The rugby media feeds on off-field incidents, particularly in the off-season, and can blow the incidents vastly out of proportion. Should the NRL change the way it handles off-field incidents to minimise the headlines?
Many years ago off-field incidents were simply swept under the carpet, but with increased media scrutiny and sponsor concerns this is no longer possible.
There is now a need for the NRL to handle these incidents in the same quick and efficient manner that the Match Review Committee handles on-field incidents.
So what constitutes an off-field incident? Presumably a normal parking and traffic fine does not count, but what about excessive speeding or dangerous driving?
Drunk driving is a maybe and driving without a license clearly does count. These cases may be able to be handled immediately by the league, with a set standard of penalties and the usual concession for a guilty plea so the matter is quickly over.
In the case of alcohol-related offences, counselling should also be required.
What about getting drunk without committing an offence, or the use of recreational drugs? Does it make a difference if the incident comes to light through social media or the press before being reported by the player?
Offences of a violet nature and sexual assaults clearly fall into a different category, and are more difficult for the NRL to handle quickly.
The recent alleged assault involving Dragons hooker Craig Garvey is an example. Allegations have been made by the alleged victim, but charges have yet to be laid by the police and the incident has yet to be fully investigated by the club.
The Dragons immediately informed the NRL and stated in an official release on Friday that Garvey has been stood down from all club activities following an internal investigation.
Presumably this means no training, but it is unclear whether pay will also be suspended pending any fuller investigation or review by the club. It is also unclear what breach of the club’s code of conduct formed the basis of the suspension.
If charged by police, Garvey clearly deserves his day in court to explain his position and then the court will decide the matter.
If found guilty he will be punished, but is the NRL justified in imposing additional punishment? And if found not guilty will the NRL or Dragons compensate him for any penalty they have imposed?
Knights prop Willie Mason was charged earlier this year with mid-range drink driving on his way to training but seems to have avoided punishment. Coach Bennett says the incidents are not good news, but no workplace is perfect.
“You don’t like the headlines, it doesn’t do anything for you,” he said. “You also have to understand that that’s part of it as well – you’re dealing with a lot of men, no workplace is perfect and ours is no different.”
So it is probably a case in the end that boys will be boys and these boys are very muscular and young and have a high public profile.
These incidents are inevitable and the NRL needs a quicker way of resolving them to dampen down the media frenzy and resulting damage to clubs.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
It is interesting and sad to say that Garvey has got more press over this incident than he has got over his whole career.
Mitch Moore
Roar Rookie
The NRL does it's best to move on quickly, no one wants the NRL name to be known for off-field incidents. NRL has so many people watching the players that even if they have moved on some other news source will show it repeatedly to get some controversy out of it and get more people talking. There are so many people that are going to show it on the news and write about them on articles. If they NRL do solve the problem the media talk about the incident will turn away quicker.
turbodewd
Guest
Serious incidents are actually the job of the police and the courts to pursue - not the NRL. The NRL could choose its own course of action of course but it usually waits for legal proceedings to reach some sort of conclusion. What happened to Brett Stewart in 2009 was unfortunate. He was the victim of a well known conman who used his daughter for his own gain.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
I would like to reply by texting but I am not well enough trained. Did the media shun him despite texting? Did it hire him nevertheless? Maybe there needs to be a code of ethics for media presenters as well.
Brett McKay
Expert
That becomes a bit grey though, Walter. A lot of Warne's text work was done after he had retired. And of course, he could also have not been so bloody stoopid in the first place...
SamSport
Guest
That's not true. Libel laws in Australia are (in my opinion) pretty terrible, and make it quite easy to sue for defamation. It's similar in the UK. Most of the media here are cashed up enough to defend themselves, but the smaller media companies might not be. I agree with Brett -- the main problem is the players -- how some seem to constantly be in the news while others never are suggests it's not all the media's fault.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
I just did a google on Garvey and there are 18 separate publised reports, then you have a possible trial and more reports. So the damage is not insubstantial to the Club and the NRL. Mind you it was a slow news week for the NRL.
