The Rec or recreational drugs. That was the issue in front of me before I wrote this column.
At the start of this week – following the Charity Commission's latest negative statement about Bath Rugby's bid to stay at their historic home – I was all psyched up to fire off a tirade about the depressingly turbid negotiations surrounding the club's future at The Recreation Ground.
But then came the saddening and shocking news of Matt Stevens' drug problem.
Instantly, any idea of writing about The Rec was blown out of the water. There was only one option: and that was to write about Matt.
And, if you'll indulge me for a second, I think my reaction says a lot.
It says that, despite all the worrying, fretting, arguing, bickering, bitching and eye-rolling that goes on about where Bath will be playing next year or next decade, it's the players above all else that matter.
Without the players we have no game; and without the game we have no need for stadiums.
Stadiums without the magic of gifted players are dead, redundant places. What is needed to bring them alive is human drama.
And the tale of the fall from grace from the undeniably gifted Matt Stevens is a human – all too human – story.
Getting philosophical for a moment, the ancient Greeks defined a tragic hero as a man who in all respects exceeds the standards of normal men. In all respects, that is, other than one. And that one failing is his tragic flaw – the flaw that will knock him off his pedestal and bring him down onto the rocks.
At first Matt Stevens seems to fit this template almost too neatly.
He is a fine, strong athlete (at 26 he already has 32 England caps to his name). He has a beautiful voice that saw him appear before millions on television's Celebrity X Factor. He has riches, both through his personal success playing for Bath and England, and through his wealthy family in South Africa. He has done much for charity, earning the praise of no less a figure than Nelson Mandela. He has a kind and friendly manner that endears him to all he meets, and which made him one of the most popular public figures in Bath.
Such is his fame among non-rugby fans that he's probably one of the few rugby players your young niece can name.
He had already accomplished great things and was, so it seemed, marked out for even greater accomplishments.
But then emerged the flaw. And unlike your classic Shakespearean hero, it wasn't pride that was his downfall – it was something far more seedy: drugs.
There is, however, hope.
Unlike a tragic hero, Stevens' decline is not irrevocable.
Although having to face his demons will be a painful process, he still has time to do this before returning to the fray a fitter, healthier and more focused rugby player.
When I interviewed Stevens last week for the Chronicle's website, www.thisisbath.co.uk, he seemed nervy and on-edge. His drugs test had been taken a month before the interview, and he must have known the truth would soon be out.
And so it has come to pass. But with the support and love of those closest to him – and once he has served the inevitable ban – Stevens can overcome this and be back in a Bath kit. That's what he needs to remember – and what the club and city needs to remember, too.
At the start of this week – following the Charity Commission's latest negative statement about Bath Rugby's bid to stay at their historic home – I was all psyched up to fire off a tirade about the depressingly turbid negotiations surrounding the club's future at The Recreation Ground.
But then came the saddening and shocking news of Matt Stevens' drug problem.
Instantly, any idea of writing about The Rec was blown out of the water. There was only one option: and that was to write about Matt.
And, if you'll indulge me for a second, I think my reaction says a lot.
It says that, despite all the worrying, fretting, arguing, bickering, bitching and eye-rolling that goes on about where Bath will be playing next year or next decade, it's the players above all else that matter.
Without the players we have no game; and without the game we have no need for stadiums.
Stadiums without the magic of gifted players are dead, redundant places. What is needed to bring them alive is human drama.
And the tale of the fall from grace from the undeniably gifted Matt Stevens is a human – all too human – story.
Getting philosophical for a moment, the ancient Greeks defined a tragic hero as a man who in all respects exceeds the standards of normal men. In all respects, that is, other than one. And that one failing is his tragic flaw – the flaw that will knock him off his pedestal and bring him down onto the rocks.
At first Matt Stevens seems to fit this template almost too neatly.
He is a fine, strong athlete (at 26 he already has 32 England caps to his name). He has a beautiful voice that saw him appear before millions on television's Celebrity X Factor. He has riches, both through his personal success playing for Bath and England, and through his wealthy family in South Africa. He has done much for charity, earning the praise of no less a figure than Nelson Mandela. He has a kind and friendly manner that endears him to all he meets, and which made him one of the most popular public figures in Bath.
Such is his fame among non-rugby fans that he's probably one of the few rugby players your young niece can name.
He had already accomplished great things and was, so it seemed, marked out for even greater accomplishments.
But then emerged the flaw. And unlike your classic Shakespearean hero, it wasn't pride that was his downfall – it was something far more seedy: drugs.
There is, however, hope.
Unlike a tragic hero, Stevens' decline is not irrevocable.
Although having to face his demons will be a painful process, he still has time to do this before returning to the fray a fitter, healthier and more focused rugby player.
When I interviewed Stevens last week for the Chronicle's website, www.thisisbath.co.uk, he seemed nervy and on-edge. His drugs test had been taken a month before the interview, and he must have known the truth would soon be out.
And so it has come to pass. But with the support and love of those closest to him – and once he has served the inevitable ban – Stevens can overcome this and be back in a Bath kit. That's what he needs to remember – and what the club and city needs to remember, too.
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