It's Jakes Actually

While waiting for my ‘chicken chow mein’ at my local Chinese Take-Away, I could not resist paging through an old copy of the YOU magazine. Along with the cover and most of the inner content, anything Joost van de Westehuizen took preference. Whether it was an old (pun intended) flame coming forward or a rather evasive interview with the one time World Cup winner, all that was Joost took centre stage. I read the interview, glancing from time to time to the counter hoping my dinner was not ready as I was quite interested in learning more about this former rugby great’s indiscretions.

“Order number 24!” brought my fact finding mission to an end. The walk home got me thinking about various celebrity scandals over the last few years. ‘Hansiegate’and the Marion Jones, BALCO fiasco come to mind. All these had something in common: the individuals involved initially denied any involvement and some even went as far as threatening legal action to “clear” their name. One only has to pick up a newspaper and Tiger Woods and his extramarital shenanigans dominate the headlines.

It then dawned on me… how many of the other sporting stars or celebrities cleared of doing all sorts of ghastly things are actually guilty? Has the fact that a massive bank balance can silence even the greediest of witness or fund the best lawyers available to man played a huge part in covering up the wrong doings of the rich and famous? Look how far Bill Clinton went to clear his name and then eventually succumbed to the truth; add to that the OJ Simpson circus. It is amazing how a few million bucks and a famous smile can sway a judge or the public’s opinion for that matter. Will the first billionaire sportsman be able to sign his way out of this one?

Are those involved “innocent of all charges” or are they “charged for innocence”?

Aard