Now I'm a big NFL (National Football League) fan and recently one of the star players (who plays for my favourite team to boot) had a civil suit filed against him by a woman saying he sexually assaulted her.

He says he's innocent and his lawyer vows he will defend the case vigorously. A few years ago Kobe Bryant faced charges of a similar nature and, of course, good-old Mike Tyson went to prison for rape. Even soccer stars like Cristiano Ronaldo have had their names come up even once.

Whether all these women are really victims or devious schemers, I don't know, I wasn't there when it all went down. Whether these men are raving lunatics who think they can have any woman, any time, I don't know, I only see them participate in sports. But anybody who doesn't think professional athletes can be capable of rape, or that there aren't women out there who will make up a story to get money, is naive. But none of this ticks me off.

Ignore them

What does is that sportsmen keep putting themselves in these situations. Haven't they learnt yet? If you never have sex with, touch, or 'rub up on' a woman you barely know in the first place, she cannot accuse you of anything except ignoring her (and that ain't no crime). Don't let her into the house (or hotel room), she can't say you 'troubled' her behind closed doors. Don't start flirting with her, she can't say you tried to seduce her. Get what I'm saying, guys?

Money grubbers

What bothers me even more is that these blokes have been around enough women in their lifetime to know the ones who are airheads, the ones who are money grubbers and those who are genuine wife material. For some reason, they never seem to gravitate towards the 'wifeys' but always to the gold-diggers. When they do marry, most times the woman is their high school or college sweetheart. But if a guy enters professional sports at age 23 or younger, unmarried, he is like a sexual assault/rape/carnal abuse case waiting to happen.

And, even the married ones can't seem to stay out of trouble. What always puzzles me is that their wives are usually pretty, have been with them even before they became megga stars, and have birthed them lovely children. Yet, here comes some little miss in a skimpy skirt with a cutish giggle and 'dem tun eediat'!

Men, especially those in the public domain, need to keep the little puppy in their trousers on a leash before they end up muzzled behind bars. Ruff!

Tell me how to keep guys out of trouble at daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com