Jack of the Jack de Belin thing yet? Me, too. But jeez – tumultuous and important day in League Land, and no argument.
In one corner, the Brandsmen – those for whom perception of the NRL by sponsors and advertisers is all.
Those who see ratings and crowds down, who see people – or more to the point consumers – fleeing league to spend their disposable income at the movies, the golf course, the horror – watching the Swans.
It’s a steady trickle at the moment – hard to see it being a flood because rugby league the game is grouse. The game is highly entertaining. It makes people feel good.
But rugby league the brand is on the nose. It makes people feel like having a wash. Some of ‘em, anyway.
And it’s those people – the swinging voters, potential league consumers, the greater claque of humanity known as ‘women’ – for whom the headlines verily stink up the joint.
Just when they’re coming back to rugby league on the back of Billy Slater’s gleaming white teeth does another Big Papi tape surface – and worse.
Jack De Belin. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images
In another corner are those who’d punt players based on video. The NRL is among those in this corner. They needed one look at Ben Barba in the Townsville casino to flick him. Others who’ve seen it agree. You can’t unsee it, apparently.
Video killed the radio star. But in these Trump-votin’ times, if you can’t see it on YouTube did it really happen?
There’d have been people defending Matt Lodge’s rampage in New York if it weren’t seen on video.
News of Big Papi and the boys treating love-making as spectator sports for their pals would’ve been bad taste at best for some, disgraceful for others, and something that others – and the Roosters crew were presumably among them – would find piss-fart funny.
In yet another corner you have the Always Innocent Until Proven Guilty (AIUPG) brigade – those for whom any act of any thing is apparently sweet as the nut until it’s been proven in court.
It seems for these folk the ‘line’ of behaviour isn’t marked until Dude X has had his day in front of a beak.
And nothing has happened and everyone should be free to play and go about their business until police and prosecutors make a case good enough for the judge’s gavel to whack down upon the fellow and declare him Guilty As Charged.
One wonders were a player to be charged with, shall we say, behaviour more befitting of a player from George Pell’s dressing shed, would that logic apply.
You have to suggest it would not.
But some people’s ‘lines’ are thicker and more porous than others.
The Australian cricket team’s one was more porous than Afghanistan’s border.
Greg Inglis’s line gets signed off on by the NRL chief executive; the journeyman from the Titans has a line thinner than the legs of Laxman Sivaramakrisnan, a leg-spinner.
But stuff those bloody lines. You can’t have one size fits all. Treat every case on its merits.
Brett Stewart was rubbed out and had his life changed. He was treated as guilty before we knew the girl’s father was a grub out to extort the poor bastard.
Stewart did nothing more than quip a girl shouldn’t be smoking. Next thing they’re yelling he’s a rapist.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg. (Photo: MAtt King/Getty Images)
Hell with that. That’s not right.
The de Belin case is something else again. As is Dylan Walker’s. As are others. Of course.
The NRL – brandsmen to their bones – have attempted to draw a line in fat black Texta under certain behaviours, and to judge others on their merits.
The NRL is realistic about consumers. They know – because advertisers and sponsors have told them, and have voted with their corporate cards – that consumers – that means you, Buckeroo – don’t like even the idea of violence against women.
And that if anyone’s even remotely within coo-ee of bad press about same, the game’s brand suffers and flocks of born again soccer mums take flight.
People might say the man’s Innocent Until Proven Guilty Let Him Have His Day In Court, but they don’t mean it. They talk thus. They do with their wallets.
NRL honchos Peter Beattie and Todd Greenberg declared yesterday that if you’re charged with a crime that carries maximum 11 years or more, you’re outta there until proven innocent.
That means Stewart would’ve been David Goneski now as he was then. David Gallop and company made a similarly pragmatic decision ten years ago.
You’ll never convince the Stewart family it was right. Ever, ever.
For other other ‘lesser’ crimes, the NRL will make a call based on … their experience, their gut, the greater vibe.
They’ll ring Mal Meninga, see what he reckons. And that’s their prerogative. That’s the leadership they’re paid for. You don’t have to agree. But you must respect their license to make these calls.
And so, for alleged crimes of violence against women, among other things, the NRL has decided to draw a line through that, and anything else that carries 11 years max.
No matter the state of a player’s innocence before being proven guilty.
And here we are. Vexed times at Ridgemont High.
