Sacking Jackson and Olding has sent out the correct message

The Ulster and Ireland pair may feel hard done by but professional rugby has obligations

It is doubtful you have read many non-irish rugby writers on the matter of Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding. You cannot avoid conflicting with deeply held opposing views and, in the contexts of morality, justice, feminism and freedom of speech, it is not worth the inevitable flak that will come, whatever you view. Well – here goes.

Jackson, Olding and two others were found not guilty by a Belfast court of all charges, including ones of rape, concerning an interaction with an unnamed female after a night out. Among the evidence, a number of Whatsapp group messages emerged between the defendants which, while generally in a derogatory tone towards women, included the term “spit-roasting”.

Once the news hit social media, all manner of comments were made, including many defamatory tweets. Lawyers for the players suggested the investigation and trial had only come about because of the pair’s celebrity status.

Feminist groups and hundreds who rallied in support of the complainant under the banner ‘#webelieveher’ suggested the trial was flawed and the pair’s status had contributed to the acquittal.

Contrary demands were made for their immediate reinstatement to and immediate dismissal from the Ulster and Ireland teams. The pair learned last week that those contracts had been revoked with immediate effect.

They have been found innocent of rape. There is no verdict of not proven and those inferring wrong by insinuation are legally ignorant. Also wrong are those claiming the verdict was wrong simply because it came from a majority-male jury.

You can march in support of the complainant, but to continue to assert that you believe her and by saying directly or indirectly the pair are thereby guilty is wrong.

There might well be problems with the investigation and prosecution of rape cases, but the flaws cannot and should not be attributed to these two players.

The social media messages caused further problems for Jackson and Olding; the tone and content read particularly badly.

They were dismissed in some quarters as ‘lads being lads’ and claims have been made that women are just as crude on other forms of social media.

The issue of freedom of speech, or rather, freedom to ill-speak, has been raised, as these comments were not made in the context of the pair’s profession as rugby players.

When the revocation news broke, the following statement was issued: “In arriving at this decision, the Irish Rugby Football Union and Ulster Rugby acknowledge our responsibility and commitment to the core values of the game: Respect, inclusivity and integrity.”

Dark mutterings of influence from money and sponsors has come from those who wanted the players to be given a second chance. There was merit in their call to publicly educate the players. They would have been more useful as people who had seen the error of their ways than simply recipients of swift and decisive action.

The problem is that you must deal with the world as it is, not as it should be. If you want sponsors to give you cash, you cannot expect them to have nothing to say when their image is threatened.

If you want to talk about core values, you cannot ignore them when your top assets fail to show them. I do not accept that sportsmen are role models for anything other than their sport, but that cannot hold if you have a contract with a body which commits you to being one in a wider sense. Professional rugby is not a human right, it is a trade with the benefits and restrictions that come with the qualification.

The advantage of getting things free must be weighed by players. Do they outdo the drawbacks – vile comments on social media, lack of privacy and the like?

It is no good today’s players looking at their elders and saying “in your day” – because we’re not in their day. The 10 megapixel camera-phone with video and internet connection has changed the relationship between players and everyone else for good.

Jackson and Olding might not feel they have been treated fairly, but as a father of four daughters, I have no sympathy for them. This is the real world and the sooner they and others realise it the better.