Darrell Porter, possibly the all-time best Royals catcher, succumbed to the pernicious addiction of cocaine.

He died alone on a dirt road from “the toxic effects of cocaine,” according to reports.

In the days of shock that followed Porter’s death, he was eulogized for his volunteer work, his dedication to his family, and the great moments of baseball he gave his fans.

As it should be, his fans and friends were encouraged to remember him with compassion.

Before his death, he had maintained his sobriety for nearly 22 years.

Now we have the opportunity to forgive and support another former Royals great, Willie Aikens, who battles cocaine addiction as Porter secretly did.

Willie Aikens, however, has been released from prison after serving 14 years of what is now seen as a very unfair and inequitable 20-year mandatory drug sentence.

Because of cases similar to Aikens’, mandatory sentencing guidelines were relaxed in recent years.

For those who don’t remember, 14 years ago an undercover agent asked Aikens to buy some cocaine for her. He did.

She also asked him to process the powder into crack. He did.

At the time, crack cocaine was more common among minority drug users and had much more severe penalties than powder cocaine, more popular among white users.

Aikens also owned a shotgun, and, although it was not used in the crime, its presence made the crime much worse in the eyes of the law.

Like Porter, Willie Aikens abused cocaine and could not defeat his addiction.

Unlike Porter, Aikens served prison time and is alive. And unlike Porter, it appears our community hasn’t forgiven him.

Let’s not wait to eulogize Aikens as a great man with a tragic flaw.

Let’s demonstrate forgiveness with our actions.

Let’s now compassionately invite Willie Aikens into our Kansas City community as a permanent member with meaningful employment.

Let’s use the lessons from the Darrell Porter tragedy and acknowledge that cocaine addiction — even when the person is not actively using — is lifelong.

Willie Aikens will always need the support and resources we can offer in his never-ending quest for sobriety.

Just as important, we should ask his forgiveness for unfairly taking 14 years of his life with an unjust law.

Forgive us, Willie.