I know for a fact that there were lots of bad apples in professional sports “back in the day” and their behavior would surely have gotten them in trouble by todays standards. But for the most part, the media protected celebrities unless their actions were so egregious that they could no longer remain silent. The media was “on the inside” back in the day.
Now a days, anyone with a cell phone or with acces to video cameras are a “reporter” and believe it is their obligation to share what they see, and their right to benefit from the attention it brings, regardless of the end result. There is no more media protection. This is probably a good thing, but I still miss the days of blissful ignorance.