Paul Kent's domestic violence charges are far more serious than just a 'rugby league soap opera'

Instead of telling the story, the journalist has become the story.

Last Friday, Fox Sports journalist Paul Kent was charged with two domestic violence related offences, following allegations from a 33-year-old woman that she had been choked.

After appearing in court on Wednesday, Kent made it clear he would contest these allegations, so this matter is likely to remain unresolved until the end of the year.

But it was Kent’s comments outside the courtroom which really caught my attention.

“It’s the rugby league soap opera, it’s the way it rolls. It’s my day to be a storyline right now, that’s fine – people are entitled to their opinions,” Kent said.

In his award-winning musical, Denis Carnahan’s opening song calls rugby league a “pantomime” and makes light of the ridiculousness that happens in our game; coach sprays and reactions, some of the stupid incidents that have taken place off the field and of course the constant media circus that seems to follow the game wherever it goes generating story for clicks and comments.

But Kent has absolutely missed the point here if he thinks these allegations are simply part of the “rugby league soap opera” and that he’s been turned into a storyline.

The allegations are just that at the moment, allegations, but they are serious and not to be confused with the ‘pantomime’ that is rugby league.

Let’s not mince our words. Domestic violence is a national emergency in this country.

On average, one woman a week is murdered by a current or former partner. Women are almost three times more likely to experience violence at the hands of an intimate partner.

It is also not a problem faced just in rugby league. Rugby league is a microcosm of the society in which we live, so it is no surprise that rugby league reflects the issues our society is grappling with.

In the past, Kent and several of his Fox League colleagues have been the first to comment on any issue involving a player.

In the past six months alone, he has been critical of Newcastle Knights players who spent time in Bali during a bye week and made comments about Penrith’s behaviour after the Grand Final, calling them “immature”. He has also claimed they “lack class”.

In the past he has demonstrated a lack of interest in the women’s game and a lack of cultural awareness when discussing the international game or the game’s treatment of Indigenous players.

Following news of the allegations breaking, several former rugby league players including Sonny Bill Williams, Todd Carney and Cameron King took to social media to suggest Kent should face a similar ire to the players he has criticised so heavily.

I know several people tuned into NRL360 on Monday night to see how the network dealt with the allegations.
They remained tight-lipped with Braith Anasta addressing the audience, telling them that Kent was stood down while he deals with personal issues.

Whilst I have disagreed with Kent’s approach and opinions in the past, one of the big challenges that I have with him and several of his colleagues, is that so much of their content seems geared towards generating controversy and I can think of several occasions where the welfare of the player in question was not considered.

Just because that’s how Kent chooses to report, should we follow his example?

Or can we and should we demand better from the journalists that choose to report on the game?

NRL 360 co-host Paul Kent.

There are so many factors to consider here and instead of generating headlines, I would like to see them addressed sensibly.

There is another person involved in this too, the alleged victim, his former girlfriend, and we need to treat her and the situation with care.

Fox Sports and Daily Telegraph bosses have a reputation to consider and a decision to make about how long they decide to stand Kent down. Kayo has removed previous episodes of NRL360 featuring Kent.

Even though they are just allegations at this stage, if Kent is not stood down until the matter is resolved, surely there would be a conflict of interest with him reporting on the game and any off-field incidents that could take place for the rest of the season.

While rugby league may be a ‘soap opera’ and one that so many of us enjoy, there’s an opportunity here for more nuanced reporting in relation to these allegations, even though some narrow-minded journalists would be highly unlikely take up that opportunity.