Players are only human, but drugs are bad for rugby league

Typical bigotted tripe from clipper. 'The core demographic'? As usual you are referring to nrl fans as bogans. Lets remember two things. Clipper is an afl fanboy. And his code has a massive racism issue. And its GETTING WORSE!

Well said Moose

Jacko struggles with logic.

so why does League get tarnished so much worse than other codes? Basically the entire west coast eagles side that won the AFL premiership in 2006 was on drugs, it's been admitted by anyone who was at the club during that period. Yet the AFL doesn't come under anywhere near as much scrutiny as the NRL. They don't get article after article after article after article dragging it through the mud the way the NRL does. I'm not excusing the NRL players have been caught doing the wrong thing but I think the NRL has a real problem with the media in this country. There is obviously a number of people at the top who seem to want the game to die.

Agreed Mat, the NRL has had many headlines in recent years that makes people's stomachs churn. Hardcore league fans may not care but others clearly do. Now this current scandal of 4 drug busts in 1 week has taken its toll. A major sponsor is walking away from the Sharks and the Roosters.This is big news and could be just the start. Proof that some damage has been done. The Titans are trying to find a buyer and this is a kick in the guts to the struggling club. It is getting harder to attract junior players and parents have many other alternatives to league. The bad headlines are out there.Tell a parent there is a drug culture in a sport and they will run a mile. Anyone who thinks that it is okay for players to be using illegal drugs must have rocks in their head.

Without going into the morals and ethics of drug taking this look is a disaster for RL. We are in a super competitive market for sponsors, players and viewers and this stuff just confirms the negative views casual sports fans, parents and people in non RL areas have of the game. It allows people like AFL commentator Gerard Whatley on the ABC to look down his snivelling nose and say whilst the rep weekend was supposedly for the NRL to be taking a breath they were actually taking a snort, followed by chuckles and laughing all round. This is the same bloke that said RL has laws of the 'caveman'. Comments like these have been echoed all over sports programs and social media since. This stuff has a slow drip effect where if it is heard often enough it becomes the norm. There will be a tipping point if this continues where Mr and Mrs average Aussie will just give RL away as an anachronistic joke and the game will wither and slowly die. That's why I believe first time users should get a 12 month ban and 2nd time users get banned for life. We need measures to save the game from the minority of knuckle heads who are on the way to destroying it.

'naive comment. The United States have an entire agency devoted to the eradication of drugs on a $2 billion a year budget with over 10,000 employees directly under it, not to mention countless thousands of other people and countless billions in other agencies in a support manner. They haven’t come close.' You didn't read his comment properly. He was clearly saying that if we the people wanted to get rid of drugs they would be gone. There are plenty of government agencies in the world 'fighting the war' but it's all pointless unless we as a nation want to get rid of them. Hot tip: we don't want to get rid of drugs. Half of the population use illegal substances every year.

I hear ya I don't deny that people will want to take drugs, BUT under the current laws 1. It is neither a right or privilege. 2. If you take them and IF you get caught, you MUST accept the consequences of your actions. If that means a criminal conviction under the current laws, then so be it. If you don't like the laws, advocate change by getting politically involved. "Lets not be childish. If the Australian nation wanted to eradicate drugs it would deploy all resources available to it, and it would be over in a week." naive comment. The United States have an entire agency devoted to the eradication of drugs on a $2 billion a year budget with over 10,000 employees directly under it, not to mention countless thousands of other people and countless billions in other agencies in a support manner. They haven't come close.

Spruce, yes mate you are right. Who hasn't had a drag or more of a bit of weed? Well, we're all criminals. Just not convicted criminals, Probably half the adult population under 40 takes dope, ectasy, speed or coke once a year or more. Half our adult population are criminals. Just not convicted. Embarrassing? It's the State governments that should be embarrassed. A very large section of the adult population clearly wants these products. Grown ups. In a free society. Except there is a bunch of cardigans sitting in offices saying that any of these people, our countrymen,should be open to be charged and left with a criminal record. Its makes you think that there must be a lot of dough passing around to keep this stuff illegal and keep the prices up, with no tax or quality control. Lets not be childish. If the Australian nation wanted to eradicate drugs it would deploy all resources available to it, and it would be over in a week. Do I care if some bloke takes a line of coke or smokes a joint? I couldn't give a rats. Stamp him as a criminal? That's just absurd. The criminal law should be about stopping people ripping people off or hurting other people. If they ban Riesling I'll be the guy in the dark suit in the dock.

