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« sports innerview with ann liguori

Added: October 15, 2010

Commentary On 'Star' Athletes

  |   3 Comments

Michael Jordan and his wife split years ago, after years of his apparent philandering. (sportsbusinessdigest.com)

Westhampton - This past Tuesday, I was asked to appear on CBS's "The Insider" and comment about a number of star athletes who have been in the news because of infidelity and/or some other sexual scandal like the sexual explicit texts that Brett Favre allegedly sent to three women who were working for the New York Jets. This guy cheating on that girl, this guy accused of cheating on his wife, this one harassing this woman, this one raping a woman - it's enough to make you sick already!

Reggie Bush. (blogs.bet.com)

It made me wonder if this kind of behavior has always gone on at this magnitude in sports and our society, but just not brought out to the open, or are our values just deteriorating? Or is there just more need for this kind of content so stories and incidents that may have been kept private are being made public, feeding into the celebrity crazed content vaults of internet sites, newspapers, celebrity television shows and radio talk shows? And do the women who are scorned and/or victimized have more courage these days to go public with their stories? If they are truly victims, more power to them! And in some instances, do some of the women in these scandals put themselves in situations where they can indeed benefit from the publicity?

Answering questions for the piece that aired on "The Insider" also made me wonder if there are any decent stars in sports out there today, who don't falter among the temptations that are readily available to individuals who have excess money, access and power? Are there any star athletes out there who actually can restrain themselves from making stupid decisions that will damage their legacy years after their successful careers, not to mention hurt another person?

The script for the show mentioned:

 • Reggie Bush cheating on Kim Kardashian.

David Beckham. (soccerpitch.co.za)

 • David Beckham accused of having an affair with his assistant and another one from a former prostitute who told TOUCH Magazine that he paid her $10,000 for sex three years ago. Apparently he and his wife Victoria are suing the Magazine for libel.

 • This past January, Shaquille O'Neal's alleged mistress of five years, sued him, claiming he was stalking and harassing her.

 • Lawrence Taylor was charged with third degree rape for offering a 16-year-old girl $300 for sex. If he is convicted, LT could face four years in prison.

 • Tiki Barber left his wife of 11 years, eight months pregnant with twins, for a 23-year-old intern at NBC!

 • Arod's wife Cindy called the Yankee slugger a serial adulterer when she filed for divorce, going on to say that she thought he was brainwashed by Madonna and her Kabbalah beliefs. They divorced and Arod moved on from Madonna to Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz.

Wait, there's more.

 • A woman accused Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her in a bathroom in a bar in Georgia. The Steelers QB was not arrested or charged in connection with the incident. The NFL initially suspended Roethlisberger for six games for violating the league's personal-conduct policy and then the suspension was reduced to four games after Roethesberger convinced NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that he would stay out of trouble. Former Steeler's QB Terry Bradshaw was right, in my opinion, when he said on-air that the Steelers should have dumped him.

 • Michael Jordan and his wife split years ago, after years of Michael's apparent philandering. His divorce reportedly cost him a record $168 million dollars!

 • Jet's Antonio Cromartie fathering nine children with eight different women in six states. How crazy is that?

 • And of course, Tiger's double life of bedding over 15 women, including porn stars and prostitutes, while married to Elin.

These are just the cases that quickly come to mind.

Makes you want your kid to grow up idolizing these professional athletes?!

How about making it mandatory in high school, college and in the pros, that all athletes receive not only media training, but values training as well? Teach them life skills, right from wrong. Nobody is perfect, however, a little education and training could go a long way in helping some of these athletes make decisions that are wiser and healthier and make them 'productive' members of society.

Ann Liguori is among the most versatile and well-respected broadcasters, authors and entrepreneurs in America today. The Ann Liguori Foundation hosts an annual charity golf event and a dinner-dance in The Hamptons. Ann hosts her weekly radio show, every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., on WLIU 88.3FM. The show can also be heard, live, on www.wliu.org. Ann welcomes your comments, and be sure to visit her website at www.annliguori.com.


Comments

Guest (Guest) from Texas says:
Ann, sweetheart, Ben was first accused in Nevada. The latest was in Georgia, where the DA stated he didn't even have probable cause for an arrest and could not even prove that any intercourse of any kind took place (Ben denied intercourse). You are better than that. Stop being lazy in your work.

Guest (Guest) from PA says:
"• Andrea McNulty accused Ben Roethlisberger of raping her in a bathroom in a bar in North Carolina. The Steelers QB was not arrested or charged in connection with the incident and his suspension from the NFL was reduced to four games. Former Steeler's QB Terry Bradshaw was right, in my opinion, when he said on-air that the Steelers should have dumped him." How can you form an opinion when you don't even know what you are talking about? It wasn't a bar in NC, it was a hotel in Reno. An ACCUSATION from a woman with an imaginary bf named soldier Ben and bragged to friends about having sex with Ben and wanting his babies. It wasn't even the incident he was suspended about. He was suspended for continually putting himself in troubling situations after an accusation in Georgia. That woman wasn't anymore credible than McNulty, because she constantly changed her story. The concern was with him not knowing how to prevent himself with being a target. Next time, halfway try to get it right. Funny that the page asks me what color the sky is, because you'd probably answer purple.

Guest (Guest) from Arlington says:
"This past Tuesday, I was asked to appear on CBS's "The Insider" and comment about a number of star athletes who have been in the news because of infidelity and/or some other sexual scandal".... "Andrea McNulty accused Ben Roethlisberger of raping her in a bathroom in a bar in North Carolina. The Steelers QB was not arrested or charged in connection with the incident" Frankly, I find it amazing that with this type of inaccuracy in fact-finding that ANYONE would ask you to be a guest on any show! Are you serious? Andrea McNulty accused Ben in a CIVIL SUIT a year later of raping her in a Lake Tahoe hotel after they spent a night together. She was a hotel worker and sued him after she was fired from the same hotel, and after she sent emails to co-workers telling them that she had dinner with him the next night, and after telling them she wished she was pregnant with a "little Roethlisberger". He was accused of sexual assault in a Georgia nighclub, not North Carolina. The girl was so drunk she changed her story three times and according to the Georgia DA (not North Carolina) there "was not enough probable cause to believe a crime was even committed". You know, you can look that stuff up!

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