Originally posted by Red Pat:
<strong>It seems to me that Bowyer is a very nasty piece of work and hardly a model employee. Getting drunk to the point of losing it is not ideal behaviour from an England International and keeping company with blokes who put people in hospital aint too clever either. At 19 years he is old enough to know better. You have only to watch his enraged face on the football field to recognise that he has a very low flash point.
I think Leeds are very wise to unload him though I doubt they will succeed.</strong><hr></blockquote>
In my line of work, we have many people coming through the criminal justice courts who have severe problems with substance abuse or anger control--usually expressed by slamming a car into a bus while loaded or pounding the wife because irritated. Within the confines of the criminal system our probation departments will monitor athe people through programs designed to address the isues. If Bowyer has the problems you describe, it is more in the interests of the Leeds club to "provide counselling" than to jettison an obvious talent or just take his money as "punishment."
Once again, referring to the criminal law system--until 18 the kid is a "juvenile" and unless found "unfit" for the juvenile system, treated differently than adult criminals. No offense to you Brits, but aren't a lot of your football players culled from the less-educated "working class?" If so, would it stand to reason that Bowyer is basically a young, undeucated, irresponsible kid with far too much independence and money for his own good?
Many of our younger pro athletes [in the USA]also fall into a life of substance abuse, fathering children out of wedlock, and violence (with more than a few homicides or brutal beatings thrown in). The fact is, and we might do well to remember this, that dispite the money and fame, they are a bunch of stupid little kids who frankly not only don't know any better, but have been so pampered and praised for athletic prowess that they really think they don't have to conform to societal norms.
Hell--if all Bowyer abused was alcohol and the only weapon used was his hands or feet, maybe he wasn't so bad after all.