There Are No Secrets in Sports Anymore

In these day where your entire life flows across the Information Super Highway (the internet for those who aren't old enough to remember those days) faster than Paris Hilton goes through boyfriends, is it any surprise that new secrets about athletes come forward with each passing day?

Last week we saw the allegations against Roger Clemens by the New York Daily News, detailing a decade-long affair with Mindy McCready, a report that the former country music star would not refute, despite denials from the Clemens camp. Knowing how much his defense against Brian McNamee's steroids allegations rode on his character, there is no doubt that Clemens didn't want this story leaked to the public. But now that it is, it seems like it is a snowball, just gathering debris as it makes its way down the hill.

Just days later, another story comes out, this one from the New York Post, linking the former All-star pitcher and former certain Hall of Famer Clemens to another woman, this time the ex-wife of golfer John Daly. When asked of the nature of their "friendship", Ms. Daly couldn't offer a denial, just replying "You know what, I'm really uncomfortable talking about this. I'm just going to have to say, 'No comment.'

And while Clemens has been steadfastly and personally refusing steroid allegations, he has refused to step up to a microphone and proclaim his innocence in these incidents. Maybe it is because there is no defense to for him to offer, or maybe his legal team is working on doing whatever it can to make sure the hole he's dug himself doesn't get any deeper.

Granted, Clemens isn't the only former athlete making these headlines this week. Former Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Laker forward Karl Malone is doing his fair share as well. The Buffalo News ran a story on Tuesday that reported that Malone had become a baby-daddy during his college tenure at Louisiana Tech, fathering a child with a then 13-year-old Gloria Bell. The article goes on to detail the various love children that Malone has spread across the country, including a pair of twins he fathered in high school, one of which is a WNBA player.

Last season we saw reports of Alex Rodriguez cohorting after hours with a stripper. He and his wife recently gave birth to a child; nice timing if you ask me. We also learned of Barry Bonds' longtime affair that lead to a lawsuit and posing for Playboy. Tom Brady, Matt Leinhart, Shawn Kemp, Latrell Sprewell; the list goes on and on.

But the point is this; there are no secrets anymore. These guys are learning first hand that every decision has a consequence and everything comes back to bite you in the end. All of them were in a position to make the right choice and instead opted for wrong one, leaving each with the fruits of their labors, having to try and rescue what credibility is left of their characters. And what of their loved ones, the ones that they chose to ignore during the decision making process, but have to be front and center for the downfall?

Every bad choice is made at your own risk, but if you stop and think about what you're doing, you'll see the right path is always in front of you. All you have to do is be responsible enough to take it.