FWIW, here is my experience of what high level football success - and all that comes with that - does to someone and the warping of their view of those around them and the world at large.
In 2001 when DC3 was only months old a young footballer 'X' (I know/knew nothing of football but became aware solely via DH that he was a rising star, well known, was now playing as opposed to subbing for his team - a very high profile Premier League team - and was suddenly being rewarded accordingly) and his GF, 'Y', moved into the gated community where we lived. They were childhood sweethearts from a pretty skint background and both pretty lovely and very down to earth. Their joy at having this amazing new house was palpable.
I was working in a reasonably high profile position at the time and they knew who I was, one of the reasons I suspect they spent more time with us than others who lived there as they - correctly - knew for certain that we would not speak to the press about them in any way given I had my own privacy concerns and safety issues (replete with a stalker at the time).
I recall X being faintly obsessed with a very cute DC3 and he would hold him/her in the air and tickle him/her; it was very very sweet. I recall going to their house before all their stuff had been bought and as I passed the window to the main lounge, X & Y were sitting on the bare floor in front of the fireplace laughing, snugging up to each other, and eating sandwiches & crisps out of a Tesco bag.
In short, they were a lovely couple still faintly boggle-eyed at what was happening to them and were generally pretty lovely to be around.
We moved shortly after and did not maintain much contact but in 2003 X & I found ourselves involved in the promotion of the same charity (all premier team players have to participate in club charity dictated events). He was by now playing for England as well as a major figure in his club and he was a very very different guy to the one I had met 2 years earlier. He was cocky, arrogant, and sadly - and I witnessed this firsthand so can see what it does to their heads - almost every TOWIE type young woman within 100 yards wanted to talk him/curl up for a photo with him/press their numbers into his hand even though his relationship was pretty common knowledge.
One on one (though still in the same room as many other people) he was a lot more like his old self and he asked after DH and all DC, likewise I asked after Y even though she & I were in infrequent text contact (a fact he knew) and he seemed a bit calmer than the bloke on display. Or so I thought.
From that point on he rang/texted me increasingly frequently (he had my number from the charity call sheet) and went from initially friendly to outright disbelief that I didn't want to meet up with him whenever asked ("Going Chinawhite with the lads later gotta a VIP table wanna come? XXX")
I ended up blocking his number on my phone and just felt really really sad for the guy and girl that I'd first met and the entitled twat he had become; more so for her as she was soon to become his wife and I was in no doubt that her love for him was sincere and preceded his stardom by a good few years, IE she hadn't hunted him down to be a WAG.
Culminated in him tracking me down again (his call and name alone made my then agent's assistant simper and give out my other WHOLLY private number - something she would never ever have done for anyone else) whilst I was on vacation in Dubai and the calls and texts started again. All this IN SPITE OF THE FACT that he KNEW I knew his GF/DW; that he KNEW I was married with a family, a family he had spent time with. It was nuts, just nuts. Even more nuts given he could by now pretty much 'take his pick' of girls at any club he went to but somehow the fact I said no made him all the more determined.
This time he went way further. He correctly guessed which resort/hotel I was at in Dubai (ironically one chosen precisely for the reason he correctly guessed it, as it is a place that lots of well-known people go to - inc footballers and their families - and is shit hot on security/paps/other guests taking photos etc) and sent me flowers then champagne and bombarded me with calls and texts.
I was not exactly what you would call 'famous'. I was at least 10 years older than him. He knew I could blow the whistle on him at any point. But he still peristed as in his head he 'knew he could' IYKWIM.
Final point for me was when I was back in the UK and woke up to a text saying 'alright sexy, when r we fucking? xxxxxxx' [sic]
I rang the chairman of his club and was utterly clear that if X did not cease and desist then I would inform Y. That was what worked, the club was King and he listened to them when he wouldn't listen to me.
He has subsequently been one of the (many) players outed in the press for having extamarital affairs (quelle surprise...) and I can honestly say that by the end he bore NO resemblance to the person I first met.
As if to confirm his own concept of himself as God, he did then ring me once more a couple of years ago and behaved thus. I answered the phone and he said 'Hi Lamb it's XXXXXXXX' - I know maybe 10 people with that Christian name as it's a pretty common one (think 'Paul' as an eg although Paul was definitely not this guys name).
I had to ask 'sorry, XXXXX who?' and he was genuinely genuinely shocked that I needed to; ditto that I was pissed off that he had again rung me. I told him to fuck off.
It is horribly easy to see the change unfold. It is even worse that the then new 'them' is a beacon within their club to all the youth player etc. In this context I second the PP who said she has worked in footbal for 5 years and could easily believe the pretty vile reality.
So am I surprised that CE doesn't believe he raped someone? No, not remotely
NOTE TO MN - I have changed sufficient detail and withheld all names precisely to avoid X & Y being in any way ID'd from my post; I have done that to ensure my post does not get deleted as it feels pretty important that the world these guys inhabit and the impact it has on them is heard.