Dave Smith defends Shane Richardson over Souths probe

Much ado about very little, to fill the media vacuum until the footy seasons kick off. At it's worst the incident involved a male in his mid twenty's having too much to drink and making a fool of himself. The bloke's friend stepped in when, he shouldn't have, got into a scuffle with the bouncer (who had a couple of minor abrasions) and they both end up in the lock-up overnight. In the sober light of morning, apologies and some $$ changes hands and the charges are dropped. This probably happens 1,000 times every Friday and Saturday night in every city around the world. But because it involves the NRL and there's little else to write about then let's blow it up into a "CRISIS!!!" Let's sack David Smith and the Integrity committee. I know let's put journos in charge! They're never wrong and as wise as Solomon. Actually league fans should take it as a mark of respect. When similar things happen with other sportsmen it goes unreported because NOBODY cares!

The integrity commission worked - it deflected and deferred problems away from the RL itself so the public would move on and forget. Hang on! No - the IC did nothing as has been reported - even getting the basic facts from Arizona was beyond them but the RL press are so slovenly they will get away with it... its beyond bizarre

The game will continue to suffer these embarrassments regardless. People are not perfect and money corrupts everyone. Then again we can make the NRL only register the holier than thou martyrs and saints and good old born again Christian evangelists. Everyone else can go to pub.

So what about all the successful so called cover ups that we don't know anything about at all. Do we really want to expose every piece of dirty laundry or is it better for the family friendly game if we don't know every minor detail about every player / club /administrators life. I think I would prefer we didn't descend into the cant mind your own business types. Or perhaps gossip and having cameras peering and prying into other people's lives is really just being family friendly. Some things need to be exposed, some things don't, where do you draw the line. Just putting it out there.

Good for their family but it still does not excuse or erase what happened. If she is happy too well good for them. The image that put on the game is a very different thing.

BB's ex just had theyre third baby and is living with him in sydney

Classic MAX!

From what I gather, GG borrowed $100M from JP to save his beloved Panthers. SR transferred as CEO from PP to SS. Hailed as saviour. JP acquired HaC's share in SS. JP and SR allegedly did not see eye to eye SR resigns from SS DS signs SR for $700 big ones per season SS go to Arizona for a Chop Suey JS and LB get drunk but discover a new hangover cure 'Scruggs' Satisfaction'...ironic for a team initialled SS Poor SR sorts it. All OK with DS. Satisfaction all round. But why was JP and el supremo JG seen having a 'hissy'?

Exactly. The NRL seems to have this attitude that if no one is found guilty in a court of law then "it never happened". Yes, this has happened before. One example is Ben Barba. Look what he did to his ex partner. She put it out on social media. Pictures as well as text. Strong evidence was there that it happened. Yet when it came time to prosecute she disappeared. And here is why. BB has dedicated his whole life to playing football. BB could have been an intelligent man if he pursued an academic career, but he did not, he sacrificed it for football. In other words he does not have the skills to earn as much money as he does now had he not played football. His "EX" only saw it as it would impact on her kids lifestyle if he could not earn good money so she decided not to prosecute. She was obviously hurt physically and mentally otherwise she would not have posted it on social media. The bulldogs "knew" he couldn't stay and the bronco's signed him up on the basis "no guilty verdict ..... thus it did not happen" clear to play. It was lucky Wayne Bennett when he came along decided he had to go. Yes it was partly because he wanted to pick his team but WB (despite his other faults) is a man of high integrity when it comes to such important issues as domestic violence. BB is one example. Have a look at other indiscretions by other high profile players where the "no guilty verdict ..... thus it did not happen" strategy has been applied and the NRL just turns their head and coughs. What goes with the NRL allowing this to happen? Family game? yeah right

Of course Dave Smith should defend Richardson, he should stand by his original decision and he should stop pandering to News Ltd. He should get tough with the media and let the media know only what they need to know. If the process is Souths report the incident to the NRL integrity unit, the integrity unit accept the punishnment by Souths to the players involved then thats the end of it. It is simply no one elses business. If you start standing players out of the game before the player gets his day in court. if that player is subsequently found completely innocent then the player should be allowed to sue the NRL for loss of earnings and damaging the players reputation. The NRL need to start protecting the game not by disclosing every detail of every incident but by not releasing every incident. Sometimes it is better to not know everything about everyone for the benefit of the game. do we really need to know when a player parks his car in a disabled space or gets fined for jaywalking or spitting or swearing or pissing in a carpark or being obnoxious or disorderly behaviour or littering. do we need to know this stuff. Dave Smith and the NRL would do well to enforce a strict media / public relations policy. only tell the media whats in the best interest of the game and basically tell News ltd to bugger off and stop bringing the game down over minor unimportant incidents. Major incidents need to be dealt with differently of course rape and robbery and performance enhancing drug taking type crimes are a different matter. but you can not stand players down and deny them a living until they are proven guilty in a courtroom. if the player is ultimately found innocent the player should sue for damages. The NRL should start looking after clubs and players and stop being manipulated by journalists looking to make mountains out of molehills so they can sell newspapers.

Boys will be boys, but with intense media scrutiny not only local but now also overseas, they just have to realise that if they wanna earn the big bucks they got to stay out of trouble And how does Richardson walk into a newly created role, the same time this hits the fan?

So getting arrested for a drunken brawl in another country on an official trip is a "minor detail"? As long as officials continue with this attitude the game will continue to suffer these embarrassments. Laughable.

I know right. I'm on your side. But it's a free media in free speech. Let them come at us with whatever they say. We live and die on our actions and reasoned arguments not to mention the protocols the NRL have in place. It's all linked. So have you noticed what Smith says and Greenberg etc. They are eloquent speakers with their heads on right. Its allowing them their questioning, even their veiled accusations, but never being put off track on what they want to say. And they usually baring media overstepping, put forward proper good cases. Like the one recently here

What is the hell is the NRL doing by bowing to the media, if you see that reporter Hooper on Foxsports he's almost foaming at the mouth giving his opinion, I'd hate to see Rothfield on TV that would need the Vets to be on hand.