Footballer's off the field activities.

Hello guys. I know it has been quite some time since I last posted, but I had to take some of my lunch to comment on the news arising out of England of Wigan Striker, Marlon King being jailed for 18 months for groping a female party goer and slamming her to the floor and breaking her nose, when she objected. (check soccernet.espn.com for more details)

Outside of the training ground or game day what do these guys do? There is a storied history of players especially in England patronizing bars, pubs and night clubs during their off time. Quite a number of incidents have been sensationalized in the media, while having some truth to them. Stories like guys being intoxicated and being aggressive to other members of the public, binge drinking, drug abuse, sexual assault and the list goes on.

My take is, it does not matter if you are rich and famous or just a regular guy like myself this behavior is just unacceptable plain and simple. Most of these athletes (other major sports included) get away with this type of egregious behavior and are quickly accepted back into the ranks of respected individuals, playing the sport that they love and side-stepping the letter of law. When if I do such a thing, avoiding jail and finding a job after the fact would prove difficult.

A few names come to mind for off the field behavior, Paul Gascoigne and Joey Barton amongst others. But this one is really alarming as it didn't really involve intoxication or drug use, just plain barbaric behavior from an ego-driven, above average (and that is just barely) striker who could not take no for an answer. I hope he enjoys juggling the ball in prison for the other inmates!

Until next time, (when I will get back to the EPL; Chelsea's and Drogba's rich vein of form and Liverpool's struggles). Football is more than just a sport, it is a way of life.

Cheers,

Deon