people in and around SU would love nothing more than to give these 19-year-old area celebrities a piece of their mind. But folks, it’s not worth it. These people are just students, with the only thing separating them from you and me being an ability to run, throw or jump better.

Yes, they’re public figures, so they ask to live in this social Petri dish. But there has to be a limit here. Last week, for example, I wrote a column that drew a few venomous e-mails and letters. In the name of democracy, I think that’s awesome. But if a disgruntled reader decided to throw a brick through my bedroom window because of the column? Not awesome.

The same applies for college athletes. They choose to perform under fans’ scrutiny, so Taj Smith should expect to hear cheers on campus after a two-touchdown game and boos after a four-drop game.

He shouldn’t expect, however, to get cold-cocked on his way home from Marshall Street on a random Friday night.

Fans need to temper their tempers. By buying into the convention of college sports, we have earned the right as fans to voice our likes and dislikes.

But as members of a university and-more importantly-a greater moral society, we need to remember these kids are no different than us when it comes down to basic human fiber.

And who knows, maybe Devendorf wishes he had your GPA or nasty beer pong shot.

Luckily, while the Duquesne injuries were very serious, none of them were fatal (although one player is still ‘fighting for his life’ after taking a bullet to the head, according to doctors).

Still, it shows us that we all too often place athletes on a pedestal just a tad too high.

Maybe it’s time we stop putting them where it’s so easy for us to knock them off.