Recently, Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner shared exciting races at the Italian’s Ranch, and while their relationship is now cordial, the Australian recalls how the Italian made him ‘the villain’.
On the Ducati Diaries podcast, Stoner discussed Rossi’s ability to manage the press and the severe consequences for these media outlets. ‘He had complete control over everyone, even the press. He was extremely essential to all forms of media. If they ever published anything negative about him, he’d blacklist them!
He then explained that the rider was aware that the press need him: ‘When he did that, they couldn’t afford it. They could not let their newspaper be blacklisted, leaving them without interviews or contact with Valentino.
And this allowed for the manipulation of what reached the public, which worked against Stoner.
– They thought, “We need to write bad news about someone,” so I became his number one opponent. They made me into a villain. People are frequently portrayed as villains just because they are not overtly friendly.
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