Footballers are often accused of being too aloof. They don't interact with fans. It's almost a them-and-us scenario. They are protected by agents, press officers and security. The nearest most supporters get to players is when they watch them arrive at stadiums — from behind barriers, of course.
So what happened when Wayne Rooney had a few drinks with guests at a wedding in the England hotel last Saturday night? He was turned over by those he had befriended, who sold photographs to a tabloid. The "disgusted" red top which published them is hardly a paragon of virtue and is despised on Merseyside, where Rooney comes from, for its lying coverage of the Hillsborough tragedy. Yet the red top, which carries classified ads of, let's say, an adult nature, will claim some sort of moral justification because the story saw Rooney apologize and prompted the Football Association to review how England players spend their spare time on international duty.
This, by the way, is the F.A. which, in recent years, had Carlsberg as its official beer while the F.A. Cup was sponsored by Budweiser. It wants alcohol's money, but please don't indulge in the product.