Richard Keogh and the long road to redemption

That I can say I feel for Richard Keogh this morning is not the same as saying that he was not guilty of an appalling error of judgment, to put it at its mildest, for his involvement in the events which culminated in the car crash on Tuesday night. One that saw two of his Derby County team mates arrested on drink-driving charges and the club captain and Irish international sustaining a serious knee injury.

That the tabloid headlines have been able to indulge in their familiar penchant for snappy puns and alliteration — ‘Derby Demolition’, ‘Footie Stars Booze Crash Crocks Keogh’ — is only because the consequences of the accident were not as grave as they might easily have been: the accompanying front page photo of a Range Rover crumpled against a signpost is all the evidence you need to appreciate that the occupants were lucky to get away with their lives.