greg bird and cronulla have now set a benchmark that other teams will be forced to follow.
i could see this happening.
will the sponsors have a hand in any of this now, regardless of the outcome?
i hope he is found not guilty because a player of this caliber would be a shame to lose from this great game that we all love.
But players need to understand that there are much harsher consequences for their actions now.
People need to stop acting as if the Greg Bird glassing indecent has set some sort of precedent for other clubs to follow - it hasn't.
Greg Bird:
a) Lied to the police, the Cronulla Sharks and the NRL, by stating he wasn't involved and wasn't in the unit at the time. The Sharks took his word and released a statement stating as much, only to have it blow up in their face when Bird's mate revealed the "Is it OK, we told them it was you" SMS.
b) Was given an opportunity by the Cronulla Sharks to give his side of the story - he has refused every request.
As long as the accused player is honest and forthright with their club and the NRL, and is prepared to plead their innocence and fight the charges in court, there should be no reason for the player to be stood down.
As an aside - has Greg Bird even come out and stated that he is innocent of the charges?
