The NRL’s $20,000 fine against Ricky Stuart for walking out of a press conference 20 seconds after it began is nothing short of a witch hunt.
If Stuart speaks his mind and tells it how it is he’s fined, if he refrains from answering questions or withdraws himself from a media conference he’s fined.
If it’s good enough for the coach and captain to front the media straight after a match when their emotions are still raw, and possibly be ambushed with inflammatory questions by the media, then why shouldn’t the referee and touch judges be held accountable for their decisions during a match and have to front up to a press conference as well?
The NRL must have very short memories because Wayne Bennett escaped scrutiny over the years with his one-word answers and refusal to attend more than one press conference, instead sending out his assistant coach. So where’s the consistency?
The only way Ricky Stuart can protect himself is to go to press conferences armed with scripted responses, thereby giving answers that can’t be construed as being critical or defamatory towards referees.
The NRL are pulling the strings and the coaches are like puppets at press conferences, so until that changes and coaches are given more freedom to speak their mind without having to suppress themselves for fear of being fined, the frosty relationship between the NRL and its coaches will only continue.
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