Is it time for the NRL to stand down (with pay) players charged with a violent crime?

[adamkungl]

Well you sound exactly like him and the other News Ltd merkins, so if the shoe fits….

Have I thrown in a "wont somebody think of the children!!!"?
Have I hysterically claimed the game is dying and women are flocking to the AFL?
Have I made flimsy and outright false comparisons to other sports?
Have I even criticised the NRL's current policy?

No, no, no, aaaand no.

Both major papers have articles supporting similar ideas, and many fans do too, maybe not a majority but a significant number.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Absolutely not.

 

[_Johnsy]

I'd have to say no.

Imagine 3 star players from your club are accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a toilet cubicle.

They're stood down from a finals match, you lose, season over.

Then the claim is found to be false and they're cleared of all charges.

Or a group of businessman who support said club financially approach the complainant & pay them off. There are soooo many grey areas with this issue, it's a minefield.

 

[adamkungl]

https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/02/13/nrl-in-no-win-situation-over-court-cases/

Another good article that examines both sides.

"Instead of waiting for the law to decide, the NRL’s actions branded Hazem guilty in the court of public opinion," El Masri’s former wife, Arwa Abousamra, said.

A key point in the El Masri and Stewart examples is that the NRL did not have a consistent policy in dealing with these matters. When this is the case, and people are suspended, it seems like they are being targeted or made an example of. Worse, people feel as if they've been branded guilty before the courts have decided.
This is what happens when the NRL makes shit up as they go along, which has been a habit of the last 2 CEOs. Consistently inconsistent. Gallop deserved the decade of scorn that came his way after the Stewart case, not because of the eventual not-guilty verdict but because of the ridiculous way it was dealt with.

Better to have a consistent policy either way than to randomly pick and choose based on media reports. A consistent policy takes the media OUT of the game.
If the NRL had a consistent stand-down policy for certain charges, it would be difficult to sensibly argue that a player has been made an example of or assumed guilty.

 

[Willow]

There's a limited amount of airtime and column space and for the next few months it will be wasted on JDB

That's a pretty big call.
Can you also predict match results?

In a way I hope you're right and we can watch football free of controversy for the next few months, but some how I doubt it. Plus that's not how media works, there's such a thing as information fatigue where the public simply get bored with a controversy and the media goes looking for something else on which they sell their advertising. If court proceedings drag out too long, it often gets relegated until the day of final verdict.

Plus I hear there's a federal election in May, media coverage where every ratbag gets a headline.

 

[adamkungl]

That's a pretty big call.
Can you also predict match results?

I don't think it's much of a stretch to say JDB, the Dragons and the NRL would get a lot less negative attention in the coming weeks if he was stood down.
Actually, an interesting case study will be to keep an eye on JDB coverage vs the contract-less Hayne who is on fairly similar charges.

At it's core this debate is about the rights of an individual vs the obligation of the NRL to protect the image and value of the competition and everyone else involved in it.

I used to agree with most people here but the sheer weight of incidents this off-season, and 2 straight up rape cases (which have been rare over the years despite what NRL haters typically say), have swayed me to thinking the NRL needs to take steps to protect itself.


One more thing - if the NRL suspends JDB but does not make it a policy going forward (ie. continue to pick and choose on the fly) it is a bad outcome and deserves every criticism mentioned here and in future.

 

[big hit!]

Why is it NRL players who seem to be getting into these situations? Players shouldn't be putting themselves in these positions. Or perhaps they should consider the type of women they're fraternising with if many of the players seem to be getting off false accusations.

They should be suspended for being stupid. It's f**king tough telling anyone (particularly women) that you work in rugby league in some capacity these days. It's getting to the stage that your character and values (players, fans, volunteers) are aligned to the type of people we have making headlines in general society.

Perception is reality

 

[Willow]

Actually, an interesting case study will be to keep an eye on JDB coverage vs the contract-less Hayne who is on fairly similar charges.

Hayne is without a contract at the moment so the NRL don't have to do anything there.
Barba is an interesting one because he was sacked - not even stood down with pay. But he had just been signed by the Cowboys, has prior form and there was CCTV footage. Perhaps he was on notice.
Dugan, you may recall, had his contract torn up by Brisbane after he misbehaved on social media - plus he had prior form.
Dugan was then signed by St George, and the contract was reportedly full of conditions.
SDK was accused but Easts stood by him. As you know SDK was later exonerated.

