There’s the value and then there’s the cost. For Shane Ryan, the value of this decision is obvious: a six-figure payout, the kind that doesn’t come along too often in the life of a professional swimmer. But then there is the cost, which amounts to shredding his sporting legacy.
Every medal he won, every Olympics he contested and every Irish record he set will now be accompanied, whether it’s fair or not, by an asterisk. Every kid he inspired. Every coach and teammate he made proud. All of that goodness will forever be followed with a giant, unignorable, ‘Yeah, but….’
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