If you are a professional sports athlete, making millions of dollars to entertain audiences near and far, by now — in the wake of the abuse scandals with NFL stars Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson — you surely realize the demands society places on you in terms of behavior. Why? Because our children look up to you as examples of working toward goals and achieving success.

Former pro basketball player Charles Barkley used to say: “I am not paid to be a role model. Parents should be role models.”

He is right, and he is wrong. Parents ought to be the ultimate role models. But many parents point out to children stars they admire, particularly pro athletes. And even if the parents don’t follow sports, many children on their own end up following them and find athletes they like.

Pro athletes, you are not just playing a game. You cannot escape the job of being examples to society.

Here is a handy, elementary primer on how to act if you A. wish to continue making millions of dollars and B. wish to avoid full-blown public scrutiny into your private life:

• Do not beat your wife or girlfriend or partner.

• Do not beat your children.

• Do not kick your dog.

• Do not throw your cat.

• Do not get in physical altercations with friends, enemies or even complete strangers.

• Do not hit anyone at any time ever outside of the legal contact required for your sport.

• Do not even threaten to hit anyone at any time ever. Or threaten to commit any act of violence.

• Do not commit sexual assault.

• Do not have multiple children by multiple women all out of wedlock. It’s legal, yes, but it’s not good parenting.

• Do not murder people or be connected to any acts of homicide or attempted homicide or manslaughter.

• Do not drink and drive.

• Do not drink beyond moderate levels in public.

• Do not take performance-enhancing substances.

• Do not take illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, meth, crack, LSD and PCP. Even if marijuana becomes legal, just stay away from it in public settings until you retire. Its use sends the wrong message to children.

• Do not talk to or purchase prostitutes.

• Do not make racist comments or jokes.

• Do not break local, state and federal gun laws.

• Do not carry guns into stores or clubs, even if it is allowed. It’s just asking for trouble considering it is an already-delicate issue. You want to be known for sports, not the gun-rights debate.

• Do not commit fraud. Do not write bad checks.

• Do not argue with police officers, and do not lie to them.

• Do not steal from people. That includes this: Do not force rookies to pay for exorbitant meals and parties.

• Do not haze rookies to the point of bullying.

• Do not blow your millions of greenbacks on pipe-dream enterprises or multiple mansions and cars. Invest money soundly and live off dividends into a happy retirement. That is what fans actually imagine players doing with their dough.

• Do not rent a boat and have a big sex and booze party on it. For that matter, do not attend sex and booze parties.

• Do not push a traffic-control officer with your SUV for a half a block.

• Do not text photos of your private parts.

• Do not bash in the window of your wife’s SUV with a golf club after she got mad at you for fooling around.

You get the idea.

Do not do all the stupid things many young-but-suddenly-rich athletes sometimes do. Do not fall into these traps life sets before you. You have worked so hard to find success as a paid athlete, something so many other people only dreamed of as children. Don’t blow the rare opportunity. Be smart in the game of life and keep your head above water so you can go on collecting the big paychecks.

You might think you only work for the team owner, the coach or the general manager, but you actually work for the fans who pay tickets, watch or listen to TV and radio broadcasts of the games, buy merchandise and pass on their love for your sport to the next generation. Do not betray them, and they will make you rich.