It is hard not to get on the bandwagon regarding Aaron Cruden's time-out from the All Black tour due to a booze and snooze session that caused him to miss his flight.
He isn't the first All Black, rugby player and high-profile athlete to go on a bender and he definitely won't be the last.
Whether we like it or not, bouts of excessive alcohol consumption are still very much connected to high-level sport and to New Zealand society in general, and despite the finely-tuned PR and player management machine that surrounds New Zealand athletes, people (who sometimes happen to be rugby players) make very public mistakes and they will continue to make mistakes.
It reminds us of their humanity and vulnerability.
Yes, Cruden stared cancer in the face and came through that relatively unscathed. Yes, he managed to ignore his diminutive frame and take on players much bigger than himself without an ounce of hesitation.
And, last but not least, he has overcome what some might see as a disadvantage and shown it is possible to gather rugby knowledge, experience and expertise in a small provincial region to excel on the world stage.
Maybe it is that tenacity and risk-taking attribute that makes him and many elite athletes susceptible to grand falls from grace.
Cruden, like many athletes before him, hasn't managed to stare alcohol in the face and tell it who is boss.
Many of us think we can control or manage ourselves when drinking, and that is the beauty of alcohol. It lures us in. It makes us believe we are in control and then, when we are at our most vulnerable, it attacks.
Combining the excitement of travelling, playing sport at an elite level and drinking alcohol is a recipe for disaster.
It's the build-up of anticipation, the feeling of being liberated from the cultural norms and hum-drum of everyday life, and the tension that is associated with travel and high performance sport that creates a cocktail of risk.
Just ask Welsh rugby star Gavin Henson how volatile that mix can be. In 2012, he continued his celebratory drinking through the night and on to the flight the next morning while playing for the Cardiff Blues, which ultimately led to him being sacked.
And rugby players aren't the only ones to suffer the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.
We all know about high-profile cases such as cricketer Jesse Ryder, the New Zealand cyclists at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, and swimmer Daniel Bell being sent home from India for alcohol-related reasons.
The media are fascinated with the Cruden case, not because it is out of the ordinary for an athlete to make a wrong decision about when and how to drink alcohol, but because it has resulted in quick and strong discipline from the All Black management team.
Rather than focus on Cruden and how and why he did what he did, let's focus on the ripple effect his actions have had on others.
Beauden Barrett and Colin Slade have shuffled one rung higher up the first five ladder, and Barrett gets a chance to prove himself in the No 10 jersey. Of his 23 tests, he has only started once as first five-eighth.
He didn't do too well with his kicking against the Pumas in a rain-soaked Napier recently, but maybe he will take this opportunity to shine in a sunnier Argentinian climate.
Tom Taylor gets the last-minute call up into the All Blacks and this may be costly for the Canterbury team he leaves behind.
Some promising first fives in the Manawatu, Otere Black and Jade Te Rure, may be sidelined if Cruden decides he needs a blow-out during his two weeks on the naughty chair (although it is highly unlikely that he will choose that option).
Cruden and his management team will be in major damage control, and the All Black and Canterbury teams will be trying to minimise any disturbances his indiscretion has caused.
Everyone will recover, but it proves once again that despite the well-oiled institutions surrounding our most high-profile team, sometimes one individual, combined with lots of alcohol and bad decision-making, can have a huge butterfly effect.
