The Rehabilitation Punt

SPEAKING of former AFL stars - but without condemning James Hird to guilt by association - my initial reaction to news of Wayne Carey's appearance on tonight's Enough Rope with Andrew Denton was jaded cynicism. The chat show unbosoming is nowadays the sine qua non of salvaging career and reputation following any kind of scandal - along with the undertaking to seek "counselling," address "issues" and attend "rehab." The alternative is to ride out the storm, ignore the crisis and make no admissions whatsoever - think Ben Cousins, Amy Winehouse and Barack Obama. But this is fraught with terrible repercussions for the afflicted ones who aren't rich, stoic or humble enough to survive without their financial, artistic or political endorsements. That's why celebrity handlers love the new confessional box - the TV. I haven't changed my mind about the timing of Carey's "acknowledgement" of drug and alcohol problems. It does, after all, follow his arrest in the United States for allegedly smashing a glass in his girlfriend's face at a swank hotel in Miami. But was he behind the eight-ball from the start? I read this and thought yes, maybe he was - the unfortunate fellow.