If you think a jockey should be a role model for your kids, you've got a problem

Somewhat inevitably, there has been a lot of talk about Oisin Murphy this week. I've agreed with most of it – there has to be a mixture of condemnation and good wishes in these circumstances – but there is one aspect I have to take issue with: the idea that Murphy, simply by virtue of being a three-time champion jockey, should now be a role model for our children.

As my colleague Peter Thomas has pointed out, modern society dictates that someone in Murphy's position will now be seen as such whether he likes it or not – but that doesn't make it right.

I'm not quite sure where this phenomenon of castigating well-known figures for not acting as exemplars began, but the BBC's recent series on the birth of the Premier League suggested it can be traced back to that era.