What now for Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and co?

We have said on many occasions on this blog that sports stars are role models for fans around the world.

There is one school of thought that individuals who excel in sport should not also be expected to be paragons of virtue.

But the fact remains, brands around the world sell more products through association with sports stars, clubs and events that tap into their target audiences.

And sports stars are inevitably in the public eye, so their deeds good and bad are reported far and wide.

At Calacus, we are proud to work with a wide range of sports stars and organisations who want to give back to society through sport, for instance by supporting those affected by crime, wars or disease.

It has been refreshing in these unusual times to see footballers and others taking the lead to encourage us to keep fit and also to remind us all to stay at home.

One such tweet came from Jack Grealish, the Aston Villa midfielder being tipped as a future England star and set for a big money move to one of the game’s giants this summer.

So it was unfortunate, let alone reckless, that within a day, Grealish was seen to be flouting government advice after an accident involving his car in the early hours of the very next morning.

There is no golden hour in a crisis anymore, with witnesses sharing images of Grealish and his damaged car within minutes.

We have yet to hear how his car ended up crashing into parked vehicles and whether that was caused by reckless driving or worse.

To the player’s credit, he took to Twitter again the next day and issued an apology.

Accepting your mistake and vowing to learn from it is a good way of showing an understanding of the situation – as long as you don’t do it again.

Grealish does have some previous, having been photographed blind drunk a few years ago, but seemed to have his head down and focused on his playing career.

Kyle Walker, the Manchester City and England defender, has also had reason to apologise after hosting a sex party despite having previously taken to Twitter to remind his 1.5m followers to stay home.

Walker’s actions prompted a statement from both the player and the club, who notably reminded him that players are “role models”.

Walker also has previous, hitting the headlines as one of the first players to have taken nitrous oxide, known as hippy crack and then having an affair with a reality star who then became pregnant with his child, resulting in the break-up of his long-term relationship.

Both Walker and Grealish have to do more than just apologise, of course.

They have to show sincere remorse and take action to right their wrongs – and show that they are doing it for the right reasons (i.e. because it is the right thing to do) rather than just improve their image and allay fears from clubs or managers thinking of buying or selecting them.

Donating the equivalent of the price of his car to help local community or health projects is one way Grealish can demonstrate his understanding of the mistake he has made, regardless of the fact that he has been fined by his club already.

For Walker, supporting local Manchester projects will start the healing process as far as his reputation is concerned but there is a long road back for him after successive scandals.

And what of the other players Grealish was with on his night out?

According to reports, at least two other Premier League players were with Grealish partying during the lockdown.

They will surely be hoping that their identities do not become public and in doing so, rather than facing up to their responsibilities, will hope that, essentially, they have got away with it.

Our advice to those players would be to speak to their clubs now and admit their involvement, and then making public statements as well as similarly generous contributions to local worthwhile projects.

Failing to tell the whole truth now could affect their long-term careers far more than admitting their guilt while the story is still fresh.

The alternative is to hope that no one ever reveals their involvement, which in this day and age is unlikely.

That’s a risk they shouldn’t even contemplate taking.