The day after damning group sex allegations were raised against Matthew Johns and others on Four Corners, a builder friend of mine wanted to know if I'd heard about the foursome involving three prominent NRL players and a willing female.
"No, how many years ago was that," I asked.
"Years? About three weeks ago," came the reply.
I don't know whether it's true or not – and there are always plenty of rumours surrounding footy players – but it's believable.
As believable as the league star from the late 1970s-early 80s who told me about sex sessions at a local gym involving any number of willing females and players.
Just today a woman rang a Sydney talkback radio station to tell of her encounter with two well-known AFL players, accusing them of some sort of unwanted tag team contest in her bedroom.
We've also had a current, unnamed, representative league player come out to say David Gallop's threat to weed out undesirables and throw them out of the game will resonate little at 2am in a crowded bar.
That episodes like Cronulla's Christchurch scandal will continue to happen.
That players, under the influence of alcohol and peer pressure, will continue to take risks no matter what course the NRL puts them through or how many times the club's welfare officer explains right from wrong.
Most football players don't consider themselves superior to the rest of us.
But they are treated as being superior by a large majority of the general public.
Fact 1: Some women throw themselves at footballers;
Fact 2: The majority know how to behave appropriately and do the right thing;
Fact 3: A minority will risk putting their reputation – and that of their club and code – on the line by indulging in activities that may not match up to the moral standards set by those on the outside.
Yes, this author is a male and the slant here is from a male's perspective.
In no way can you can condone what happened in that Christchurch hotel in 2002 or on a dormitory bed at a Bathurst university.
"Horrific allegations," as one of my female friends said.
Agreed. 100 per cent.
But Matthew Johns has suffered a very heavy price for his moment of madness, losing his job, his reputation and putting his family though what wife Trish describes as 'a living hell'.
The woman known only as 'Clare' deserves our sympathy, understanding and any help that can be offered.
But please spare us the line about this being some sort of catalyst or a fork in the road as far as off-field behaviour of players.
Some of them will never get it.
As for many of those firing the shots at Johns and demanding others step forward to be burned at the stake, they either have short memories or live in homes devoid of mirrors.
The rattling you can hear is skeletons being hastily removed from closets.