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The NRL has a long and unfortunate list of players taking up headlines for all the wrong reasons.
James Roberts has been no stranger to controversy during his time in the NRL, which makes his latest reprieve all the more mind-boggling.
Reports have emerged that Roberts’ rugby league career will continue in the wake of the NRL integrity unit declaring no action will be taken against the Broncos star unless further evidence is provided.
It now seems the player will be placed on an alcohol ban in order to help steer him away from trouble in the future. But is that really an answer?
Having already been released by both the Rabbitohs and Panthers in the past, any incident involving Roberts should be looked at appropriately.
While it’s hard to say he deserves a larger punishment given the apparent lack of evidence, the fact he’s managed to put himself in a position to once again be accused of drunken behaviour is concerning in itself.
The only thing more concerning is the NRL’s acceptance to brush it under the table so long as no more concrete evidence comes to light.
This essentially sends the message to younger players that if you’re going to go out and get drunk, make sure you don’t get filmed doing anything stupid ala Mitchell Pearce, as that way we won’t have to punish you.
This binge drinking culture needs to be eradicated from our game. The NRL is quick to hand out inconsistent punishments and the blurred line this creates is only going to cause more and more confusion going forward.
Pearce was punished just as severely for an act that was stupid, yes, but in no way illegal. Meanwhile, Corey Norman received a lighter punishment for something that was illegal and brought the game into serious disrepute.
It’s these inconsistencies that will continue to see players chance their arm in the public eye, playing a game of Russian roulette with their careers.
Until the governing body stamps down on alcohol-induced behaviour we will continue to find headlines littered with NRL players being caught on tape acting recklessly and bringing the game into disrepute.
Human nature means we’ll always push the boundaries until we learn to understand our limits. The decision to allow Roberts to continue without adequate punishment simply means the boundaries will continue to be pushed in the future.
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