What Keeps the Bad Boys in Football Busy

With all the fame and fortune that is to be found when you’re a professional football player, there are those who take advantage of that and spiral out of control. But who are these bad boys of football, and what are their vices?

For some, it is online gambling. There are records of popular sports personalities who have been bitten by the gambling addiction.

Let’s face it. While online games can be really exciting, people should be wary about getting too engrossed with the games. One has to learn his limits and only continue playing without putting their bank accounts in danger.

 Certified Bad Boy of Football

Take for instance the case of the legendary football player Matthew Etherington, who admitted he burned about £1.5 million in online gambling. He was so ashamed of what he did, that he even tried to keep his gambling problem from his family. He always gambled on his salary. On average, he burned about £20, 000 per month on gambling. This went on for many months until he realized that sadly, he had hit a hard wall.

Etherington in fact remembered that his matches almost meant nothing to him because all he wanted to do is turn on his mobile and find out if his horses actually won. He was so engrossed with gambling that he forgot to track down his expenses. This is surely a bad case of a gambling addiction. Although online gambling can be fun, it should not make you suffer for long afterwards. This is why gambling should be kept within boundaries. When you switch on to your favorite mobile casinos, make sure you have limits in mind and do all you can to stick to those limits.

In a Bad Light

Sad to say, Etherington is not alone. There are many football greats who have hit a brick wall. They conquered the spotlight, but not always in a good way. They made noise for all the wrong reasons.

First, there is Wayne Rooney who became quite very popular in the social media circuit lately due to a Twitter spat he had with a fan. He raised hell with this particular fan, which led to the exposure of all his dirty linens.

Second, there is Frank McAvennie. He became quite famous for being involved in an addiction. Unlike Etherington, his addiction was even worse than gambling; his vice was cocaine. His career with West Ham was peppered with lots of controversies involving drugs. There were even rumors that he scored drugs even while he was still a top-notch player, earning a the imaginary weekly amount of £5,000. At the time, he was circling the club scene. Afterwards, he was involved with a drug deal, which led him to Durham prison. It was an all-out fall from grace from then on.

Third, there is Mickey Thomas who was once a star player of Manchester United. He was caught in the crossfire when he got involved in money laundering trouble. He also had some stints in prison, not just for printing fake money but also for getting it on with his sister-in-law.

Certainly, there are many examples of football stars that received their fair share of limelight, for all the worst reasons.