John Terry

So, John Terry is Tiger Woods. Big deal. I'm going to throw down some stuff here which might get a bit random. It's a brain dump, as an old boss used to put it.

Vanessa Perroncel is Wayne Bridge's EX-girlfriend.
His ex. Now, I know it's tough when someone you consider a friend or at least a colleague - especially in a team situation where you suffer pretty much the full range of emotions as a collective - gets involved with your ex, especially if it was a particularly close relationship at one time or, indeed, if you still harbour feelings that perhaps she doesn't. (What am I, an agony aunt?!) She's his ex girlfriend and shit happens.

Now, I'm guessing we get to the point where someone says "But he's married!". Yes, true. But how often has this been the subject of the media criticism? My interpretation of the media coverage is that it's less despicable for him to cheat on his wife than it is for him to be involved with his (ex) team mate's (ex) girlfriend. They're not saying that outright, but there is far more mention of Wayne Bridge and Vanessa Perroncel than there is of John Terry's wife. I don't even know her name....Mrs. Terry then. (Toni, apparently).

He may have paid for an abortion. Hey hippies, this happens and it's not illegal. The (im)morality of abortion is another conversation, and my mention of it here does not necessarily indicate my opinion of it.

He tried to gag the media. You wouldn't? He's the face of several commercial products and his advertising income must be astronomical. This will probably all go to shit now the story has broken. I'm not saying he deserves sympathy. He made his own bed, after all. But you can't blame him for trying to protect his income with a cover up.

Now here's the more controversial stuff:

John Terry was exponentially more likely to marry his wife when he became a millionaire football player. In fact, his wife was exponentially more likely to marry him when she found out he was a wealthy football player. I don't know the history, so it'll probably transpire that they've been sweethearts since primary school and married since they were sixteen. At the time of writing, I'm betting not. John Terry would never have met Vanessa Paradiddle had he not been a football player and neither, I suspect, would Wayne Bridge. If Wayne Bridge and John Terry were stacking shelves in Tesco, no one would give a shit. Why? Because a) it wouldn't have happened at all given that models are not interested in shelf stackers, and b) if JT had got it on with Bridge's ex while he was married...again, so what? Would Tesco fire him? No. Would Tesco demote him? No. They'd tell them to sort it out and get back to work. The wife would either leave or they would sort it out and put it behind them. And we'd never know about it.
Here's another sordid point: If you think that JT is being unfair to his wife by having an affair, then he was unfair in the first place to marry her under false pretences. I'm sure he does love her. I'm sure she loves him. Now take away her good looks and his status and see how long that lasts.
"We're doing it for the kids"
Yeah, ok....we'll see.
If you place Vanessa Perroncel or a female of similar form in front of Joe Normal and they show an above average interest in him, you'll see that it would take a particularly resolute Joe to not reciprocate that interest. It's the way stuff goes.