Does Marlon King deserve another chance?

Marlon King is nothing if not prolific. Unfortunately for King, it has nothing to do with his performances on the pitch but rather his chequered and sinister criminal past. The former Wigan striker was recently released from prison after only serving half his term following a conviction for assault. The disgraced striker is now looking for a new club, with Coventry boss Aidy Boothroyd, previously King’s manager at Watford keen to bring him to the Ricoh Arena.

In my opinion, the apparent ease in which King is able to search for a new job despite his criminal past is despicable and points to a serious moral dilemma that plagues professional sports. Only in professional sports can a three time convict for assault even entertain the possibility of securing a job at the same level as someone who hasn’t committed a crime. If King was in any other profession other than in professional sports, there is no doubt his ability to find employment would be severely hampered if not totally destroyed.

The only reason that players such as King get another chance is on account of their ability but in King’s case, even that can be questioned.

King has played for nine clubs in his truncated career where he has scored 121 goals, but has failed to produce when making the step up to Premiership football, scoring only 8 goals in his time in the top-flight.

As a professional footballer, King has a position in the public eye and as a role model for kids who routinely watch their teams play week in and week out. What kind of message does a football club present to those people if it allows a serial criminal the chance to play for the team and earn a princely wage while doing so?

Now, I’m all for giving people a second chance to prove that they have changed. King has been given numerous second chances and he has so far refused to change his behaviour, with King’s most recent conviction being the last of 12 previous offences with which King has been formally charged. As a result of his pathological criminal behaviour, King has exercised the patience and the forgiveness of many fans who have previously given King the benefit of the doubt.

The British public are a notoriously forgiving people and have embraced the romance of a good comeback story. Take Tony Adams as an example. The Arsenal defender had a notorious problem with alcoholism which eventually led to Adams being imprisoned for drink driving in 1990. Adams battled with his addiction for six years before finally coming out to the public and admitting his problem. Adams’ battle with alcohol addiction and his subsequent triumph over it has brought much praise upon Adams and he has done much in the footballing community to highlight the problem of addiction, setting up the Sporting Chance Clinic to help players overcome their difficulties.

Unlike Adams, King has failed to acknowledge responsibility for his actions and has expressed no remorse for doing what he did, despite all of the evidence to the contrary. Without accountability, King has no chance of moving on and learning from his mistakes.

I really do hope King does come out and proves me wrong. I really do hope he has learnt from his mistakes this time and has sincerely changed his behaviour for the good. But I won’t be holding my breath.

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