Renewed calls to ban players from drink as crisis deepens

[El Diablo]

http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/new...-crisis-deepens/2009/03/07/1235842719930.html

Renewed calls to ban players from drink as crisis deepens

Daniel Lane | March 8, 2009

FORMER NSW Origin coach Phil Gould has repeated his call for players to swear off alcohol for the term of their NRL contracts after a week that has left the code reeling.

Last September Gould stunned the league community when he wrote in his Sun-Herald column it was time to ban the booze after a string of alcohol-fuelled atrocities.

The code was yesterday rocked by the revelation its pin-up boy, Manly fullback Brett Stewart, was questioned by police after a teenager alleged she was sexually assaulted in the stairwell of a Manly apartment block.

The incident is alleged to have occurred after a Sea Eagles team function at the Manly Wharf Hotel. Forward Anthony Watmough was accused of slapping a club sponsor at the same event.

Last Wednesday night, Stewart and his brother Glenn launched the NRL season. The function unveiled the NRL's television commercial, which taps into the grassroots supporters and innocent "hero worship" of the stars.

The night finished with a genuine sense of optimism that the season was one of great promise.

In the background, though, was news five Balmain-Ryde Eastwood players were under investigation by Queensland police for the alleged rape of a 23-year-old Sunshine Coast woman after a trial game played at Caloundra.

Earlier in the off-season, Melbourne Storm sacked talented New Zealand player Arana Taumata after an incident while he was on the drink. It was his fourth club after frustrating stints with the Brisbane Broncos, Sydney Roosters and Bulldogs. He has since admitted he had "demons" to defeat.

Australian players Todd Carney, Michael Crocker and Greg Bird were denied visas to play in England as consequence of big nights out. Bird has since left to play league in France.

Gould is adamant the NRL's powerbrokers must act, and he has the full support of former Canberra premiership-winning prop Paul Osborne, who is employed by the NRL to police player manager accreditation.

"These blokes need to be saved from themselves," Gould said. "It's quite obvious alcohol and interaction with the general public is a recipe for major disappointment.

"Careers and reputations are [being] left in tatters over a moment's weakness or ill-discipline.

"Six months ago when I suggested players may have to totally refrain from drinking alcohol it sounded like an extreme and unrealistic restriction. Now I am not so sure. It seems like a necessary sacrifice to ensure a player's career and livelihood."

Osborne added his weight to the call, saying it was time the NRL enforced a no-alcohol clause in player all contracts.

"At some point we have to realise alcohol is the root of a lot of problems that does not reflect well on rugby league," said Osborne, a non-drinker.

"The players have to appreciate it is a genuine privilege to play first grade, it has greater benefits than a night out. The idea of banning grog must be properly looked at."

Osborne said the view that players don't choose to be role models does not wash.

"They might not want to be seen as role models but the game makes them so and they have to accept that kids look up to them," he said. "Tonight I'll be telling my older kids that what is happening in the game because of alcohol is 'dumb'. I want them to understand what can happen."

Osborne, a former detective who patrolled Newtown, said he saw firsthand the damage alcohol is inflicting upon the wider community.

"Every Friday and Saturday night people are getting hurt one way or another because of alcohol," he said. "The NRL does have the opportunity to do something."

Stewart has denied the allegation in relation to an allegation of sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl. He was released without charge.

However, the investigation is ongoing, and the damage to Stewart - and the NRL - is immeasurable.

Apart from being the face the 2009 season, Stewart was used on the cover of today's annual The Sun-Herald Footy Guide, which is being given away with each copy of our newspaper.

A special investigation on pages 82-83 today suggests he is the most influential onfield player in the NRL, meaning more to Manly than Andrew Johns did to Newcastle.

 

[VictorTheViking]

Alcohol is a part of the problem but staying off of it isnt going to completely solve the problems the NRL has with players and their conduct.

 

[Cloud9]

Women should stop flashing their tits at us blokes, period.

 

[AILD]

Women should stop flashing their tits at us blokes, period.

......no they shouldnt.

 

[Dogs Of War]

Alcohol is a part of the problem but staying off of it isnt going to completely solve the problems the NRL has with players and their conduct.

But it will fix 90% of the problem. Most of the guys who get in the paper, do so because they are out drinking the stuff.

 

[mozza91]

Women should stop flashing their tits at us blokes, period.

Woah slow down lets not be hasty.

 

[Hanscholo]

Nobody dislikes grog more than me. However, banning all players from it is overboard in the extreme. Just continue ending careers, it bound to work sooner or later. Banning grog will just punish the innocent and the guilty, they will keep on doing it regardless. Then you create a further problem, of player X being seen drinking...Its too much im affraid.

 

[AILD]

Women should stop flashing their tits at us blokes, period.

actually come to think of it...when did they ever start doing that?

 

[junior009]

Women should stop flashing their tits at us blokes, period.

