We all know players are paid to play football. However they are also paid to represent their club, the game, sponsors, members, fans and themselves in a responsible manner.
Whether it’s in the community, in the public eye, at a local pub, or on social media you are required to act in a way that is morally accepted.
Unfortunately, there lurks a minute number that wrecks it for everyone else.
For me, the latest incident involving Todd Carney is hard to fathom. I cannot understand that a player with his past and profile would put himself in that situation in the current climate.
With the pressure footballers are put under to perform at a consistent level week in, week out and with such high demand on clubs and players to succeed, it just makes you wonder why players expose themselves to situations where huge ramifications can follow.
There is so much at stake and unfortunately incidents like this just damage the player’s brand, the club’s brand and the game itself.
Rugby league does so much to provide the players with the best education and welfare possible, but in the end you, the player, are solely responsible for your own actions.
I’m not one to say you can’t have a beer or use social media, but you must realise the role you as a rugby league player have in society.
Whether it was a set-up or a joke between mates, you have to ask yourself how do you, as a human being, accept the action in the picture as socially responsible?
Social media has been the downfall for many players and the quicker they learn to understand its power and what damage it can do, the better. Social media can be a powerful tool, in either a positive or negative manner.
We should be reporting and talking about the greatest comeback in the Sharks’ history last Friday night, but once again it is overshadowed by an off-field incident that has cost a player his career at the Sharks and possibly in the NRL.
KC
Guest
In what light we see his "act" is a matter of subjective aesthetic opinion; the point here is he did it in his own private time, he has every right to act like an idiot or a performance artist- a corporation or an entity has NO right to infringe on the civil liberties of their employees. In a society where racist, sexist or any other discriminatory remarks are tolerated under the protection of freedom of speech; where wife-beaters girlfriend-bashers malicious property damage offenders escapes criminal charges and incarceration; Carney has become a scapegoat of the latest NRL spin on so-called tough stance on players' misdemeanour.
Col Quinn
Guest
Hello Simon, Under the NSW WHS Act (2011) rights to welfare, health or safety cannot be signed away by a contract. It doesn’t matter what is in Carney’s contract. If there is a breach of this Act and its Regs, even if the contract stipulates breaches, then Carney is entitled to lodge a complaint with Work Cover. If this happens and Work Cover upholds Carney’s complaint, then he would be entitled to take legal action. All supposition but I have seen weaker cases supported by Work Cover. Col
Simon
Guest
Have a read of the contract between the sharks and carney before you comment.... That's right, it's not available for public perusal. Therefore you are both speculating. Bottom line is you both also have valid points. 1. The NRL (and sharks) had a MORAL obligation to provide better care and support for a guy who so obviously needs support guidance and help. ( not sure of the legal obligations and/or waivers in the player contract so won't comment on LEGAL obligation ) 2. Carney had already been TWICE reprimanded for alcohol related behaviour this season and has irreversibly damaged the sharks brand, leaving dismissal as possibly the ONLY viable option.
Wilbur
Guest
Hell the former prime Minister of India Desai used to drink a pint of his own urine every day but probably not in public.
RAF
Guest
The real problem is the outrageous price of beer charged at Suncorp Stadium. Carney bought half a dozen beers and was only trying to get his money's worth by drinking it a second time round.......
twodogs
Guest
Gday Col, I just made a response a few columns down from yours and I've scrolled back and found your gem. Yes, I feel the NRL may well be as culpable here for there is an obvious issue with Todd as far as 'behavior'. You see the easiest path taken on each occasion was dismissal from a club in question, let the drama die off and resigned to another club. The next club follows a like pattern and so on. If the 'integrity' unit of the NRL had any value, Carney would have had some assistance early on. Now these days, employers are bound to a duty of care - supreme sports people suffer extreme highs ( and conversely, lows) more so than others as a result of their profession. They are put on a pedestal as being perfect yet, when they fail to deliver or disappoint somewhat, are put on trial and executed. I therefore wonder if the judges are equally as sick as the defendant.
twodogs
Guest
TC may be a tool on occasion but this is not worthy of trial by media. He was tried, found guilty and executed by the masses and has paid the price many times over and will now for some time, and many more times. Do you call that justice? All the Carney damners take a look out your front door, open your eyes and see what really matters. Then, take a look in the mirror, for then you will see hypocrisy in the flesh. .
da plane
Guest
The message should be load and clear to Carney by now and need not be written on the glass/bottle or whatever he was drinking alcohol out off- Alcohol plus Todd Carney = A distaster waiting to happen- Do not consume this means you Todd Carney Carney needs help not only with his alcohol problem but also in understanding that such an activity as bubbling is abnormal behaviour.
