Charlie Villanueva Sued for Assault

Charlie Villanueva is being sued for allegedly assaulting a man at a nightclub in Milwaukee in February. It's too early to determine if the suit has merit -- neither Villanueva nor the Bucks have commented on it -- but it's certainly out of left field.

As NBA players go, Villaneuva's reputation is sterling. Long before attaining national prominence (and, yes, spurring controversy) with an overactive Twitter habit, he lent both his name and time serving as spokesman for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, reaching out to children suffering from the same disease he does whenever he goes on the road.

Does being a champion of social media and good causes mean he's incapable of getting into a barroom fight? Absolutely not. But it certainly gives him a leg up in the court of public opinion, even if the allegations are ultimately proven to be true.

That's the advantage athletes who make themselves accessible enjoy, I suppose. It's easy for cynical fans to throw stones at celebrities they don't know; it's harder to stay mad at a guy who posts silly YouTube videos of him and his brothers playing Rock Band.