Now, presumably – and this is where the Fourth Estate (the media, Google it) comes in – head office has made this call rugby league’s best interest at heart. That’s why the presser yesterday appeared feisty.
It was hacks doing their job, holding authority to account. The NRL has made a big call. It warrants scrutiny. This is how democracies sort their shit out. It mightn’t look pretty.
Beattie and Greenberg would’ve expected nothing less.
And then, in another corner again, and indeed in all four corners, all at once, are women. All those consumers who have their own, many-and-varied, multi-faceted and nuanced opinions about rugby league, the vibe, and what should happen to de Belin, Big Papi, Lodge, Walker, the list goes inexorably on.
The Broncos host the Eels in Brisbane. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
It’s these people – 51 per cent of humanity – whom the NRL is ultimately trying to court, placate, woo.
Not us dopey men. We’ve had a crack. We find it hard to empathise with women. Always have. We try. But we’re hopeless.
We know what it’s like from our perspective to have daughters, mothers, sisters, friends, wives, girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, and we are on their Team.
But for other, anonymous women, it’s like … I dunno. How do we get in their heads? We cannot.
Remember Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge? Reading women’s magazines to learn about feelings? Not possible.
All we can do – as NRL HQ has done on the back of the advice from Big Mal and others – is draw lines in the sand – and enforce them like Checkpoint Charlie.
Rugby league is doing its best.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
"and you are a great example of ?" Someone who is prepared to speak his mind and not be silenced by a crowd of pitchfork wielding, flaming torch carryimg, politically correct leftist "liberals"? But that's just a stab in the dark. Homers son "Bart" is also famous for practical jokes and pranks so he could be the ROAR equivalent of Andy Hoffman for all we know. Whether you agree or disagree with young "Bart" Peeeko at least he has the courage to state his position in this argument. What's yours?
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Fish, by any chance do you have a bushy beard, ride a motorcycle, are part of a charitable motorcycle organisation and have travelled between southwest Sydney and Central West NSW recently? Just curious. Btw, well spoken and I agree 100%.
Homers Son
Guest
Bartholomew actually.
Homers Son
Guest
Look no further than the treatment of Tommy Robinson in the UK. Guilty of nothing, yet sent to jail for being outspoken about the establishment. Denied an Australian visa , yet we welcome with open arms an Egyptian cleric who openly spews hate ... This world is in serious trouble. We’re already quite a ways down that slope.
peeeko
Roar Guru
and you are a great example of ?
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Thanks for your post westernred. I'm replying to let you know that your post , which highlights the shocking possibilities of false accusations , is entirely relevant and entirely believable. The illogical responses to your post highlight the trouble someone like JDB faces. If anyone can't see what your post is about and somehow imagine that you have something to gain by lying they have no hope rationalising the position that JDB is facing and giving a logical response to his dilemma.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Fully agree Diplomatt. The mud throwers are adopting a superior moral position and don't seem to fully understand that they aren't armed with all the facts. Anyone who hasn't learnt from the previous serious allegations against NRL can't be helped, they are lost causes. Trouble is they don't understand that they haven't learnt from these previous cases. Slagging someone based on what they think happened and then saying they are respecting his innocence is weak as water but somehow they don't seem to understand they are doing it.
Fish
Guest
I’m not sure the NRL would of come to this decision if not for pressure from financial backers. I mean to step into a criminal investigation, weather intentionally or not, is a massive call. They may say they haven’t hampered his case, but by pure exposure, I say they have. To state “ no fault stand down”, is kind of like rolling dog poo in your hands and then wiping them on your pants and claiming their clean. I think JDB has a case for hampered due process. If he is guilty, then let the process prove it. If he is not then this whole matter is an absolute tragedy for him. Whether he is innocent or not, he will have this mud on him forever, ask JT. He can not win, he may be found not guilty in court, but the verdict has already been handed down in the court of public opinion. The politician in Beattie has stood tall this week, I am not sure the leader in him has.
Fight fair
Guest
He was on the cusp of playing for Australia this year. Chances are if he is stood down for 2 years because the court case drags on that would never be a pissibility. If he is inocent that is wrong.
Fight fair
Guest
Is it about right if after 2 years the accusations are found tob false and Debeli has missed his chance to represent Australia?
