The mystery of the videos that unleashed a scandal in Lazio and ended with the dismissal of the eagle’s trainer after a penile operation
The case of John Barnabasfalconer of the Olímpia eagle, Lazio’s mascot, took a new turn after a controversy that has shaken the Italian club. Bernabé, who worked with the team for more than 15 years, was fired after images and videos related to a private surgical intervention were published on their social networks and later deleted.
These images, which have almost disappeared from the virtual planet after the scandal, are the key point of the issue. Lazio reported that the dismissal of its employee was due to the surprise “when seeing the photographic and video images” after the penile operation that was performed. This incident not only cost him his job, but also led to the departure of the renowned surgeon who performed the operation, Gabriele Antonini.
Regarding the controversial publication, Antonini assured that the material was disseminated involuntarily: “During the interviews with the patient I understood that the images had originally been recorded for private purposes and, due to an inadvertent error, published for a few minutes on their private profile. This brief interval was enough for the content to be downloaded and disseminated without the patient’s control.” Furthermore, he added that Barnabas’ postoperative condition could have influenced the situation: “It is important to remember that Mr. Bernabé underwent intensive antibiotic therapy to prevent postoperative infections. These factors, combined with the effects of anesthesia administered a few hours before the accident, may have influenced his clarity and judgment,” he stated, according to the Corriere Dello Sport.
The president of Lazio, Claudio Lotitoargued the decision and relied on the values that the club represents. In statements collected by the Italian Giornalistic Agency (AGI), the highest authority of the club stated: “The eagle will no longer fly because it was linked to that person.”. “We will work so that there is another one too because I invented that story.” As he explained, Bernabé’s behavior violated the institution’s ethical code: “I preach values, I sent the eagle to create enthusiasm and passion in the children, and then “The person who rules the eagle has that behavior of moral decadence.”said the senator from the Forza Italia political party as he left Parliament.
The driver of the eagle had shared on his private profile images of a recent medical interventionin which a penile prosthesis was implanted, according to the accusations. Although the publications were removed shortly after, the content was captured and disseminated in other spaces, unleashing a controversy that damaged the club’s image.
In this context, Lotito stressed: “They have violated the ethical code provided for in the contract with Lazio. They will pay the damages. Barnabas sought my intervention to remedy this, but it is incurable. “Someone who does something like that is not able to understand what they are told.”
The president also highlighted his commitment to the moral values that he considers fundamental: “I am someone who goes to mass every Sunday, I haven’t missed a mass in 67 years. I have impeccable behavior in every way, I fight for change and moralization, and you behave like this,” he expressed about Barnabas’ actions. Additionally, he defended the firmness of his decision: “This guy had been with us for 15 years. Within an hour I relieved him of his job because I don’t look anyone in the face.”
For his part, Gabriele Antonini, a surgeon and andrology specialist who operated on Bernabé, was also separated from his collaboration with the club due to the implications of the case. However, the doctor maintained that He does not have a working relationship with Lazio and, therefore, described his separation as unjustified. Through a statement, Antonini explained: “I have no relationship of dependence with Lazio and, therefore, it is incomprehensible to me how they could fire me. My role is that of a consultant and I have always acted with the maximum availability and professionalismdealing with numerous cases related to patients of workers, Formello staff, first team and spring players and managers.”
Regardless of the words of both involved, it must be taken into account that Bernabé had not spoken of an error in the dissemination of the images and even defended himself in an interview with the newspaper Republic: “I did it to give a sign and courage to the many people who have the same problem. It is important that you know that you do not run any type of risk by undergoing this surgery, the result is wonderful. It is a very delicate topic; Men are ashamed, impotence is taboo and society judges you. Instead, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Life is purity, transparency. Sex is a beautiful thing and I have nothing to hide. “I put myself out there to give courage to the many men who have erection problems and suffer in silence.”
Whether it was a voluntary decision or a mistake will not change the fate of Bernabé, who lost his job at Lazio after this enormous scandal that went around the world.
