NRL club North Queensland will employ minders for players after forward Scott Bolton admitted in court to drunkenly touching a woman’s upper thigh in a Sydney bar.
Cowboys coach Paul Green said they would introduce extra safety measures for players when they go out socially in future after Bolton pleaded guilty to common assault in Waverley Local Court on Monday.
Green said the Cowboys were also in discussions with the NRL over a possible penalty for the prop.
Bolton avoided conviction and was put on a 12-month good behaviour release order after a charge of indecent assault was withdrawn over the incident at Bondi Beach Public Bar in May last year.
Green said players would also be educated on ways to better “look out for each other” when in public.
“Unfortunately it’s the world we live in these days,” Green said.
“We need to be well prepared from that point of view. We have taken steps to make sure that when we do go out in public it’s a safe environment for everyone.”
Asked if the Cowboys would employ minders, Green said: “It’s a lot of different things.
“It’s having people there (minders), it’s making sure we have people looking out for each other.
“Making sure that when we can see a situation unfolding that we don’t want to put ourselves in we try and nip that in the bud.”
Bolton has returned to Cowboys pre-season training after his court appearance.
Following discussions with police, an indecent assault charge was withdrawn and the 31-year-old pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of common assault.
Green said the club were also waiting on the NRL’s response.
“It’s been a really tough period for him understandably. It’s been fairly stressful but he’s come back pretty well,” Green said.
An NRL spokesman said they were still reviewing the case.
“The NRL will review the material tendered in court before taking further action,” he said.
Green said the club was keen to move on from the case but was proud of how the Cowboys had stuck by Bolton.
“We have to remember that initially the charge was indecent assault and that charge got dropped,” he said.
“I think that has been a bit lost in all this. People need to remember that.
“But there’s no doubt it affected everyone (at the Cowboys). But right from day one he denied any indecent dealings from his point of view.
“The club has supported Scott on that. It’s been our stance the whole way through.
“It was not ideal but I think it was a good sign of the culture that we stuck by him here.”
AngryEagle47
Roar Rookie
Wise move , as I’ve posted elsewhere all professional sporting associations overseas have these in place, a lot of the public can’t help themselves when it comes to behaving whilst in the company of elite sportsman/woman,
john
Guest
Sounds like they created a new post-NRL job for ex-players.
Jacko
Guest
lets hope they demand that these "Minders" have at least a cert 3 in childcare.......
Pete
Guest
Sad but true league players do need baby sitting
Rob
Guest
The employment of a minder to keep players out of trouble isn't new. The Cowboys have been paying minders to keep a recently retired ratbag out of trouble on and off for many years.
Ian_
Roar Rookie
I'd like to think that the cost of babysitting grown men should be paid for by subtracting it from the players' salaries. Doesn't say a lot when a club acknowledges it employs a bunch of supposed adults who need babysitting.
buttery
Roar Rookie
From what I read was that Boltons lawyer approached the prosecutor & it was agreed that if Bolton pled guilty to common assault the indecent assault charge would be dropped, maybe someone should explain that it's still assault.
Larry1950
Guest
Strange call about employing minders when all they would seem to need is for players to exercise a bit of self control when on the sauce. In Bolton's case it needs to be understood that Scott, a married 10+ year league veteran & not a rookie, claimed he was too drunk to recall the incident, he allegedly groped a woman around 15 years his senior & in his interview apologised to his wife, family, teammates, club & the NRL but never heard any apology to the woman. Where does a minder fit into that scenario, wouldn't he be keeping an eye on the young blokes all the predatory girls are supposedly chasing (if that's a true claim). I'd have thought Bolton would be the guy at the Cowboys you would expect to identify that one of the young guys has had a few too many & put him in a cab back to the team hotel. His isn't a case for extreme sanctions by the NRL but he certainly should have known better. In a way, the increased professionalism of the game is at fault for some of these incidents because these players are so locked into this almost 11 month bubble of training, preparation & fitness measurement that they absolutely go berserk when they get a chance to let their hair down, unlike the old days when players had a few beers after training quite often.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Apparently he doesn't fully remember what he did. QUESTION: Has the Responsible Service of Alcohol Law been revoked or just relaxed for profit purposes? People have to take responsibility for their actions however the following mathematical formula comes to mind: Brainless people +alcohol=POTENTIAL PROBLEMS.