by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Feb 20, 2012 | Updated on Feb 20, 2012Australian cricket legend Shane Warne has had a controversial career both on and off the pitch. It might not come as a surprise, then, to find that Warne has once again caught some negative attention for having his name and likeness found in an awkward position.Warne, who helps promote the online poker site 888 Poker, has appeared in a number of web ads for the site. Last week, many fans of Warne were surprised to find that these ads were appearing on at least one hardcore pornography website.On its face, this might only be seen as uncomfortable for Warne, but not overly damaging. However, Warne is also the namesake of The Shane Warne Foundation, a charity that provides aid and funding for seriously ill and underprivileged children in his native Australia. The poker ads could potentially turn some donors off from his charity, even if the two aren’t directly linked.“It’s something that I’ll speak to the board about,” said John Warne, Shane’s brother and the manager of the foundation, “but it’s not something I really want to take a stand on myself.”John Warne said that the board will make a decision only after taking to Shane’s management team about the ads.This isn’t the first time Shane Warne has found himself in hot water for issues of a sexual nature. In 2000, a story surfaced that Warne had sent a British nurse illicit text messages and phone calls, causing him to lose his role as a vice-captain on the Australian national team. Other scandals during his career included testing positive for banned substances and accepting funds from a bookmaker in return for information on pitch conditions.Since his retirement from cricket, in which Warne was regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in cricketing history, Warne has turned his attention to playing poker. In recent years, he has represented 888 Poker at a number of major poker events, including the World Series of Poker and the Aussie Millions.
