HOT UNDER THE COLLAR

Our most divisive sports stars

When it comes to sporting debate, this week we’ve seen it all — the good, the bad and the downright ignorant and disgusting.

If there was ever any doubt over the standing of Sonny Bill Williams as New Zealand’s most divisive athlete, it was well and truly put to rest this week.

From the moment I posted on my VeitchyonSport page the first photo of SBW with the BNZ logos taped over on his playing jersey, the reaction was enormous.

There were 6500 posts on the subject.

I ’ve not seen debate like it since Team New Zealand blew that 8-1 lead to lose their America’s Cup final to Oracle.

Some were calling for SBW to be sacked and others were appalled at the dispensations given to him over other athletes.

“Here we go again, one rule for SBW and the rest can get stuffed,” was one refrain.

There were more questions than answers. Why BNZ and not AIG? Why now? Was this a unilateral decision which had clearly not been approved by either the Blues or New Zealand Rugby?

It seemed everybody was caught with their pants down.

Then there was a posse of people, including a couple of sports journalists (which I found odd), who didn’t think it was a story at all.

There were bigger issues to be worried about, they said.

But hand on heart, had you ever heard the term ‘conscientious objector’ used in relation to rugby before last Sunday?

Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd admitted on my NewstalkZB show that it was new to him.

Sure, some of his players had opted out of promoting KFC on personal grounds. But this is new territory. NZR told me they weren’t aware of any other contracted player having used the conscientious objector clause, which suggests to me there are no others.

So today I thought it would be pertinent to take a closer look at those sportspeople who have divided the New Zealand sporting public.