Canterbury Bulldogs star Ben Barba not on his own as a flawed sporting hero Ben Barba after winning the Dally M medal last year. Picture: Gregg Porteous BEN Barba is not on his own. The sporting spotlight has brought down many champions before him. Lots of them come from tough childhoods that might serve them well on the field but not in public life away from the game. We only see them for 80 minutes a week and it's the other 10,000 minutes that can be the hardest, where their lives go off the rails. Rugby league has a long list of great players who have had off-field dramas with relationship breakdowns, alcohol abuse, gambling and violence. Brett Stewart and the sexual assault charges that were later dismissed. Benji Marshall was in fights at The Rocks and in Kings Cross. Jarryd Hayne was shot at in the same seedy suburb. Greg Inglis faced domestic violence allegations. Todd Carney had drinking issues, Nathan Hindmarsh revealed last year he lost $200,000 gambling. Andrew Johns regularly took drugs. Greg Bird faced domestic violence charges. Sonny Bill Williams, Matty Johns ... I could go on and on. Our last two Australian cricket captains Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke had their issues too. So did Andrew Symonds and Shane Warne Mark Bosnich, Tim Cahill and Zeljko Kalac were highly publicised soccer players who had to overcome difficult periods in their lives. Brendon Fevola and Barry Hall were famous AFL cases and on the weekend we heard about Mitch Beadman's years of drugs and depression. It tells you there are not enough support programs. Professional help often doesn't arrive until it's too late.Former Knights star Ashley Gordon is a gambling expert who has been concerned about player welfare for some time. He's a researcher for Southern Cross University and is on a government advisory committee that deals in gambling. During the off-season he went to the NRL to offer help in player education - but was turned away. "I'd read Darren Lockyer's and Nathan Hindmarsh's books where they both mentioned the problems they'd had," Gordon said. Then there were the stories about Chris Sandow. It's obviously much more widespread than that. He is highly critical of the NRL's promotion of betting on sports. "You look at all the money in the game that comes from gambling and the fact the players have to promote it," Gordon said. Crown Casino and The Star are on jerseys. Lotto and Centrebet sponsor The Footy Show. The NRL has signed up Tom Waterhouse. Every club has a relationship with betting agencies. What does the NRL expect from the players? I'm filthy they haven't acted on it. Players get lots of money and have lots of spare time where gambling can become a problem. At least new NRL boss Dave Smith appears to appreciate the problems that can floor even the toughest of our stars. "Players are heroes to millions of fans but they are also real people facing real-life challenges and like anyone there are times when they need support," he said.