From p28 // Message for misbehaving sportsmen

citing it would impact his career. It was denied. He was banned from playing rugby for four weeks.

In 2018 All Black Sevu Reece was discharged without conviction, following a domestic violence incident in which his partner was injured. He, too, had been drinking.

His lawyer, at the time, argued the court needed to consider whether any other person who wasn’t a professional rugby player would be facing consequences of this magnitude. He got fined $750 and continued playing rugby.

Then there’s former Wellington player Losi Filipo, who, in 2016 was sentenced to nine months supervision for assaulting four people, including two women. He stomped on one of the survivor’s head. Again, alcohol was involved. Justice David Collins called it ‘‘a chilling act of violence’’.

Filipo was originally discharged without conviction when the judge ruled he should be able to fulfil his sporting potential. That was overturned following an appeal by the police.

In February, aspiring Formula One racer Faine Kahia escaped a rape conviction after a judge ruled it would be ‘‘the end of your career in motorsport’’.

Now a new line has been drawn. Sportsmen, like the rest of us, need to be responsible for their actions. If it impacts their ability to represent us on the world stage, then so be it.

Sportsmen should not be immune just because they are good at kicking a ball or driving a car, and the Guildford ruling indicates sportsmen need to step up and own up.