Judgement day ahead for Kiwi rugby super stars

Recently there have been two occasions, when former All Blacks have come to the attention of the French Police.

On February 15, Dan Carter was stopped by police in Paris, when he was driving a vehicle with nearly double the legal limit (0.5mg) of 0.98mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Carter’s response was: ‘‘No excuses - I made a massive error of judgment and have let down my club, my fans and most importantly my family, I will have to now let the police/court process run its course and face the consequences. I am just glad no one was harmed. Sorry.’’

Then, only a matter of days later, former All Black, Ali Williams, was arrested after allegedly being caught trying to buy cocaine.

He was apprehended outside a nightclub in Paris by officers from the French Anti-Crime Brigade, along with former Wallabies international James O’Connor.

The pair were allegedly handing over cash to a drug dealer in the early hours of the morning.

As a result he spent 40 hours in police custody and is waiting for a future court appearance.

In a statement on March 2, Williams said: ‘‘I made a big mistake and I’m sorry. I feel I’ve let down our beloved rugby community. I will face the consequences. Thanks 4 all the support.’’

Racing 92, who Williams and Carter play for, said in a statement that: ‘‘It was decided to temporarily suspend Ali Williams.

If the investigation confirmed the possession of cocaine and the transaction, it would not only be against the law but also a serious breach of our ethics.’’

He has been dropped as an ambassador for the club and has been summoned to appear before a French Top 14 disciplinary commission on March 29.

So, as a result of their actions these two men, both aged 35 years, in addition to any action their club or other disciplinary body may take, are facing potential penalties imposed by the court.

The maximum penalty in France for a drink driving offence of the scale of Carter’s offending is a two-year prison sentence and a fine of €4500 (NZ$6900), as well as six penalty points against the driver’s licence.

Drug use carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison or a €3750 (NZ$5500) fine.

Many New Zealanders have questioned what kind of role model Carter and Williams now provide for the young sports men and women in our country.

Following his arrest, Williams resigned as a trustee of iSPORT.

Richie McCaw along with Carter and Williams created the foundation in 2009 after seeing communities struggling to raise funds for sports projects they wanted to help. The iSPORT Foundation gives grants and provides a crowdfunding platform for young people and teams who need help getting involved in the game.

McCaw is now the only one of the charity’s founding trio to remain a trustee, with Carter ending his role as an officer in 2015. The criticism has gone further than just questioning the role model ‘status’ of Carter and Williams.

Some of the recent media headlines have included such statements as ‘‘Ali Williams has tarnished the image of the All Blacks with cocaine scandal’’.

Why did so many New Zealanders take these incidents so ‘personally’?

What is our expectation of consequences for ‘bad’ behaviour and what is a reasonable punishment for various actions?

I believe that in the church, we face two modern day problems.

One is that we so emphasised the love of God that we have lost or severely watered down the notion of judgement.

Furthermore we are so used to justice not being seen to be done we can hardly get our head around a God who judges fairly.

The Bible clearly states that God redeems and heals his people and calls them to honour him.

In addition, God’s people are judged in history and there is a final judgement at the end of time.

Therefore, the Christian life is lived in the tension of these two themes.

As a consequence we can live the Christian life, not in fear of a final judgement but in the call to love and obey God in our daily lives.

The belief that the God of all the earth will be even more gracious than such an earthly judge (that Carter and Williams will subsequently face) is comfort for us all.