Haz
Guest
Exactly. Case in point: one Brett Stewart, who was exonerated by the legal system of sexual assault, and thus feels hard done by by the NRL. I actually like the calm, methodical way that Dave Smith has gone about dealing with potential media firestorms, and I think the media has responded well to that.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
I agree with you, where an assault is involved it is difficult to act quickly. Still the sooner it gets resolved the better for the Club and maybe then there should be a lesser penalty for behaviour which resolves things quickly such as a settlement and apology, rather than a defence which ultimately fails. In other matters such as driving under the influence or driving without a licence the imposition of automatic fines may well be possible. As you are into cricket what about Shane Warne's alleged texting could that have been handled better?
eagleJack
Guest
I also noticed The Roar controversially added a photo of Josh Dugan when reporting the Dragons incident. The clubs are up against it when the media have absolutely no restrictions on what they can and can't print. Being able to come up with a quick resolution before the media get's hold of it and run what they want, is near impossible.
Brett McKay
Expert
Walter it's a reasonable point about things being dealt with quicker, but it becomes more difficult when you try and work out things could actually be resolved quicker. For example, using the recent case of Dragons hooker Craig Garvey, as you pointed out the club did everything they possibly could and probably even in the shortest timeframe possible, but until any charges are actually laid and/or the police investigation is done, there really isn't a whole lot more the Dragons or the NRL can do, is there? Contrast that to the media's role in the same matter, where on the first snippet of an incident, the news outlets - and The Roar did this too - can quickly knock up a "Dragons investigating an incident involving a player" piece with not much more detail than that almost immediately, and then fill in the blanks as they come to hand. The point is, that these matters invariably take time to find resolution, and short of babysitting players whenever they're not on club duty, there really isn't a whole lot more the NRL can do than continue to educate the players. And at some point, the players need to take responsibility and think about what they're about to do, too..
Storm Boy
Guest
Maybe all the league media who complain that many NRL players & club officials are uncooperative can now see why.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
It would seem that some newpapers think footballers have some responsibility for what there cousins do. "ONE of the two young women accused of the shocking Gold Coast bus attack on an elderly man is the cousin of NRL bad boy Anthony Watmough"
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Hit them where it hurts in the pockets for bringing the game into disrepute 10% of contract monies.Sack them if found guilty,and ban them from any NRL club or rl club for 2 years . No more pussyfooting around.The trouble is lesser light players are treated far more harshly than those in the upper stratas. The players must have been found guilty ,and not done so as is the usual methodology the media.Let due process follow,and then throw the proverbial book at them.I am fed up to the Adam's apple with these clowns that don't get the message.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
I am sure some of the Club CEO's full agree with you, but the problem is the lack of a uniform NRL system, rather than leaving the Clubs to handle things at least in the first instance.
matt dunbar
Roar Rookie
matt dunbar
Roar Rookie
Too right. The NRL needs to nip off field incidents in the bud. Maybe a policy like the NBA with minimum standards expected of players could work. Some people make out that these off field transgressions have nothing to do with their work and we shouldn't set higher standards for football players but treat them like everyone else. As a former defence force member, standards were expected of us and we were punished for transgressions. An oppo of mine was charged and punished by the civilian courts and then again by the defence force for excessive speeding. He was told by both the judge and CO that better was expected of him because he represents his country. Maybe some of these players who misbehave should get a real job or do volunteer work and see how easy they have it.
peeeko
Roar Guru
Unfortunately these matters take time to resolve and can't be ruled on quickly. Fact is the media loves a scandal and the best way to deal with it Is not over reacting to such news and stop buying rags like the daily telegraph and read online sources such as the roar. I think the public is now also more aware of sensationalization in the media and takes such news with a grain of salt