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When will the penny drop for Mitchell Pearce?

Roar Guru
31st January, 2016
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Mitchell Pearce is not a redemption story - not yet, anyway. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Roar Guru
31st January, 2016
6

As a long time Sydney Roosters supporter it pains me to see the Club in such turmoil due to the lewd indiscretions of its captain Mitchell Pearce.

For Pearce to come out and make a public apology and declare that he “has an alcohol problem that he has to address and that he needs help” was really big of him considering that this wasn’t his first alcohol-fuelled indiscretion.

Sure, it’s a sad indictment and reflection on society as a whole that young men feel the need to drink excessively without any thought of the consequences for their actions, but there comes a time when people and especially those with a high profile have to take responsibility for their actions.

My heart goes out to his parents, who must be at their wits end and struggling to understand why their son Mitchell continues to bring embarrassment upon his family.

Like it or not rugby league players are role models and to even try to argue that they’re not is absurd, they’re professional sportsmen who have an obligation and responsibility to represent themselves and their club with pride and dignity at all times.

Whether he was in a private residence and was oblivious to being filmed is irrelevant, Pearce as the captain of the Sydney Roosters should have been leading by example.

It’s a given that the Sydney Roosters will have to strip Pearce of the captaincy and if the NRL is fair dinkum then they have no choice but to hand out a lengthy suspension and substantial fine because quite obviously the penny just doesn’t seem to have dropped with him yet.

It can only be hoped that Pearce’s trip overseas to get the help that he desperately needs is the turning point in his life. When he finally returns to Australia and to the field I hope he self-imposes an alcohol ban and has a different outlook on life.

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The NRL and its integrity unit has a duty to the game of Rugby League to show strong leadership and discipline when they hand down their punishment to Pearce, if they don’t their credibility will also be brought into question.

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