Ricky Hatton copies Calzaghe

[Gandalf]

By going to clubs, speaking to young peole etc, you become a role model by default, but he is a parent, ads by yanks who have been paid by the likes of nike etc provide no excuses. All those in the public eye have a social responsibilty and it becomes more of a responsibility when a charasmatic young man like Ricky does it.

I am gutted by what Ricky has done, or been caught doing, let down greatly.

Maybe he'll have the balls to come out and a genuine apology

The point of the ad is true. It's simplistic but straightforward in nature with its message. Parents, guardians, the people that are directly involved in the young person's life are role models, not some athlete or public figure.

Only an idiot would allow their child to look at a Wayne Rooney, Tiger Woods, Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie as role models. It's the parents or guardians of that child that is a role model.

By going to clubs, speaking to young peole etc, you become a role model by default, but he is a parent, ads by yanks who have been paid by the likes of nike etc provide no excuses. All those in the public eye have a social responsibilty and it becomes more of a responsibility when a charasmatic young man like Ricky does it.

I am gutted by what Ricky has done, or been caught doing, let down greatly.

Maybe he'll have the balls to come out and a genuine apology

Half the adult male population of Britain have taken cocaine get a grip. If you are really concerned it should be for his health and well being. HE didn't reveal this, some dog bitch 'friend' of his secretly filmed him behind closed doors and then sold him out to a national newspaper.

If it was suddenly exposed that all but one of the entire England football team had been with a prostitute and taken cocaine at least once in their career, my only suprise would be the one who had managed to avoid those temptations!

By definition sportspeople are passionate, aggressive, emotionally driven people who crave a rush and adrenaline, and are very competitive. How else could they rise to the top? Of course they do things like cocaine, fuck loads of women and gamble etc when they have the opportunities.

Anyone who thought Ricky Hatton had never taken cocaine would be an idiot in my opinion.

Every politician will be corrupt in some way, just as will be every top businessman. Every young male sportsman will be either taking drugs, sleeping with people he shouldn't be, getting violent and or gambling, committing fraud etc.

The ones who don't are the exceptions.

And guess what, it's the same for all of us. If our lives were suddenly exposed and all our secret habits and indescretions revealed, how many would be entirely scandal free? I would imagine not many, and I'd also say if there was such a person, he'd also have led the dullest life.

100% right.

The amount of moral grandstanding in this thread is ridiculous. Hatton is human just like everybody else and just because he's in the public eye does not mean that he deserves to be held to some imposed moral standard by a bunch of people who have themselves done things that are much worse than snorting a few lines. Jesus.

I don't think it is so much a load of 'moral grandstanding', a lot of us are fans of Ricky Hatton and have supported him a lot over the years. The rumours of the heavy drinking and overeating have been rife for years and now with the posibility that he might have been abusing his body with drugs too. It's not good or healthy for anyone to be indulging in those things on a large scale basis.

People as a whole want what is best for Hatton. They care when they see one of their heroes struggling and dealing with his problems by resorting to booze and drugs. It's not so much taking a moral position, but saying that if things are not right in the world of Hatton, then this is probably not the most feasible way of trying to work it out. It will only lead to permanent bodily and mental damage.

For sure Hatton is human, so that makes it alright for us all to drink a dozen pints a day, snort rather large amounts of coke and to do that on a very regular basis (that is certainly what the rumours are suggesting)? It's hardly the recipe for a healthy satisfied life is it now? People care and just want to see a sick man get better.