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I hope the Roosters stick by Todd Carney.
We all appreciate he has a history, but blokes who have issues need to be supported.
Patience may be running out, but on this occasion it looks as if he has done nothing that the good majority of Australian adults wouldn’t do on any given weekend – and that’s have a beer with a mate.
No-one condones bad behaviour but in this particular instance the focus and attention on Carney seems to be all out of proportion.
Carney had no idea what was going to allegedly happen with his team mate, Anthony Watts, when they parted company. And I don’t think last year’s Dally M award winner should be lumped in the same basket or hung out to dry.
No question, these days public figures have to be holier than thou and young guys have to be so careful.
It’s hard to believe how different the territory is since I debuted in the NRL little more than a decade ago.
It was very much a professional sport then, but it was a lot more relaxed and the older guys didn’t mind a beer during the week. That doesn’t happen these days.
The sport is practically a victim of its own success. As the TV ratings rise, the sponsorship dollars increase and more fans get in behind the game, there is a corresponding increase in the level of public scrutiny.
We seem to be living in a fishbowl. Just having a night out at a restaurant or going supermarket shopping can result in being captured in the “Seen Around Town” section of the local newspaper.
It’s a bit sad it’s gone that way, but this is the digital age and all these new forums for information sharing aren’t going away. We simply have to live with the additional pressure and be intelligent about where we go and how we act.
All the NRL clubs are striving to upskill players to cope with today’s environment, from appreciating the power of Social Media through to socialising responsibly and looking after mates.
But it’s difficult when our business is so transparent, its work force is so high profile and the stakeholders are so passionate, from the media through to fans.
Friends often regale me with amazing stories about the goings on in their work places, but you’ll never read about them in the papers or catch the shenanigans on the TV news. There is simply not the level of interest in their companies compared to ours.
It’s tough on rough diamonds like Todd Carney, who has been given opportunities and punishments in equal measure over the past few years.
In my view he’s been dealt with by the courts and is starting from a clean slate. I appreciate he’s broken a pledge not to drink, but any punishment must fit the particular crime.
He doesn’t need more judgement. He needs support. And I desperately hope he receives it.
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