Boozer, privacy and Money

I heard on the radio, Wednesday, that a reality show contestant from Salt Lake named Michelle Money claims to have had an affair with the Carlos Boozer while he was married and playing in Utah.

What a shocker.

I heard similar stories while he was in Utah, but didn’t publish them because I didn’t have first-hand knowledge, and besides, the rumors seemed to be merely prurient and not necessarily related to his basketball performance. There was the one post-season when he was in a funk, but at the same time, having an outside interest doesn’t seem to affect numerous other athletes who conduct affairs.

While some people seem to think Salt Lake is immune from such stories, it isn’t. Boozer allegedly met Money when he played for the Jazz. Ex-Jazz player Luther Wright said in his book that he had no problem whatsoever hooking up with women in Salt Lake. It’s a simple formula.

Suffice it to say that in spite of Utah’s straight-laced reputation, there is never a shortage of women interested in finding NBA players. Some do it for the thrill, some hoping to cash in and some do it for the bragging rights. When I covered the Jazz as a beat writer, I saw a few players on the road with women that weren’t their wives. I saw a lot of women waiting in lobbies of hotels where the team stayed.

One man — apparently a spurned husband — sent our newspaper pictures of different women who he claimed had slept with a married Jazz player.

I once had a political writer ask me why we didn’t write about NBA player affairs. An NBA player who cheats? Isn’t that like “NBA Player Wants to Win!”

And unlike a cheating politician, it doesn’t potentially compromise national security.

So while it’s lurid and gossipy, it’s not necessarily newsworthy. (I know, the Internet has redefined news; but where does the intrusion end?)

Is there really enough space in the paper – or even on the Internet – to chronicle every cheating athlete?

If it isn’t directly related to performance, eligibility or some possible legal situation (Brett Favre, for instance) it’s just “Gotcha!” bottom feeding.

( In this case, maybe the media didn’t have a choice. After all, it was Money who brought up the subject on the reality show “The Bachelors.”)

I didn’t really even like the Salt Lake media following Madonna and Dennis Rodman around Salt Lake during the playoffs several years ago. If they’re out on the town, a few paparazzi-like photos seem OK to me. But in the end, I still hang to the outdated notion that an athlete has a right to at least some sort of personal privacy.

Besides, I never signed up to be a celebrity gossip reporter.