Those that know me well will know I am an avid Watford FC fan (Championship League, UK - soccer). One of our heroes from a few seasons ago was Marlon King. In the season before we last got promoted to The Premiership he was our top goal scorer and became a Watford “god”. Through the season chants were sung regularly through the matches of “E i e i e i o, up the Football League we go, when we win promotion we are going to sing, we’ve got Marlon we’ve got Marlon we’ve got Marlon King! “.
We knew Marlon had a short spell in jail for getting involved with a stolen car, but I guess he was just viewed as a loveable rogue. The picture below was taken at the 2007 Club Awards night when I sat on the same table as him.
Now, however, a more sinister side of Marlon has been revealed (see below from BBC website). I don’t know why so many footballers think they can behave like this. Too much money, being fawned over so they really think they are “god”. Maybe in that way, I am part of the problem. We put these guys up so high, they think they are way above everyone else.
I feel very disappointed in the guy, but alas it seems he is just a total idiot.
By the way, he has a property on The Palm, so if you know where it is you can probably get a good rental deal on it – he won’t be needing it for a while!
Wigan to sack jailed striker King
King will be left without a club once he has served his sentence
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan says Marlon King will never play for the club again after he was jailed for 18 months.
The striker, 29, was found guilty of sexual assault and actual bodily harm after he had been "cold-shouldered" by a female student in a London nightclub.
The incident occurred last December while he was on loan at Hull.
Whelan told BBC Radio 5 live: "We will now be in the process of severing his contract. To say the least I am really, really disappointed."
Whelan, who only learned on Tuesday that King was on trial at Southwark Crown Court, must follow Premier League rules and pay the player's wages for 14 days before terminating his contract.
The Latics chairman went on: "It's really upsetting and it just sets such a bad example for any youngster coming through who wants to be a professional footballer.
"He was on loan at the time to Hull City but I don't blame Hull City. Marlon King has got to accept full responsibility for this."
After groping and punching his victim at the Soho Revue Bar, breaking her nose, King briefly returned to Hull before spending a subsequent spell on loan at Middlesbrough.
The father of three, born in Dulwich, south London, finally made his way back to Wigan in the summer, but is now left without a club.
In 2002 King served five months of a two-year prison sentence for handling a stolen car before being released on appeal.
Whelan explained how King had kept the club in the dark about the incident.
"It's been kept quite secret by the player. We knew he did something but we didn't know exactly what it was. When you read how serious it was, I mean striking a girl and breaking her nose and messing about like that, we didn't realise the severity of what was happening here.
"We knew he'd been charged with something but I was shocked by what he had actually done and I was shocked by the sentence. But if he deserves it then he's got to do it.
The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict against King
"I sat down with Marlon at the start of the season and said 'Marlon, if you want to play for Wigan Athletic you've got to settle down, train hard and go on the field and give your best.
"He never mentioned anything about this case and he promised me that he was going to train hard and he actually has trained hard, I have to say that.
"Once he's served his sentence, if he manages to get back into football, so be it, but he will never pull on the shirt of Wigan Athletic again."
The Jamaica international started his league career with Barnet, before moving to Gillingham.
He was also signed to Nottingham Forest, who briefly loaned him out to Leeds United, and subsequently Watford.
In January 2008, he made his move to Wigan for an initial £3m on a three-and-a-half year contract with a £40,000-a-week salary.
