It's easy to criticize England's Football Association (FA) for its high profile flops and failures, but this article isn't about one of those unfortunate incidents. This is a compliment to the English FA for showing compassion to a man in his time of need.
Jake Livermore faced a possible two year suspension after testing positive for cocaine use in May of this year. Normally I am happy for the FA and any Club to drop the hammer on a player who tests positive for a banned substance. Only in this case there was an extremely large extenuating circumstance. Livermore had just suffered the death of his newborn child before the failed test.
Yesterday, BBC Sport broke the story that after the FA's disciplinary hearing the provisional suspension against Livermore had been lifted. This means that he is now eligible from the FA's perspective to play immediately. The 25 year old midfielder has not been reinstated by Hull City as of yet but I expect that's just a formality.
In today's world where everyone seems to be against showing compassion to any human being I was relieved to see Livermore receive just that from the FA. As our social media timelines are filled with our fellow citizens arguing about whether or not to extend aid to immigrants it was refreshing to see this small kindness paid to a man in need.
As a father I can't imagine what I would do if I were to lose a child. Using an illicit substance would probably not be my therapy of choice but I can't really know since I'm never been in that position. Maybe I would go that route. Perhaps my vice would be something legal, but it might be even more morally reprehensible. The point is that thankfully, few among us can know how we'd react. He underwent a terrible tragedy at a young age and made a substantial mistake. His punishment was a several month suspension and having his name dragged through the mud in the press. That seems a sufficient price to pay for a moment of weakness after a tragedy.
So well done to the English FA for making the right, compassionate call on the Livermore case. Your stock just went up a tick in my book.
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