So I don’t play AFL or NRL but I did play AFL as a kid. I grew up in a regional area and I was a big kid so I played full forward. It was a lot of fun. I didn’t continue with it and these days I’m so glad I didn’t.
For anyone living under a rock ANOTHER group of Australian footballers have gang raped women while drunk. This time its not super stars but suburban “boys”.
Below is a piece I wrote that I think highlights how these problems have come about.
Australia needs to wake up to itself. Among the “developed” nations of the world we stand out as being one of the few that still tolerates anti social behaviour among its sportsmen.
In America and Britain the multi-millionaire footballers regularly are sacked, fined and jailed for their anti-social behaviour. In Australia they are traded to new clubs and given a higher salary.
It is a nonsense for Australian football codes to continually talk about how they will not tolerate violence against women when they clearly do tolerate violence against both women and men.
Brendon Fevola, in the words of AFL die hard Neil Mitchell, was “at the very least, sexually harassing and arguably assaulting and intimidating a female journalist.”
Fevola’s punishment for this act, just one of many reprehensible acts, amid a night of booze fuelled intimidation and lechery? A $10,000 club fine and a trade to the sunny climes of Brisbane.
The story wasn’t made public until after the trade and no charges were laid because the woman involved was “encouraged” to remain silent in exchange for an exclusive newspaper story!
Sadly all that Carlton president Stephen Kernahan could say was he hoped Fevola’s move to Brisbane would provide “an opportunity for him to continue his career in a new environment.”
Compare this to the case of Marlon King, also a star forward for his club, from Wigan Athletic in the English Premier League.
King was accused of “disgusting sexual advances” and assault following an “incident” in a London night club. The story was immediately broken in the press, King was arrested and charged, suspended by his club and faced trial.
On the 30th of October King was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was sacked by his club. He will be unable to sign a new contract with another club until after both his prison sentence and his previous contract would have expired. He is unlikely to play again at any level and certainly not at the top level.
In the words of Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, “He has set such a bad example to our young players coming through. I’m sure he deserved it.”
In the US numerous sports “stars” have been sacked and jailed for their part in crimes. