Way of life
Three interesting stories in the world of sport this week offer a fascinating insight into the world of professional football. John Terry's alleged infidelity, Robbie Keane's move to Celtic and Matthew Etheringtons massive gambling debts appear unconnected but in actual fact there are many common factors.

John Terry's predicament is not unusual in the times we live in. In the greater scheme of things cheating on your wife or husband is not recommended.

I have always stated that a career in professional football is a life within a life. While the life of a pro footballer can be very glamorous it is also an extremely demanding and very unforgiving way of making a living. When I finished playing full-time football in England my phone rang an awful lot less simply because some people's attitude to me altered. When in football it takes experience and common sense to be able to move from a football mentality to a normal one. And I must encourage you to believe that the vast majority of professional footballers are family focused. Indeed only a few short years ago clubs encouraged players to settle down as early as possible because the extra responsibility associated with having a wife and children hastened maturity and an extra sense of discipline.

Underlining this is the fact that many football players are targets for a certain type of female. Some women like to be seen in the company of famous footballers. It is not unusual for example, for a player to be seen with a girl that had previously been accompanying other players of the same club. Of course, this also applies to the music industry and other areas of show business where the glitz and glamour associated with being in the public eye attract all sorts of people, many decent and honest but some opportunistic and cynical.

John Terry's apparent indiscretion, distasteful as it is, could be an awful lot worse. Sexual misbehaviour could be but a fleeting moment of fallibility and consequently can be forgiven if not forgotten, over a comparatively short period of time.