Wash your f**king mouth out.

 

[Cloud9]

Gus has not mentioned how the situation will be policed. Will players carry a breatherliser with them everywhere. Will Gus follow them on a Saturday night out?
If i decide to have a VB in the privacy of my home, how are people to know?

 

[Stelios Giannakopoulos]

Nobody dislikes grog more than me. However, banning all players from it is overboard in the extreme. Just continue ending careers, it bound to work sooner or later. Banning grog will just punish the innocent and the guilty, they will keep on doing it regardless. Then you create a further problem, of player X being seen drinking...Its too much im affraid.

Last point is the best one, it is far too easy to start a rumour these days..

95% of players can enjoy a drink and not end up in lock up, why on earth would you want to punish them? Using this logic we should ban the sale of alcohol at NRL matches because the occasional knob gets thrown out/arrested..

 

[Dogs Of War]

Gus has not mentioned how the situation will be policed. Will players carry a breatherliser with them everywhere. Will Gus follow them on a Saturday night out?
If i decide to have a VB in the privacy of my home, how are people to know?

I'm sure they can get away with it in those instances. Just don't run down the street afterwards and jump on people's cars, or somethign else silly like that, and you can still enjoy the occasional beer. Do something silly, and a large fine comes your way.

 

[mozza91]

If i decide to have a VB in the privacy of my home, how are people to know?

The fact you were the only one stupid enough to buy VB ?

 

[Frederick]

Nobody dislikes grog more than me. However, banning all players from it is overboard in the extreme. Just continue ending careers, it bound to work sooner or later.

They don't seem to have learnt so far, what makes you think things will change? The only constant in all this is that the league will continue to take a battering to its image. They need to be proactive, rather than just sitting back and hoping the situation will sort itself out.

 

[Danish]

While getting players to stop drinking would certainly solve many a issue.... its simply an impossible thing to impose, and would see mass exodus from the game IMO.

I'd love to see how the NRL and its clubs would try to explain this drinking ban while at the same time accepting millions in sponsorship cash from various beer and spirits brands.

 

[Cloud9]

The NRL should make alcohol an issue for the players association or player's managers. That way, if a problem arises, the NRL can say it is their issue to resolve. I'm not saying that they should wash their hands clean of the issue but it at leasts shows whose responsibility it is without the NRL or club being tarnished by it.

Players contracts should involve players association. The offender should be given the opportunity to redeem themselves by doing community work or taking counselling, rehab classes.

This is my 5 cents worth.

 

[Chachi]

He's a thinking man our Gus. He needs to get onto that idea once the Raiders are kicked out of the comp and Sonny Bill gets everything he wants. What an idiot.

 

[matt]

Crush More cans imo.

 

[LESStar58]

Don't see how a blanket ban is going to make things better. I think the NRL should trust the fact that clubs are prepared to do the right thing in light of player mis-behaviour but at the same time I can see the benefits a uniform policy. I just think some clubs have stricter codes of conduct that the others.

Storm did it with Taumata, the Sharks did it with Tevita Latu and Greg Bird and, pending the outcome, Manly will do the same with Stewart and Watmough.

 

[bartman]

Players are earning a fortune these days compared to pre-Super League days, and the days where players had to keep their trades to earn a decent quid.

They are earning these fortunes based on the assumption that the game is better these days, more professional, that the players are athletes etc.

No athlete I know drinks at the rate these boofheads do when they're in training. Sure, they let their hair down when they're not in competition (eg Stephanie Rice), which would equate to the end of season trip, or the month or two between a club's last game and the re-start of training.

But these so called professional athletes in our game think they have a right to earn the big bucks, but drink and behave like the average (or less than average) person does. They expect there to be no consequences for them of their actions, despite it reflecting badly on their employer and their entire industry whenever something goes wrong.

They can't have their cake and eat it too. The game needs a positive image, otherwise it will struggle in the market place and attract undervalued sponsorship and broadcast contracts compared to other codes. Since all clubs have different approaches, we need a code-wide approach led by the NRL, so that players can't leave clubs that are seen as too tough on their requirements and continue their behaviour elsewhere. Clamp down on it across the board.

All it takes to start is clubs having breathylisers at training sessions. Teachers, nurses, train drivers, police, ambos, fireys, and most of us etc can't turn up at work drunk of a morning. So we tend to restrict our big nights out to the weekend or when we have the next day off. Players should be the same.

All clubs should insist that players attend for work with 0 alcohol readings. They should allow the players to drink after a game, so the next day (usually a swimming recovery session these days) should be a non-breathylised day. But every other occasion where they are reporting for work should be on the same rules as the rest of us, all clubs need to have a common approach and the NRL needs to back penalties (judiciary suspension?) for players who breach the rules, and three strikes your out conditions so they aren't just snapped up by other clubs if they breach their contracts.