Do you think Mighty Mick had been watching the Soccer World Cup.
Former world motorcycle champion Mick Doohan had besmirched his reputation as an Australian hero by headbutting a bouncer at a Darwin strip club, a magistrate said on Tuesday.
But Darwin Magistrate Greg Cavanagh declined to record a conviction against the race champion, but did fine 41-year-old Doohan $2,500 for the drunken altercation.
Doohan, of the Gold Coast, pleaded guilty to one charge of assault and one charge of failing to leave a licensed premises, Darwin's Honeypot nightclub, early on Saturday morning.
Darwin Magistrates Court heard the five-times 500cc world champion spent 14 hours in custody after his arrest at 3am (CST) on Saturday.
"You, Mr Doohan, are one of our Australian heroes, a legend, a shining example of success, courage and achievement - a man a lot of young men aspire to follow," Mr Cavanagh told Doohan as he stood in court awaiting sentence.
"You have besmirched your reputation in a way that saddens us all.
"We expect our heroes to be and remain flawless, and when they reveal themselves to have all the weaknesses and faults of mere mortals, it rather upsets us."
Mr Cavanagh said Doohan had set an "awful" example to young men who considered him a hero.
However, he said he would deal with Doohan "as the ordinary man that you have revealed yourself to be", pointing to his early guilty plea, good character, age and civic-mindedness.
"I'm persuaded in this exceptional case, and without any recourse or any attention at all to your fame ... I'm persuaded in this case I should not record a conviction," Mr Cavanagh said.
Doohan, wearing a striped white shirt and black pants, earlier stood and pleaded guilty to the two charges before retiring to a front row seat in the court to silently watch the proceedings.
Prosecutor Grant Kennedy told the court Doohan was asked to leave the club "due to his state of intoxication" after he started to remove his clothing at 2.50am (CST) on Saturday.
He started to talk to some friends, and was asked a further two times to leave but told the security guard, Adrian Hyde: "If you ever want to work in Darwin again I suggest that you leave me alone".
At one point, when the security officer was standing behind Doohan holding his upper arms, the race champion swung his head back and struck him in the mouth, Mr Kennedy told the court.
The bouncer then placed Doohan in a bear hug to restrain him, but Doohan tried to headbutt him twice further and missed.
The guard suffered a swollen lip, but did not require treatment.
Doohan told police he could not remember the incident or assaulting the bouncer, the court heard.
"He couldn't remember why he was asked to leave," Mr Kennedy said.
"(He stated) that his legs are bad and he could have just been falling over."
Doohan's lawyer John Reeves, QC, said the incident was "completely out of character" for Doohan, who was embarrassed by it.
"(I'm) instructed to apologise to the security guard who was affected but also the police and authorities and the court for the inconvenience that this caused," Mr Reeves said.
He asked that no conviction be recorded because of Doohan's extensive sporting achievements and considerable charity work.
Doohan took out the 500cc world champion title every year between 1994 and 1998, but was forced to retire in 1999 after suffering massive injuries in a crash in Spain.
He declined to comment as he left the court.
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