Hit replay: More NRL video nasties to drop
Should the NRL suspend Dylan Napa from the opening rounds of the rugby league championship because of his leading role in the ‘‘Big Papi’’ sex tape series?
Of course not. But that’s what NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg is expected to do within two weeks and, when he does, he will box himself into a corner that not even he can slip out of.
When the next explicit video revealing players ‘‘bringing the game into disrepute’’ from several years ago eventually emerges, he will have to suspend them, too.
And it will happen. Another sordid video is about to drop and it doesn’t involve Napa. It involves three current big-name players and, unlike the most recent one linked to Napa and another player, this one is legit.
I haven’t seen the video but I do know this: players at one club have seen stills from it and they are already edgy about what happens if it goes viral on social media.
Indeed, quite a few players are nervous right now. Says one: ‘‘We can’t remember what we did on a night out four or five years ago, let alone if someone shot it on their phones. I’m a different bloke now. I’ve settled down and got married and have kids.’’
Greenberg returned early from annual leave last month in the face of the worst off-season for scandal in history, including the Julian O’Neill years.
He talked tough about banning players for life if it’s proven that they have assaulted or sexually abused a woman. Within days, Cowboys fullback Ben Barba was sacked following an altercation with his long-time partner, Ainslie Currie, at the Townsville casino following a drinking session.
‘‘It starts now,’’ Greenberg said. Maybe it should’ve ‘‘started’’ with Barba a long time ago.
He also said this about the Bulldogs potentially losing Napa, who hasn’t played for the club since his off-season transfer from the Roosters: ‘‘It might be [harsh], but it’s not my primary concern. It’s a bit like the Cowboys. It’s a little harsh on them: they are missing a player [Barba] that’s never laced on a boot for them. That’s the real difficulty with recruitment and retention for clubs. My message to clubs is when you are buying and selling players, look equally at the values as opposed to the skill-set. They should be assessed in equal priority.’’
Greenberg’s strong words about Barba are fair enough. He had no choice but to ban Barba for life. But Napa’s indiscretions aren’t in the same postcode.
To suspend him for something he did four or five years ago, when he was 22, from a club he hasn’t yet played for after an off-season transfer from the Roosters, would be grossly unfair.
A hefty fine would be appropriate followed by a clear warning to players and clubs that the next bloke to star in their own amateur porn video that finds its way into the public domain can expect to be sidelined indefinitely.
Instead, head office will make an example of Napa because it can. Greenberg will do so to back up his tough talk from a few weeks ago.
This is where the NRL lets itself down.
Fans are growing angry, if not weary, about the image of their game being constantly trashed. But they also believe in fairness. They know grandstanding when they see it.
Suspending Napa and wounding the Bulldogs’ season before it even starts for foolish behaviour from four to five years ago is simply not fair.
Neither was Greenberg’s left jab about the Dogs not doing sufficient due diligence before they signed Napa.
Sure, it has been widely known that Napa is a loose cannon off the field. He was the man of the match in post-grand final celebrations, as evidenced by the sight of him on Oxford St still wearing his playing gear from the night before.
The Roosters were also concerned at the start of last season about his lack of discipline. Napa didn’t want to leave the club but was told quite clearly he would be playing NSW Cup if he didn’t take the offer on the table at Belmore. He was considered a liability.
But how were the Bulldogs to know that videos like the ones featuring Napa would leak out as they did? They are football clubs, not MI5.
Because the integrity unit’s verdict on Napa won’t drop for another fortnight, the Bulldogs are saying very little on the matter even if it’s becoming clearer by the day that their man is about be scapegoated.
Chief executive Andrew Hill did tell me this: ‘‘The club, our sponsors and our members would find it very hard to accept if we were penalised for an incident involving Dylan when he played at another club and up to five years ago.
‘‘To make comparisons with other incidents is wrong. They should be considered on a case-bycase basis.’’
There’s also a belief from several clubs, not just from the Bulldogs, that Souths are getting a dream run through this delicate time.
They struggle to see the difference between the nude FaceTime chat involving Sam Burgess and a woman that made front-page news during last year’s finals series and the ‘‘Big Papi’’ tapes involving Napa.
Rival clubs also continue to moan about Greenberg providing a reference for Greg Inglis for his appearance in court on drinkdriving charges last month.