The issue of player behaviour has again reared its ugly head in Australia with the unseemly split between Josh Dugan and the Canberra Raiders and Kurtley Beale’s fight night in South Africa dominating the sporting headlines.
To say that I am, as a fan, exasperated with the conduct of these players is an understatement. This is only a short post to reconfirm the view that I have tweeted: the best punishment for these players has to be a combination of ripping up their contract, getting them help and making them work in a minimum wage job for a minimum of 12 months before they are allowed to be re-registered in the relevant competition.
This appears to have been an approach that worked with Todd Carney when he was sacked by the Raiders and ended up working in Atherton whilst playing park football.
These players should walk in the shoes of their fans for 12 months and then we will see if they continue to respect the game that they play and the fans that support them week in week out.
In the meantime: what follows are links to my previous posts on the question of player behaviour. Hope you enjoy and in the meantime any feedback or comments you have on this issue will be appreciated and replied to.
What ever happened to “the umpire’s always right”? A sports fan’s lament
What ever happened to the umpire’s always right? An addendum
What to do with players accused of criminal conduct: to play or not play … is that the question?
Shumpty Speaks 