Life, or something close to it.

John Terry has been in the news lately courtesy of his misdemeanors and such. But why is it that we are so quick to point our fingers at him for doing what he did. He is a human being like any of us, susceptible to mistakes, enticed by temptations. And to put it simply, he can do what he wants in his private life. That is why it is called a private life. What business is it of ours? Is he a celibate monk who forgot his religion? No, he is not. He is a footballer. And the only thing we can condemn him for is if he screws up things in football. A horrendous tackle to break an opponent’s leg, we could chastise him for that. But no, not for this. Sensationalizing things at the expense of the peace of mind of another human being is simply wrong. Okay yes, in our eyes what he did was wrong. But it was not us he wronged. The matter at hand is for the people, who are involved in it directly, to solve. He owes us nothing but a good performance in the football field. And nobody can question John Terry’s performance. Every time he steps in the hallowed turf, he is captain fantastic. A captain has to be a leader and John Terry is a leader. The relationship we share with footballers begins in the field and ends in the field. His affairs, his transgressions, his mistakes, it’s not for us to judge. We are football fans not some gossip mongers. We are interested the 90 minutes he spends with us every weekend. What he does for the rest of the week is his life. The media will do what it has to get readers. And we being human beings are always more interested in the fall of a hero than the rise of a pauper. We feel good to see the black smears across the previously impeccable colors that decorated a champion’s character. But this is not the right way.
Of course, John Terry is a role model. He is an idol for children. And obviously we are worried about how children would react when they understand the lapse of their hero. But aren’t we the immediate role models of the children around us? What will they understand when they see their elders praise and worship someone for his admirable determination, and in the next moment they leave his side and point fingers at him and condemn him? Such swift changes of opinions swayed by a few printed words in the gossip columns of a hungry newspaper. Is that who we are?
I am not a big supporter of John Terry but that’s because he plays for a rival team. And I will denounce him and scream my lungs out, for every tackle he gets wrong. But never for what he does in his non-football life. I know him as a footballer. A proper footballer. And I respect his commitment for his team. His private life is his private life. We only share the blissful realm of the football world and I will not lose my respect because of some stupid things he did. We are all vulnerable to stupidity. And this is after all a world cup year.
If you don’t agree with all of this and still chastise Terry for what he did, I have one question to ask. Its hypothetical but with possibilities of turning into a very real scenario. In July the 11th, the World Cup Final, when England are playing Argentina and Lionel Messi is racing through the ‘D’ area and there is only one chance for a defender to make a last ditch tackle, which England defender would you want to make that tackle?