One man’s trauma and vulnerabilities

We don’t owe our modern greats anything, all of them were suitably compensated for services rendered, but one suffered more than most for wearing green and white hoops.  For what he endured to play for and manage Celtic, Neil Lennon will always receive my respect and gratitude.

He became the most racially abused person in Scotland’s history.  Even his treatment by his peers at court is a stain on a nation that lies to itself about its collective moral code with great conviction.

Oh, you didn’t know about the vulnerabilities?  Well, he has only written about and discussed them for the best part of a decade.  There can be no doubt these wounds were exposed during 2020.  When he needed support, he found levels of hostility without precedent, from some, because of his race, from others, because of football results.

The man at the centre of the storm will not care where you to fit these two groups into an ethical hierarchy, but I suspect I know the actions of which caused the most emotional trauma.  Still, football results, and all that.  Just because we can find a neighbour below us on the ethical scale, does not make us ethical.