These are all different cases with different severity to the accusations and all with different responses from the Clubs and the NRL. There is no consistency in these cases so therefore it's easy to argue that each case is getting judged on its own merits (or lack thereof).

 

[Twizzle]

What happens if they are then falsely accused ?

 

[adamkungl]

What happens if they are then falsely accused ?

Then they are welcomed back to full playing duties, no doubt relieved that they no longer have the cloud of potentially going to jail hanging over their head.

 

[Twizzle]

Then they are welcomed back to full playing duties, no doubt relieved that they no longer have the cloud of potentially going to jail hanging over their head.

The problem is the court system takes a lot of time and while the player remains accused some can lose their 3rd party deals and clubs can lose their sponsorships and all for no reason.

 

[adamkungl]

The problem is the court system takes a lot of time and while the player remains accused some can lose their 3rd party deals and clubs can lose their sponsorships and all for no reason.

That happens with or without being stood down, it's a consequence of getting charged with gang rape.

You reckon Hayne and DeBelins sponsors are sticking around waiting?
What about Dragons sponsors? Will they be supportive of an alleged rapist drawing attention to their name?

 

[Twizzle]

That happens with or without being stood down, it's a consequence of getting charged with gang rape.

You reckon Hayne and DeBelins sponsors are sticking around waiting?
What about Dragons sponsors? Will they be supportive of an alleged rapist drawing attention to their name?

so do you think its fair to be falsely accused and lose sponsorship money ?

 

[adamkungl]

so do you think its fair to be falsely accused and lose sponsorship money ?

Not at all, but I don't think it's relevant to this discussion, as a player accused of a horrific crime will lose sponsorship money regardless of whether he is stood down from playing duties or not.

 

[Willow]

You reckon Hayne and DeBelins sponsors are sticking around waiting?

It's reported that Hayne, Fifita and Dugan have recently lost sponsors.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...sor-exodus-over-stream-of-off-season-scandals

I can't find any report that deBelin has lost a sponsor yet. Not saying it won't happen but do you have a link to that?

 

[adamkungl]

I can't find any report that deBelin has lost a sponsor yet. Not saying it won't happen but do you have a link to that?

No, it's quite clearly speculation into what might happen, and framed as a question not a statement.
Early days yet.

Shall we check if people have linked evidence to confirm their footy tips before the game actually happens too?

 

[myrrh ken]

Its important to recognise that where someone is not convicted, it doesn't necessarily mean the accusation is false and that the accuser is lying. It simply means the prosecution hasn't been able to convince the court beyond reasonable doubt.

You'd think in most cases, its one word against another. So the odds are stacked against the prosecution.

 

[mozza91]

lol @ trying to blame SKD’s brain fart on a pending court case. If that were true he’s had an upcoming trial since mid 2007.

 

[typicalfan]

I don't think it's much of a stretch to say JDB, the Dragons and the NRL would get a lot less negative attention in the coming weeks if he was stood down.
Actually, an interesting case study will be to keep an eye on JDB coverage vs the contract-less Hayne who is on fairly similar charges.

At it's core this debate is about the rights of an individual vs the obligation of the NRL to protect the image and value of the competition and everyone else involved in it.

I used to agree with most people here but the sheer weight of incidents this off-season, and 2 straight up rape cases (which have been rare over the years despite what NRL haters typically say), have swayed me to thinking the NRL needs to take steps to protect itself.


One more thing - if the NRL suspends JDB but does not make it a policy going forward (ie. continue to pick and choose on the fly) it is a bad outcome and deserves every criticism mentioned here and in future.

So you don't think the NRL would receive any negative publicity for standing down players who turned out to be innocent. Even if it became a policy it can still be criticised. NRL being criticised for not supporting its players, which in turn could affect its own brand.

You say making it a policy is to prevent the knee jerk reaction but suggesting they make it a policy isn't?

Just one scenario.

 

[firechild]

A player under a charge of this degree doesn't need to be in public view for months on end, for his own good and the NRL's.

Right, because none of the players are currently in the spotlight because they're not playing at the moment?