Alcohol has become the villain of the NRL. Many players have had their careers turned around recently, all because they wanted to have a drink.
Public figures need to be careful with what they do and how they behave. But most young males like to have alcohol when they’re out, because it makes the night a lot better than what it could have been if they were sober.
Australia has a very relaxed attitude to drinking, it’s a way that we catch up socially. Drinking isn’t seen as a big deal, but it needs to be looked at more closely – starting from now.
The behaviour has been bad, all NRL players that have been drinking and got in trouble because of it, then they need to realise what the result of that will be.
Suspensions? Fines? Sponsorship deals torn up? Only the player affected will really feel the damage of what they’ve done because it reflects badly on them as a person, and will continue to for the rest of their careers.
The ones who have been accused and found guilty (or had their drunken antics shown on national television) probably regret ever picking up that schooner and enjoying themselves before it got out of control.
David Gallop has said he has had enough but maybe more should be done from where he’s standing. He keeps saying that players themselves need to clean up their act and focus on football.
But how can they if a) they have a binge drinking problem or b) have a social network or group of friends that encourages drinking. These players are only young kids when you think about it. Are they supposed to stop hanging around with their mates? If this is the case then someone needs to help them through that.
This probably sounds like we’re babying them but in reality, how would you feel if you were told not to hang out with certain people, your best mates for example. That’s not how to handle it.
Some form of program needs to be set up. Or have it in part of their contract – not that they’re aren’t going to drink, that won’t solve anything – but to attend classes/lessons, whatever it may be to understand the consequences if they get themselves into a situation.
I believe there is something in place on ways to treat women but that’s only half the problem when drinking comes on the scene.
Depending on how we take alcohol, our bodies respond differently to it. This is what needs to be addressed so that players don’t abuse any opportunity they get to have a drink. Because that is half the problem. Without many opportunities to drink, it seems players are trying to force as many drinking sessions as they can into one.
Without proper education on how not to abuse alcohol, the only solution at the moment is for them to sit on the sidelines for a few weeks and hit them with a fine before they might understand what they’ve done. That or public humiliation.
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