Sporting heroes fall from grace

We hear the ads for the British Sporting Heroes photographic exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery are giving cause for concern.

The posters, for the exhibition which begins on Friday, show a number of the UK’s sporting great and good. One features Will Carling, who currently labours under the sobriquet “Love Rat” after leaving his latest girlfriend and child.

Is this the sort of heroic behaviour that exhibition sponsor Redwood Publishing supports?

The Diary has a few other bright ideas for Redwood sports sponsorship projects. What about footballer John Hartson as a frontrunner for the “sporting good neighbour” award? Stan Collymore would steal the “Ike Turner award for good relations”. Then there’s Paul Gascoigne: surely worth a hall of fame award for his spotless dedication to sporting excellence?