- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Following a club-sanctioned poker game, the AFL’s brown and gold captain spared his driver’s licence by a narrower margin (BAC 0.02) than the pre-lim win over Port last year.
Club officials are satisfied the $450 fine and demerit points is punishment enough, together with PR savvy statements during Channel 7’s Friday night game and brief feeling of embarrassment. Hodge is a regular on 7’s Sunday Game Day, AFL and club ambassador.
It appears that, just in time for the finals, everything has been conveniently swept under the rug.
The poker game, alcohol consumption, getting behind the wheel over the legal limit, the fine and demerit points comes one match in to a lenient rough conduct suspension, ensuring Hodge appears in the finals.
Is this latest off-field indiscretion, in the context of a five-week suspension and the nature of those suspensions, befitting a club captain?
How long do the coach, team, fans and the AFL tolerate this kind of behaviour?
Reporters and readers, perhaps like no season before, have vigorously debated political and societal issues around sport including inclusiveness, divisiveness, leadership, culture, values, advocacy, blame and shame, bullying, victimisation, vilification, race and racism, crowd behaviour, mob mentality, fan/player rights and the like.
Now across the media, supporters and detractors of Hodge weigh in on law enforcement, legal drinking limits and reasonable punishment.
According to Channel 7 on Friday night, public opinion on social media is mixed, neither condemning nor excusing the player for his actions.
If issues faced by the AFL have done nothing else this season, it got us talking about the character traits of footballers. We have also learned how quick we are to defend our footy heroes when they are wearing our club colours.
Proud Hawks supporter, Rita Panahi, wrote a swag of articles this season in the Herald Sun about how one player is not above criticism, defending detractors, feigning for the subject to go away, yet driving it week after week.
One article supported the right to criticise the player while defending criticism of her club’s part in the events surrounding the issue.
However, she has been silent on the Hodge issue. For some indiscretions, colours should not cloud judgement.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.