Rugby authorities have failed in their treatment of innocent players by punishing them retrospectively

IN February this year I had a letter published in Writeback regarding how I saw social media infringing freedom in today’s society. It is the modern equivalent of the lynch mob when the baying crowd and not rule of law prevails.

Now we see the outworking of this in the fate of Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding. These men have come through a nine-week trial where the only people to hear all the evidence against them found them innocent of all charges.

That is of no consequence to the mob and media who have relentlessly pursued them on the basis of their stupid and I agree disgusting use of social media to the point of their removal from their careers. When are the dangers of allowing social media platforms to pressurise opinion going to be realised? Have we learned nothing from the recent Facebook scandal?

The IRFU is now to look into their structures and education programmes in the core values of the game. That says to me that the IRFU has failed to make the position clear to their staff before now. They are retrospectively bringing to bear penalties introduced after the offence had been committed.

Secondly, they have only suspended for a week another player who posted inappropriately on social media. They will need to explain why then two men found innocent in court are being sacked for their use of social media rather than re-educated in the newfound moral code of the IRFU.

If ever we needed proof that those accused of such crimes should be given anonymity until they are convicted just as their accusers are, then this is it.

RH

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