Mason Greenwood
(Picture: Manchester United via Getty Imag)The first word came from Manchester United at 8.26 yesterday morning. They simply could not stay silent. Nor can football.
The distressing images and audio posted on social media of a young woman bloodied and bruised could not be ignored.
And no matter how valuable Mason Greenwood is — or how prodigious his talent — such allegations are so much bigger than that.
“We are aware of images and allegations circulating on social media,” said a United spokesperson. “We will not make any further comment until the facts have been established. Manchester United do not condone violence of any kind.”
That, in itself, was a bold move and acknowledgement of the situation.
Rumours and sordid allegations swirl around on social media on an a near-daily basis. It is the nature of the modern world, of high definition cameras on phones and the power of just about anybody who owns one to become a global publisher.
Fabulously wealthy young people, not just elite footballers, know their moves can be constantly tracked and they have teams of handlers dedicated to dealing with problematic content.
United could have buried their heads in the sand, could have left it in the hands of the police, but they could not remain silent and a later statement confirming “Mason Greenwood will not return to training or play matches until further notice,” was evidence of the hard-line stance they will take.
The 20-year-old has now been arrested on suspicion of rape and assault and was still being questioned this morning. Greenwood has not been charged, let alone faced trial. He is innocent until proved guilty but United have made the right call — and what should be the only call — while the police carry out their investigation, but football and the entertainment industry have not always worked like that.
Greenwood’s talent and value, estimated in the region of £100million, simply cannot be allowed to come into the equation.
There is a legal process that now needs to be carried out, but United cannot allow Greenwood to play on with such serious allegations hanging over his head.
As a brand, they cannot risk the reputational damage of him wearing the shirt and being celebrated on the pitch — and we cannot be so naive as to think that is not a factor for any club that relies so heavily on global marketing partners. No organisation wants to be linked with such allegations.
But United’s responsibility as ambassadors should be so much more important than their responsibility to shareholders.
Football clubs, at their core, belong to a community. These days, that community is much bigger than the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway workers, who founded Newton Heath in 1878 — it is global. But the club still have a responsibility to each and every member of that community, just as they do to football and society at large.
They have a responsibility to young girls, who have been made to believe that football is just as much for them as it is boys, be it on the pitch or in the stands.
They have a responsibility to children and young people: to prove to them that no amount of talent is above right and wrong.
That is important to parents, teachers and coaches, who work so hard to discipline and keep those in their care on the right path.
That is something clubs have worked hard to instil through their academy programmes. They focus on shaping good people, as well as good footballers.
Education is important, and while they are committed to that, it is, ultimately, about the business of football.
The lines between right and wrong are blurred, excuses are made, behaviour enabled.
This is that line-in-the-sand moment. This is about values, not value.