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Deprive JDB of his rights and the presumption of innocence today and tomorrow it could be us. It's a slippery slope and open to abuse. If there had been conclusive video footage then there may have been a better case to stand him down ahead of a trial but on full pay. This better not turn out to be another Brett Stewart miscarriage of justice by the NRL or there will be hell to pay.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
I had to google it. Discovered that is in reference to a ROAR profile. No mate, that's not me. Sorry.
ferret
Guest
What happens if we caste our gaze outward rather than inward. I'm not saying what's right or wrong just making a few "outside the bubble" comments. So, "League has a huge problem" seems to be the accepted wisdom. But, it made a $47M profit last year. SO, where do the swinging voters go? AFL has a "huge" drug problem according to former club captains and coaches. A few ex-players also up on sexual assualt charges. So probs about the same level as the NRL. Soccer? Ronaldo I think is currently facing a rape charge (or maybe he settled out of court). Soccer in Oz? Perhaps not the sleeping GIANT it was touted to be. Numbers are way down and David Gallop is doing his best to kill any interest with the sacking of coaches and expanding the comp into Sydney and Melbourne. Way to go Davo! Rugga? Flat out getting triple figures to watch on TV or the ground. The Super teams are ordinary and the Wallabies ranked 6th. League has a lot of issues and they need to be dealt with. But I think there is a disproportionate blame placed on the game, players and administrators.
Carl
Guest
Ay, caramba!
RogerTA
Roar Rookie
Hmm, sounds a touch confected for mine.
RogerTA
Roar Rookie
Qwetzen?
RogerTA
Roar Rookie
It's Bart I believe.
Rob
Guest
This is similar to the rules big stick crack down that every one said had to happen. Great idea but then totally unsustainable. In the end scrapped through supporters voicing their absolute frustration at the inconsistency and over the top implications of such a hard line approach.
Bearfax
Roar Guru
Unfortunately the action taken by the NRL in my opinion is again a knee jerk reaction to the political football at the moment of Domestic Violence and crimes against women. Don't get me wrong. We need to stamp out this problem but realistically its endemic the world over and the vigilante solutions are a backwards step. Lets be clear first off. The argument that the Stewart case is different to others who have not had their day in court, is suggesting that we all knew Stewart was innocent from the start. In fact the League, the media and the public were onto Stewart big time for a long time because we the public looking at the case from a distance had made our own decisions about the case and that Stewart was a sleaze and should be stamped out. Easy to look at it in retrospect and say well that was different. It wasn't. We are doing exactly the same thing yet again that we did with Stewart. We are prejudging before we know all the facts, and they only came out after Stewart was exonerated. In my opinion the NRL have done the dumb reaction yet again. Lets be clear. In this country as you stated there is a presumption of innocence. That is what makes our system so much more sensible than the Napoleonic system in Europe where you are presumed guilty and have to prove your innocence. What the public, media and NRL are pushing is in effect probably illegal...that will no doubt be determined. Its a witch hunt and trial by kangaroo court. Waiting for a court, that knows far more than we will ever know, to make a judgement before deciding to punish, should be sacrosanct in this country. The public and media pressure unfortunately too often based on limited information has too often also influenced juries to fail to be impartial eg Lindy Chamberlain, and may yet impact on the Pell matter in the appeal. But the process generally works well And now lets look at the punishment to be meted out to those who commit DV offences. What the League wants to do is virtually ban them from the game. So who suffers? The wife and family. Little wonder women such as Walker's partner withdraw statements, because at the end of the day they and their children are being punished for speaking out against their partner's actions. Again dumb. You want to punish the guilty party, you make a penalty that affects them alone. Taking their employment away, just impoverishes the innocent who rely on the income. There needs to be a far more sensible examination of what is an appropriate means of dealing with DV offences. Its easier with sexual assault, because gaol is almost assured so terminating a contract is obvious. But two things need to be understood in these matters and not knee jerk reaction dictated by the media and ill-informed public. Firstly an accused is innocent until proven guilty in court. To take action against them, except where the victim needs to be protected, is contrary to our legal system, the best in the world. Second, penalties should ensure that only the guilty party is punished, and that may mean a whole range of options including education, community work, shaming themselves in public forums etc. Make them pay the penalty after conviction, not the victim.
Big Daddy
Guest
On the flip side if the NRL had sat back and done nothing they still would have been criticized so they are still in a lose/ lose situation. They have had to err on the side of caution and decided for the no fault option. Looking at today's findings Greenberg has set himself up as judge,jury and executioner which may be a dangerous precedent. Player misbehaviour is an area which the NRL haven't really got on top of .