Luis
Guest
Enough has been said about the likes of Todd Carney and Luis Suarez . Neither deserve to grace any football field again. Neither FIFA or the NRL is tough enough on serial offenders and should rub them out for life. As for Andrew Johns he should never have been granted Immortal Status as he is on National Television defending the indefensible. We have better people to do this job who have better records on and off the field.
HarryT
Guest
Agree Col. It is interesting that Carney had his best season in 2010 after being kicked out of the NRL for 18 months and being micromanaged in Atherton. At some stage the NRL will have to face up to the ethical problems of pocketing huge sponsorship dollars from alcohol drink manufacturers, while trying to manage the fallout from the sport's apparent drinking culture. I don't expect them to be pro-active about it tho.
Col Quinn
Guest
Have a quick glance at the NSW Workers Health and Safety Act and then comment
TheTruth
Guest
Sorry Col, but Carney has no leg to stand on, in regards to legal action. He signs a workplace agreement, where he is judged not only by his on-field performance but also his behaviour off the field and it is on this basis that he has been fired. From all reports, Carney has been 'off the wagon' all season, even when injured (which is also against club policy). If anyone beside Carney himself has liability here, it is his 'manager' Riolo, who should've realy been micro-managing better a player with known issues, instead of just negotiating a deal, getting his tithe and moving on.
Gremlins
Roar Rookie
I only hope he cleaned up his own mess rather than leaving the evidence for some poor unfortunate cleaner. Grow up, Carney.
Col Quinn
Guest
If Todd Carney was a difficult geological formation I could tell you how to go about tunnelling into it but Carney is a human (of sorts) and I am a mining engineer and not psychologist so I my impression of his behaviour is limited to work related human resource training. Have any of his previous employers tried to find out why his personal behaviour can be so erratic and so destructive? Carney has obvious problems, which should have been mentored or treated yonks ago. Although his latest episode is disgusting and very peculiar, to say the least, it appears to have been a private event that was hijacked by another idiot. I do not think that the sacking and the “NRL life-time ban” is the correct decision. As the overall employer the NRL does have responsibility for the overall health of the player it controls and that also includes mental health. Carney does not seem to have developed any self-control or personal responsibility and this is where a mentoring program, run by the NRL, should have been introduced to assist him become an adult. The NRL seems to be very good at washing its hands of anyone who is an issue, whether or not that player’s behaviour is the result of being a RL star. The NRL is ignoring its responsibility to the players. The NRL has a huge double standard. In the last SOO there were actions, by some players, that if committed outside of the playing field would have resulted in a 6 to 12 month gaol sentence. What Carney did was brainless but is it illegal? The NRL is very happy to condemn legal stupidity off the field but tolerates violet illegal acts on the field, as long as the violence keeps the TV rating high. Carney should have been suspended, fined and sent for medical assessment and help. If Carney receives some decent legal advice he may have a very good chance of legal action against both the NRL and Cronulla Sutherland. Regardless of the need for his own personal responsibility and maturity, Carney has been badly managed from woe to go.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
Great comment mushi. I'm sure in each player's job description it has "play football" listed as a task and "win games" as a KPI, but star players need to realise that they are a brand and, like any other brand, it's value rises and falls in conjunction with their public perception. The difference here is that the fluctuation in their personal brand affects associate brands, such as the Sharks and the NRL.
HarryT
Guest
Carney has let down himself and a lot of others. He has, though, been a deeply troubled individual since his debut ten years ago as a seventeen year old. Given that the NRL is a corporate body that employs so many adolescents, I hope that they have learned some lessons that will better help the next 'Todd Carney' that comes along.
bunger
Guest
Oh. So what other weirdo acts should players be permitted to perform in public?
OneJayBee
Roar Rookie
Good point. As proven by Todd he just pops up at another club....
bunger
Guest
Exactly.
Bob Anderson
Guest
Haven't seen the pic, its of him pissing in his own mouth? How does that work? Wait, I'd rather not know. At any rate, I do have to say, as bizarre and gross as that is, I think its personal. Some people get off on that stuff, you know. I think we all know if he did it with a partner, of whatever gender, that the response would be totally different.