Maybe you should share your kindergarten views Infinity Group, who have just pulled their sponsorship of the Chooks and Sharks.

Absolutely. Cowboys will want to show they can win, and have a big boost with Coote and hopefully Granville back. Morgan should get a tonne of confidence back from those 2 being there and with his decent enough showing in the Test. Dogs on the other hand will want to keep their spot in the 8, and Frawley gets another starting chance with Jeynolds out so he has a point to prove as well.

Bored, spoiled rugby league players. Too much spare time to be silly. Too short of a season, not enough matches, too many interchanges, too many players in the squad, too many weeks off laying on the sofa with injuries, lack of competition because no promotion - relegation ... they're slack and soft. Softest game on the planet ;)

I agree with you 100% Spruce Moose. I don't drink or do drugs and I think that all drugs should be legalised, controlled and taxed, however at this point in time, this is not the case. These drugs are currently illegal and as such, people who choose to use them are choosing to break the law. If part of your job is to maintain a certain public image for your company and you are recognisable in public, then the choice is simple - don't break the law which includes using illegal drugs.

The core demographic is by and large not overly worried by the headlines, but I think it harms any expansion to other demographics.

Maybe its time for a different approach. Andrew Voss etc call for harsher penalties, which I doubt will make one iota difference. Personally I think that the whole "brand" thing is totally overstated. The issue of kids playing sport, or not playing sport, has more to do with the casualisation of the workforce and parents working on weekends. I have seen it this year with a number of parents saying either cannot afford to drive etc kids around or the cost of participation. No one has said to me that the private lives of the "stars" has had an impact.

How is it the clubs fault? How is it Kidwell's fault? They are grown men. I actually think the NRL and the clubs do too much for them. The clubs all have welfare officers and most of the players have managers. How often do you hear a player say to the media when asked a question about something contract related. 'I have left that in the care of my manager to sort out while I do my job. Which is playing footy on the weekend. Thanks guys.' Or this one when asked about what position he will play on the weekend. 'I will wait for Dessie, Craig, Wayne or whoever their coach is, to tell me where I am on the park on the weekend. Thanks guys.' Players have too much responsibility taken from them. Neither Proctor or Bromich have fronted the media to put their hand up and say I take full responsibility for my actions and I stuffed up. That, I find is unacceptable. I know the players are human and they will make mistakes. But wrapping them up in cotton wool and not letting them take responsibility for their actions won't help them. Stand up say you stuffed up, not hide behind someone while they say it for you.

It's irrelevant to the discussion though Jacko. What the world should be shouldn't hide the fact that players knowingly broke the law, and their contractual obligations. Hiding behind the 'the law is the problem/the law is silly' argument is a pitiful excuse and fails to hold the players to appropriate account. The law is the law. You can't hide and say one shouldn't apologise for having a preference that sits outside of the laws that the majority of this democratic society accept. If the players want to do cocaine, and they want to do it legally, then maybe they should start a grassroots political movement to have the law changed. Until that time, they have to take their medicine and apologise (preferably in a court of law). I'm sure people 'prefer' to steal cars than buy them. But stealing is illegal. Maybe that law should be changed...

People feel the way they do and the reality is that NRL players need to respect the sensibilities of the people who justify their paychecks. (on a different note, basic social contract theory argues that " individuals have consented, either explicitly or tacitly, to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority of the ruler or magistrate (or to the decision of a majority), in exchange for protection of their remaining rights." (wiki). Our current social contract is what it is (even if some elements of behavior are arguably arbitrary). You might not like it, but a scenario in which every individual is given absolute carte blanche or thinks they have moral authority to overrule is not a society. )

The game will move on from this pretty quickly now that the headlines are over. But leagues and the NRLs image of drug taking scewed up athletes has been further cemented. Seems like a lot of people are okay with this judging by comments. That's a shame.

This is a joke right? Apart from hard drugs being highly addictive, inebriating (like alcohol) and dangerous, these athletes are TOLD they will be role models. That is, they're to be setting examples to those in the wider society (especially younger, impressionable children). The attitude of "I'm just going to do my own thing and no one can judge me" is not only pathetic and selfish, but destructive too. No player is bigger than the code and they did the right thing with penalising them.