Journalistic Misrepresentation Clouds Facts Surrounding Nathan Willingham Arrest
Following an arrest - and subsequent acquittal - for suspicion of drug use, tennis professional and entrepreneur Nathan Willingham has begun to rebuild a reputation slandered by inaccurate reporting of one unfortunate (and misrepresented) incident.
Online, December 2, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Respected tennis professional Nathan Willingham has suffered enough. Arrested in May of 2013, Willingham was charged with suspicion of drug use and possession of drug paraphernalia, along with two young house guests. Despite the dismissal of all charges against Willingham, the entrepreneur has felt the ramifications of inaccurate journalism following his undue arrest, and subsequent (yet heretofore unreported) acquittal.
A local newspaper, covering the unnecessarily sensationalized story, misquoted Willingham based on ill-researched hearsay. The reporter inaccurately stated that Willingham had informed police that his use of methamphetamine kept his energy levels high in order to keep up with the young students at his tennis academy. Fabricated in the original police report, the falsified statement made front page news before Willingham and is attorney were even notified of the charges.
While Willingham maintained his innocence, the guilt of drug use lay solely on the young guests at his home - an unfortunate fact of which Nathan Willingham was unaware at the time. The only fault of the tennis pro, according to long-time professional associations in the area, was that of having too kind a heart. The student in question was staying with Willingham following troubles at home. The third party arrested was found to have an existing warrant and was arrested on further charges relating to that warrant.
Following the full acquittal of charges against Willingham in September of 2013, the local entrepreneur has begun rebuilding his highly respected reputation within the community. By revisiting the inspiration that led him to his previous respect and successes, Willingham's focus is again on tennis and the advantages of health and wellness in America's youth. Having been instrumental in the success of the largest youth tennis program in the country, Tennis Memphis (Tennessee) and co-founding High Performance International (HPI) in Oxnard, California, which produces numerous Ivy League All-Americans and World-ranked professional players, Willingham plans to open yet another tennis academy in Northern California and continue his efforts to promote actively healthy and more vibrant American youths through participation in the sport - no matter what the papers say.