Former AFL player blocked from coaching position

It's a position of influence. He's there to mentor young men and he's well and truly proven that he's not the kind of person you would want to have doing that.

Coaching a football club VERY much requires that a person not be behaving like this. Football coach can be an important mentor for the young men of the community, to whom there needs to be a very strong message that this is not acceptable in any circumstance. I agree that we need to try and rehabilitate rather than exclude a person who is trying to better themselves, absolutely, but that doesnt' mean there is anything wrong with the AFL stepping in here. I don't think you can attribute 'indirect blame' like that as well. If Nick chooses to hit a woman, regardless of the circumstances of his life, HE made the choice, HE did it. The blame is 100% on him.

Clutching at straws here mate, tending to outright ridiculous ! Reading your posts here, one could be easily led to believe that you just don't get all this White Ribbon Day business !

Bad call by my old country footy club, Red Cliffs. The Tigers have won the past two flags under inspirational & much admired capt. coach Shannon Motlop. I'm assuming he's retired or moved on. The choice of his replacement is strange indeed.

He didn't play for port in 2004. he joined carlton in 2004...and then port coincidentally won the premiership. Overrated and massively soft player, seems to think he's pretty tough at home though.

If I were a member or player of that club, I would be long gone by now. An employer has a duty of care to ensure all workers, volunteers and other persons in the workplace are safe from risks to health and safety. This guy is a risk and the Red Cliffs club is putting themselves in the firing line. If he has anger issues and is a misogynist, why would you put him in a position of influence. Females play football too.

Winston you've just demonstrated exactly what The problem is and that you completely don't get it. The way domestic abusers work is by emotional and physical abuse. They isolate their women from the community so she has nowhere to turn for help and must stay in her situation. The concern here isn't that Nick would personally attack a woman, it's that by hiring him the club lets women know that they're on their own. The community doesn't feel domestic violence is their concern or business and its up to you to save yourself but please don't make us feel uncomfortable socially or make us miss out on a guy who can coach just because your partner has threatened to murder you. That's your problem.

If he can't pass the inherent requirement of police screening, then he needs to find a job in a sector where this isn't a requirement. End up professionally or financially disadvantaged due to being a criminal? That's what happens to criminals. Wouldn't want my son coached by a person like that anyway.

As to why many clubs were lining up, well... let's face it, he was a GUN. He wasn't just an AFL player, he was the best of the best in that 2004 Port midfield. There aren't many people of that caliber around.

I think where our opinions differ is how we see the position. The way I see it, putting a woman basher in charge of a young team of footballers teaching them how to play football does NOT equate to putting a child molestor as a kindergarten teacher, or putting a fraudster in charge of the tilt. I think it would be very different if he was appointing to coach the womens team, but he's here to coach the mens team, which means there's actually no risk of him hitting any woman during his work. The other key here is, I don't think there is any suggestion at all that anyone is condoning domestic violence. I'm sure when the club hired him, it's not because they think domestic violence doesn't matter, it's more that it's irrelevant to this particular job. I would argue that there would be more problem if he was digging ditches as AR suggested, where there may be other female employees around. There would be higher risk of him hitting a woman in that scenario than being coach of a mens team.

The Red cliffs football and Netball Club should be rightly condemmed for this appointment. This is a community sporting club that is there to provide sporting and social outlets for men, women and children. It is a place where children learn not only the sport itself, but what it means to be part of a team, play by rules, respect and so on. And this club felt it was appropriate to put a man who has been found guilty in a court of law of verbally and physically assaulting women in charge of their most senior team-the team that that families come to watch and support. the team that the younger boys in that club aspire to play in. The people wo made this appointment should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. This appointment effectively condones this behaviour. There is NO circumstance in which it is ok to hit a woman. I just cannot fathom how members of that club board found it acceptable to make this appointment. Surely the backlash has not just come from the community. i have no doubt sponsors of the club and the league would have great concern.

Exactly! All women associated with this club and in this community should attend the first game of the season, and stand with their backs turned on the action in silence for the entire game. Their men should join them in silent protest. Irregardless of if he coaches or not. This club should be ashamed of itself!

I never suggested Stevens shouldn't be able to work again, but I don't think he should be able to work in a position of influence, in charge of young men, with women and other community members under his authority. He's free to dig ditches if he likes.

Winton I don't believe Nick should be denied all jobs, I do think he should be denied a position of leadership, particularly leadership of young men. He cannot be a leader of our community and given a position of esteem and influence. I dont understand how on the one hand we have been very quick to Introduce 'one punch, kills' mandatory sentencing after a series of 'coward punches', but on the other hand men can punch their partners, sometimes almost to death as in the case of Albert Proud and their sentences are at the discretion of judges who give out 8 month sentences, and when convicted we as a society offer these heroes positions of power over other young men. Not one club, but apparently many were lining up! He shouldn't have a job, he should be in jail receiving counselling and have to read literature/accounts of domestic violence by young women.

I feel a bit disturbed by this story. On one hand, any employer (or in this case, the governing body of the employer) can have this sort of employment criteria, so the club hasn't done anything wrong. On the other hand, football doesn't seem to be the sort of thing that should require it. I find it different from say being a doctor, lawyer, banker, accountant, engineer in a big company. I can't help but feel that this is just for reputational and publicity reasons, and judging from aw and AR's views above, perhaps they've got it right. I do ask people to be a bit more broad minded about this though. Say we all condemn Nick S domestic violence, and deny him this job. He gets more angry, hits more women. Should we then all feel bad that we've indirectly caused it? It would be easy for us to deny responsibility - after all it's his choices not ours - but I think philosophically it makes most of us hypocrites.

Good call. Good riddance.

A bit disgusting that a club would be willing to hire a nick. If I was any female associated with this club I would show up at the next meeting or club day and loudly quit. If my boyfriend/husband played for the club I would ask him to consider what message it sent me if he was willing to be coached or mentored by this man. To consider him for a position of leadership in the community is very worrying to say the least. What do the board of this club think of women?