Johns dumped by Channel Nine and Storm
By AAP, 13 May 2009 AAP is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Matthew Johns, Melbourne Storm, NRL, Rugby League, sex in sport
Embattled rugby league personality Matthew Johns has been stood down indefinitely from his on-air commitments with Channel Nine and his coaching role with NRL club Melbourne Storm.
Johns’ future has been under a cloud since the ABC’s Four Corners program aired allegations about his involvement in a 2002 group sex incident in New Zealand while he was playing for Cronulla.
Channel Nine chief executive David Gyngell said on Wednesday the decision was by mutual agreement “and in the best interests of the Nine network, the game and its supporters, Matthew Johns and his family”.
“The fact is, whatever the arguments about the details of the New Zealand incident involving Cronulla players in 2002, the conduct and its aftermath was simply unacceptable, fullstop,” Gyngell said in a statement.
“I fully endorse (NRL chief executive) David Gallop’s comments concerning the indefensible conduct of some players and the lack of respect for women and the critical focus on all stakeholders to help eradicate it from our game.
“I join with him in extending my apologies and sympathy to the young woman involved in the incident, who clearly is still distressed as a consequence.”
Gyngell said Johns had agreed the decision was in everyone’s best interests.
“I have always had great regard for Matt, but he knows better than anyone that this incident has placed him in untenable position,” he said.
“To his credit he has recognised that and acted upon it.”
The former Test star arrived at Nine’s Sydney offices on Wednesday morning, and was reportedly supported by manager John Fordham, wife Trish and Nine colleague Phil Gould.
His standing down was announced on Channel Nine shortly after 1pm (AEST) before a statement was released by the network.
Johns was believed to be recording an interview with Tracey Grimshaw that will air on Channel Nine on Wednesday or Thursday night.
The Storm, where Johns is a part-time time skills coach, released a brief statement less than 20 minutes after Channel Nine’s announcement.
“Following discussions between Melbourne Storm and Matthew Johns’ management earlier today, it was mutually agreed that Matthew would stand down from his part-time role with the club, indefinitely,” the statement read.
The Storm had said on Tuesday Johns would continue his role with the club.
Johns returned to Sydney on Tuesday night after being summonsed from a holiday in Western Australia by the network following the explosive ABC report.
Gallop reacted strongly to the report on Tuesday, which featured several sex scandal to have rocked rugby league in recent years.
He admitted much of what was aired on the program was “fundamentally indefensible” and that “violence against women is abhorrent and sexual assault and the degradation of women is just that”.
Gallop had also said there was a “massive question mark” over Johns’ future in the game.
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matta said | May 13th 2009 @ 1:42pm | Report comment
thank fark for that!
and here I was drafting my email to the Storm….
Redb said | May 13th 2009 @ 1:45pm | Report comment
Yeah I agree.
Melb Storm have been clean skins as far as off field RL scandals and can ill afford the baggage Johns would bring to the code in Melbourne.
Redb
sunshinecoaster said | May 13th 2009 @ 1:46pm | Report comment
Preston Campbell your a top bloke,you should be the face of the NRL,great to see a player stand up and say it like it is
“she must have been fighting and scared”
“I have a daughter (aged 12) myself,” Campbell said last night. “If it happened to my daughter I’d want some answers from police.
“I feel for the woman . . . whether she was scared or not. She must have been fighting.
“It must have been difficult for her at the time to deal with it. She must be struggling to get over it. Suicide (threats) shows that. It’s hard not to think about her.”
CronullaKiwi said | May 13th 2009 @ 1:49pm | Report comment
Good job. Hope he never comes back…
sledgeross said | May 13th 2009 @ 2:08pm | Report comment
And fair enough.
I think he will sit out the rest of the year and be back next year, I think this is a good result.
matta said | May 13th 2009 @ 2:21pm | Report comment
Sadly I think he still has an assistant coaching gig at the Roosters…?
Let me go on record (like that means much:)) that if this bloke has anything to do with the game I will never ever watch one minute of any level of league.
John said | May 13th 2009 @ 2:27pm | Report comment
Good. Senior player coercing a young girl, putting her in a terrible position where she is powerless to act, plus goading young impressionable team mates to act in such a disgraceful manner. Then he gets caught, apologises to his family, and thinks thats all it should be and everyone forgives him, like he is the victim.
If I grabbed a young impressionable girl due to my position in the firm I am at, whilst giving her drinks, then had a group of collegues (large, males over 100Kg) come in the room naked, c)^ks out, feeling her up, I am a scum. So is he.
What a sham his friendly family act has been, you got to feel betrayed, and whoever believes it in the future – listen to his manager – we will not apologise to the girl – he did in the car park after he intigated the “consentual” sex – so that should be all she deserves – apparently.
joeb said | May 13th 2009 @ 2:37pm | Report comment
If Mr Gallop is sincere in his recently discovered effort to ‘clean up’ the image of rugby league immediately in the aftermath of the damaging Matt Johns 4Cs accusations and revelations, and for which he should be congratulated, perhaps he should take his efforts a step further and suggest to his employer RK Murdoch and News Ltd that it would be a good idea as well to cease from promoting decadence-inducing behaviour throughout society via the tycoon’s worldwide media empire?
This could be achieved in part by closing down the ‘playboy channels’ on his employer’s Foxtel pay-TV service, and perhaps also by closing The Sun newspaper in the UK that clearly uses the sexual exploitation of women to sell newspapers, and further Gallop should request that all NRL club teams’ scantily clad cheerleaders not display so much flesh as it clearly can have regrettable consequences for red-blooded males in the audience.
A caller (Shaun) early this morning to David Oldfield on 2GB made the valid point of the hypocrisy practiced by the Nine Network — that after midnight 7-days a week anyone tuned in is constantly (and Channels 7 and 10 are no better) bombarded with sex ads, some quite explicit and some even promoting gay sex acts between young women!
Lastly in the ‘Code of Silence’ 4Cs program there’s a segment where former league great and at the time Cronulla CEO Steve ‘Sludge’ Rogers awkwardly states at a press conference concerning the incident: “We asked if they [the players] were aware of any incident that may have sparked such allegations and they are certainly not aware of anything.” And yet the program also makes the accusation that, “Johns wasn’t alone, at least 11 other players ‘and staff’ were in the room and many more have kept this degrading secret.” So could the pressure from the weight of guilt have contributed to Steve Rogers’ untimely death, which some say was suicide?
joeb said | May 13th 2009 @ 2:42pm | Report comment
erm…
joeb said | May 13th 2009 @ 2:43pm | Report comment
now that is downright sneaky — yes yuo up in the control booth!