"Nor do third parties. I believe the cone of silence that used to protect players is no more. If we look at the circumstances surrounding the "outing" of boorish or violent behaviour this year there is a common thread. Third parties have quickly reported the incidents to the police before the club or managers can interfere.
Police were called to the Brett Stewart alleged attack by neighbours. A fellow clubber filmed Brett Seymour stumbling through a mall. Hospital staff contacted police in the Greg Bird assault case. Jason Taylor was caught on CCTV.
In this age of instant communication it is hard to cover up misdemeanours, but there has also been a cultural shift away from not dobbing in a high-profile athlete. I wonder if this because the footballers are no longer considered part of the general community, that being elevated to a status of super-hero, super-paid means they are, therefore, super-targeted?"
Bring back the cone of silence imo...
No one should ever have found out about Seymour being drunk, because it was a non story.
