Finally, the English FA displayed a spine. They suspended Wayne Rooney two matches for swearing into the camera. He appealed, and they upheld his suspension. Rio Ferdinand termed this and the subsequent media reaction a lynching. Rooney was incredulous.

From Rooney’s response statement:

“I am not the first player to have sworn on TV and I won’t be the last.

“Unlike others who have been caught swearing on camera, I apologised immediately. And yet I am the only person banned for swearing. That doesn’t seem right.

Rooney is no victim. He was not “caught swearing” in a moment of heat. He saw the camera, regarded it menacingly and swore deliberately, twice. The Premier League sells a product. TV is the primary source of revenue. It allows Wayne Rooney to earn nearly $300,000 per week. Not telling the customers to essentially “f–k off” and not frightening small children seem like reasonable requests. Arresting him might be extreme, but his actions were inappropriate.

His response reveals the truth. He has the mentality of a coddled child. Rooney evades responsibility. It’s incomprehensible to him that his actions, after he said he was sorry, would still have consequences. Fine when you’re five, not twenty-five. Looking at John Terry, Ashley Cole and Steven Gerrard, the mind set appears to be pervasive. It’s not surprising England’s “golden generation” has produced no gold.

P.S. I love that the EPL spares no expense eradicating awesome goals from the Internet, but leaves fights, malfeasances and leg-breaking tackles readily available on YouTube.