First off, child pornography is a crime and not a profession. No society would praise/respect criminal offenders; especially offenders of this nature.
Going by your example with Marino. I would think-- man, this guy is great on the field but my judgements would be made through the ensuing conversation. I respect him for his accomplishments on the field (such as doctors in the OR), but I may or may not respect him as a person depending on what he reveals in the ensuing conversation or in the manner in which he declines such an engagement.
One thing I'd like to point out is that this example is of an individual in the public eye-- meaning the media has already painted him as either a positive or negative personality. Our perceptions are already tainted in this sense.
Personally, I think that your final comment is of a philosophical nature and is moot in this discussion. We're not talking about defining the term 'failure' nor 'professional failure'.
I agree that hard work should be rewarded (for doctors, its the high compensation that they receive and the prestige of being called doctor). However, if I'm hearing your argument correctly, doctors are entitled to an abnormally large ego and are entitled to tastlessly flaunt your education due to the fact that they 'lost out' on the college parties that they could have enjoyed. Is this retribution for lost youth and time?