Wayne Rooney Sex Scandal: 10 Ways He Can Rehab His Image

Wayne Rooney became the latest English soccer player to fill the tabloid headlines this week, when it was revealed that the Manchester United striker had an illicit affair with a prostitute named Jenny Thompson.

To make matters worse, the encounter occurred while Rooney's wife, Colleen, was pregnant with the pair's first child.

Rooney isn't the first star caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and he won't be the last. However, his reputation, while tarnished, is still salvageable. Here are 10 ways he can save it. 

Yes, anyone can promise they won't cheat again. But Rooney has to actually do it. Numerous footballers through the years have been caught cheating. Many swore they would never do it again. Maybe a few truly never did. 

If Rooney wants to win back public esteem, he has to only play Parcheesi with his wife from here on out. 

People want to like Wayne Rooney. He's arguably the most talented English-born footballer alive. So, why doesn't the 24-year old give them something to like him for? 

Doing community outreach and hosting kids at matches is great, but he needs to go further. Find church groups, charities, and non-profit organizations and give them money and time. Some of it needs to be made public, but not all of it. Eventually, people will see that he's a good guy, and forget about Ms. Thompson. 

Rooney deserves whatever grief he gets from opposing fans from this day forward.

Want to change people's perception of you? Then just take it. Absorb the catcalls and heckles. Board the team plane first. Show people you're moving on with your life, and they will too. Besides that, if it doesn't affect you, they'll get bored and knock it off.

In order to prove that your wife can trust you, you have to play by her rules now. If that means calling her four or five times a night when you're on the road, so be it. If it means wearing a GPS ankle bracelet at all times to make sure you're where you're supposed to be, then try to find one in club colors. 

The public will forgive you when they see that your wife has forgiven you. The only way she'll do that is if she can trust you. 

Even if you do whatever she wants, even if you do everything to keep her, realize that Coleen might still leave you for this. If she does, just take it. Don't get angry, don't start plowing through women like they're an all-you-can-boink buffet. 

Take a few months out of the limelight. Just be normal. Don't go to clubs, just play soccer. 

And do it sooner rather than later. You need to tell your side of the story, to explain yourself. Don't wait four months, then do a ridiculous interview where you don't say anything (like a certain jungle cat who plays golf). By that point, people will have made up their minds about you, for better or worse. 

Don't give them the chance to do that without you having said anything. 

And mean it. In your interview, you have to give a heartfelt apology. Tell people how sorry you are for what you've done, and that you wish you could go back and never do what you did. Tell people you made a mistake. Show remorse and humility. People will forgive you. 

People like honesty. Even if they don't like what you're saying, they'll respect you for being honest. Explain why you did what you did. If you don't know why you did it, then say so.

Give people a look into that balding head of yours, and let them see your reasoning. They won't forgive you, but they may understand. 

The best way to fix your image? Keep playing. Keep scoring goals. Don't let your level of effort, intensity, and play drop even one iota. Be the Wayne Rooney England so badly wants you to be. Take all the stress and pain of the off-pitch incidents and turn that into fire, passion, and intensity.

If you keep playing at an elite level, people will soon forget what you've done. 

You could be this guy. At least you've only cheated once.