COMMENT: The rules are easy to understand and apply to millionaire sports stars as well as the public... so why was Jack Grealish out? He has soured football's efforts during the coronavirus crisis and his England dream is now in doubt

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Why was he out? Barely a day after tweeting a message that read 'Protect the NHS. Stay home. Save lives', why did Jack Grealish seemingly leave his? 

His own instructions to his 290,000 Twitter followers were clear; they echoed those issued by the government to try to slow the spread of coronavirus in the UK. Questions are being asked about why Grealish did not follow his own advice?

West Midlands Police are investigating reports that a white Range Rover had crashed into two parked cars in Dickens Heath, Solihull, early on Sunday morning. One witness told MailOnline of 'partying' in the area that went on 'overnight'.

Grealish was said to have 'partied overnight' by a witness in Dickens Heath, Solihull

Grealish is pictured walking away, said to be close to the scene of a Range Rover crash on Sunday morning in a Birmingham suburb

The white Range Rover is pictured after the crash in the Dickens Heath area of Solihull 

In the following 24 hours, pictures emerged on social media of Grealish said to be near the scene of the incident.

Unless he had gone outside for one of the four reasons listed by the government - to shop for basic necessities, to exercise once a day, for any medical need, or travelling to work if it is not possible to work from home – Grealish showed, at best, an error of judgement. There has not been a word from player or club.

The measures could not be simpler to understand. They apply to millionaire sports stars just as they do to ordinary members of the public.

This is a public health crisis affecting the entire globe, with citizens required to observe strict social distancing rules to prevent national health services becoming overwhelmed. Grealish must adhere to those procedures just like everyone else.

The white Range Rover was pictured damaged after reports of a crash with parked cars

The Aston Villa star's alleged actions look worse when football is showing the best of itself

Football has shown the best of itself during this crisis. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville and Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha have made their properties available to NHS workers.

United and England striker Marcus Rashford has been working with the charity FareShare to ensure children who relied on free school meals have enough food. 

Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld has pledged to donate tablet devices to hospitals and nursing homes to help sick people stay in touch with family and friends. Clubs have offered to give the NHS use of their inactive stadiums.

In this context, the weekend pictures do not reflect well on Grealish.

The likes of Marcus Rashford have been helping those in need during the coronavirus crisis

Roman Abramovich (left) and Gary Neville (right) gave NHS staff free accommodation 

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha is another to have made his properties available

Now 24, Grealish has made mistakes in the past but he appeared to have learned from them. 

He played a prominent role in Villa winning promotion back to the Premier League last season and was one of the stars of the current campaign before Covid-19 led to the suspension of all action in the top four divisions earlier this month.

In a poor Villa team he has been inspirational at times, single-handedly keeping them in with a chance of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship.

Even before posting his video message about protecting the NHS, Grealish had sent a personal message to Villa supporter Matt Dockray, who has been in hospital with coronavirus, urging him to 'stay safe'.

Grealish's performances this season have made England manager Gareth Southgate sit up and take note but Southgate values character just as highly as technical ability. 

He expects players to make good decisions off the pitch as well as on it. Grealish's dream is to represent England at senior level but Southgate, like the rest of the football world, will be following this story with interest.

Grealish's England aspirations could take a hit as Gareth Southgate values character

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