Sport's fallen idols find out that notoriety is the real name of the game

The marriage was dissolved in 10 minutes, but the brief hearing in a Florida courtroom was reason enough to rake over the lurid details of the golfer's private life, which for the last nine months have captivated the public as much as his sporting achievements have ever done.

It didn't matter there weren't many details to flesh out this latest chapter in the fall of Tiger Woods. The cost of the settlement wasn't, and likely never will be, disclosed and the announcement was

accompanied by the usual vague conciliatory statements, which talked of "amicable discussions" and the happiness of their two children.

"The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation," concluded the joint statement, posted on Woods' website. "Which is why our privacy must be our principal concern".

Since the car crash outside the couple's home last November, which started the unravelling of Woods's previously carefully crafted image, the world number one has tried in vain to keep his private life from becoming gossip column fodder.

It hasn't worked and if he has learnt one thing by know it surely must be that when the media and the public smell a rat, they won't stop until it has been thoroughly exposed and intimately dissected.

"In one news bulletin I saw the other day, there were main stories on Manchester City's millions, England's World Cup bid and Woods," says Richard Cramer, founder and managing partner of Leeds-based sports and media firm FrontRow Legal. "Sport is no longer confined to the back pages and its stars are open to greater scrutiny than ever before.

"Woods always had an air of invincibility and I suspect he believed he was somehow untouchable. He's not alone, the same mental toughness which makes someone a winner can also make them believe they are beyond reproach. When they do get caught out, the cocoon they've grown up in is shattered and that can be very difficult to deal with."

However, with sports stars no longer content with the occasional Brut advert at Christmas or novelty record, the rules of what's off-limits have been rewritten. With many commanding deals worth millions of pounds for exclusive personal endorsements and inviting glossy magazines into their homes, public and private lives are no longer easily separated.

Brands like Gillette not only bought into Wood's image as the best golfer the world has ever seen, but the doting family man with a model wife and two beautiful young children. In exchange for a handsome cheque, sports stars agree to be ambassadors for a brand and it's not just their performance on the golf course or football pitch which count.

"The reputation of any sports star is their most valuable asset and once it's damaged it's not so easily restored," says Richard, who launched the specialist law firm earlier this year. "The media has the power to make or break individuals. Sometimes it is about getting to the truth, but other times it goes beyond that.

"It's a clich to say in this country we like to build our sport stars and celebrities up with the sole purpose of knocking them down, but it's true. It's almost become an infatuation. We have to remember that very often these people have a loose grasp on the real world.

"From a very young age their lives have been controlled by agents and public relations advisors, they have more money than they know what to do with and have been given carte blanche to do what they like.

"It's not necessarily an excuse, but it does shed some light on why

some go off the rails."

While Woods is currently public enemy number one in some quarters, the fall from grace roll- call gets longer by the month.

In the past few years, the likes of Sven Goran Eriksson, Ashley Cole and David Beckham have all seen their private lives scrutinised. Often the kiss-and-tell stories and candid nightclub pictures are brushed aside and it's not long before some other sports star takes their place in the spotlight. However, for some the effect of rumours and

conjecture are much more profound.

In the early 1990s, Diane Modahl was one of the country's leading

athletes, but following the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Lisbon, allegations the middle-distance runner had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs surfaced.

A year and several hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees later, doubts were cast over the accuracy of the tests and her ban was lifted. However, Modahl's fight to clear her name continued.

"When the story broke, Diane was prevented from speaking out and despite being subsequently cleared, some people will always believe there is no smoke without fire," says Richard, who has managed to secure Modahl as a guest speaker at a conference organised by FrontRow on sporting reputations next month. "While her case resulted in the entire drugs testing system being overhauled, the frenzy which accompanied the story did her an incredible amount of damage both financially and personally.

"When the public and the press move on, there is still sometimes an individual left picking up the pieces."

Sports stars have begun to fight back and in recent months there has been much debate over the rise of the super-injunction, which prevents the press even mentioning a ban on a particular story has been granted. An application for a super-injunction by John Terry, who claimed details of an extra-marital affair would infringe his right to privacy, were denied, but many do succeed and the stories which do find their way into the public domain are but the tip of a very large iceberg.

"It's a balancing act," adds Richard. "If they are knocked back, it often means the story snowballs. No one knows what would have happened to the John Terry story had he not tried and failed to get a super injunction granted. However, I suspect that it would not have exploded in quite the way it did.

"Whenever a story like that finds its way into the press, the question which is always asked is does a footballer's private life affect their ability to do their job on the pitch?

"There is no easy answer, but these days players are role models, they are ambassadors of their club and their game and there is an argument that given their status they should perhaps know better."

The rule of law is one thing, but thanks to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, comment pages and blogs, controlling reputations just got a lot harder.

In the modern digital age, the biggest threat to a sport star's image, like any other celebrity's, is the internet. Online, rumours can spread like wildfire and under the apparent cloak of anonymity, personal vendettas can be satisfied. FrontRow is currently acting for a former Rugby League star after an impostor set up a Facebook page in his name and proceeded to post potentially damaging comments in his name.

"New media has made publishers and broadcasters of everyone and information goes around the world in minutes," says Alastair Redfern, solicitor at FrontRow Legal. "People honestly believe they can say what they like on the internet and somehow it's beyond the law. It's not. As soon as you click the send button it is classed as an act of publication.

"People set up entire websites devoted to personally attacking

individuals, often with little thought to the consequences, but increasingly the victims are prepared to take legal action."

But as the law courts brace themselves for a rush of aggrieved stars, what now for Woods?

"I don't think his story will end without another twist," says Richard.

"Perhaps he will finally become a team player and perform at the Ryder Cup.

"What's certain is that should he win another major, and most people think he will, the sponsors who deserted him will be kicking themselves and everyone else will be hanging on his every word."

n FrontRow Legal's breakfast seminar, Reputation Management vs Image in the Modern Media will take place at Elland Road, Leeds, on September 17. For more details call 0113 390 7881.