Queensland Rugby Union chief Jim Carmichael said “balance” was the key in determining the severity of the sanctions handed down to tainted star Karmichael Hunt.
The sporting community is seemingly split between those who back the QRU and ARU’s handling of Hunt’s cocaine scandal, and those who believe they didn’t go far enough.
Hunt has been suspended for six games and fined $30,000 by rugby’s controlling bodies, after he pleaded guilty to four counts of cocaine possession in court on Thursday.
“Everybody that has been touched by this case (is) going to have a view based on their personal life experiences, and from an organisational perspective, from an anecdotal perspective, I don’t think we’re ever going to satisfy people on whether it is the right penalty or the wrong penalty,” Carmichael said.
“What’s got to be considered is balance, balance in terms of the wider issue that concerns us, because there are a lot of things that we have to learn from what has happened.
“This is something that is unprecedented in our circumstance, and that certainly doesn’t mean that it won’t happen again somewhere.
“We’ve got to consider that a court has imposed a financial penalty.
“Then when we consider everything else, including how you deal with the problem that we genuinely believe is a bit wider than just sport, how do you ensure that the right level of deterrence?
“How do you send the right signals and most importantly, how do you bring education into the environment?”
Carmichael said the ARU’s integrity unit arrived at the figure of $30,000 for Hunt’s fine after reviewing “anecdotal evidence” of how drug-related issues have been dealt with by other codes.
QRU chairman Rod McCall described Hunt as a fundamentally “good man”.
“He’s made some serious mistakes and we certainly don’t condone the behaviour, but I believe in the man and his ability to repay the faith and be a huge factor in Queensland rugby on and off the field going forward,” he said.
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