Journalists can be the vein of all athletes' existences. They can write stories that, on most occassions, are false. As a result, the athlete's reputation can be tarnished. The athlete may not be seen in the same light ever again - despite the false allegation.
In response, most athletes don't do anything. That isn't the case with Brazillian footballer, Neymar Jr., who has sued a journalist for claiming he is addicted to whiskey, energy drinks and late-night gaming sessions.
The 33-year-old Brazil and Santos star's representatives, NR Sports, publicly responded to what they call 'reckless, defamatory, slanderous and false' accusations by journalist, Rodolfo Gomes.
Gomes had posted a video on his channel called, Futeboteco, in which he said: "He ’s hooked on whisky with energy drinks, smokes shisha and only goes to bed at 4:00-5:00am in the morning…" According to Gomes, Neymar has recently been drinking whiskey, smoking hookah, not following the training schedule and sleeping a lot during the day.
He added that Neymar won't play again this year and claims that Neymar's alleged late-night habits are having an impact on his team-mates. Gomes says training sessions have been pushed back in order for the ex-Barcelona and PSG forward to attend.
He also claims that new Santos boss, Juan Pablo Vojvoda, is thinking about moving training to an earlier time, in order to 'indirectly expose' the issue. Gomes' claims were repeated by other Brazilian publications, causing a media storm around Neymar, who is never far from the spotlight.
His representatives didn't take long to hit back, stating: "All civil and criminal legal measures are being taken to hold those involved accountable." The player himself appeared to make light of the accusations on his own social media page.
On his Instagram story, he shared a picture of an energy drink can, along with the caption: "ADDICTED to Red Bull. That one’s great," followed by a winking emoji. Neymar is currently sidelined with yet another muscle problem in what has been an injury-plagued career.
During Santos training on 18 September, he suffered a grade two tear in his quadriceps and is expected to be out of action until November. He broke his foot and tore ligaments in his ankle at PSG, tore his ACL while at Al-Hilal and is already listed as having three separate muscle injuries at Santos.
He returned to his boyhood club last year but so far it has been a chaotic comeback. In August, the club's ultras angrily confronted Neymar and the entire squad outside the training ground after a 6-0 defeat that had left the forward in tears.
The assembled squad were told: "What's happening on the pitch is not enough."
ESPN Brazil also reported that the players were threatened with violence at the CT Rei Pele facility, adding that Neymar told the ultras they are, "trying to change things." "I'm ashamed," Neymar said. "I'm totally disappointed with our performance."
"The fans have every right to protest, obviously without using violence... but if they want to curse and insult, they're in their right. It's a feeling of extreme shame. I've never experienced this in my life. Unfortunately, it happened."
"The tears were from anger, from everything. Unfortunately, I can't help in every way. Anyway, it was total s***, that's the reality."
Neymar, Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances, hasn't played for the Selecao since suffering a devastating knee ligament injury against Uruguay in October 2023 that ruled him out for a year.
New Brazil boss, Carlo Ancelotti, recently told L'Equipe: "A national team needs to have the most talented players. It is obvious, right? But a talented player also needs to be physically fit. He needs to be 100%, not 80%. Neymar is improving his fitness. He is undoubtedly the most talented Brazilian player. But I want him to be in perfect shape so he can play. He can participate in the World Cup if he is physically fit. From a technical standpoint, there is no debate."
The forward did not leave this report unanswered. According to his father, Neymar considered these accusations completely false and intends to sue the journalist for slander. The striker’s father emphasized that the footballer will not refrain from taking legal action to protect his reputation.
This might be controversial but I applaud Neymar's reaction. Journalists need to understand that they can't write anything they want. They need to be careful as to what they report. They aren't immune from getting into trouble. Spreading false and possible derogatory information isn't right.
Yes, there's Freedom of Speech. However, there comes a point where the line in the sand is drawn and should never be crossed.