NRL must clean up its act
for them to get tough over a cluster of incidents.
This week former Dally M winner Ben Barba was the sixth and final straw over an alleged physical altercation with his partner. He would’ve known what was coming after NRL CEO Todd Greenberg had said three days earlier: ‘‘If you’re violent towards a woman you can expect to be removed from the game. It starts now.’’ CCTV footage was viewed and Barba was banned.
Five players were arrested and charged in December. All allegedly involved violence towards women. White Ribbon says ‘‘an unhealthy culture is embedded in NRL clubs’’. The NRL says it isn’t. Well, I guess we have had a few very large full moons recently and one was red. Strong winds of stupidity could’ve been blowing in from the plains of I-wasn’t-thinkingstraight.
But there are no excuses. While the public figures it out for themselves, professional league players get millions of dollars worth of training, support, advice and education to help them understand that hitting and sexually abusing women is bad. Are some unable to take in this advice due to a build-up of entitlement between their ears?
None of this is new in sport. For decades, revenue has been prioritised over responsibility, with players excused or protected because of the harm to their careers, or the sport. While the NRL can’t talk about consequences for the players ahead of their trials, they have promised to act if the men are found guilty. But what if, just like in life, there’s more grey than black and white? New Zealand cricket stuck with the latter two colours when Black Cap Scott Kuggeleijn was found not guilty of rape last year. No further action was taken by NZC, unlike the Irish rugby union, which revoked the contracts of two players acquitted of rape.
Not enough was done in the past and now the NRL is reaping the terrible rewards of a botched job, and there is more pain to come.
To get Cinderella to the ball in one piece, the NRL has a lot to do. And all those involved in the sport, including the fans, must play their part and understand that the discipline, dedication and sense of responsibility needed to succeed on the field are needed in even greater quantities off it. There are more important things in life than sport. It’s a lesson Ben Barba has been forced to learn.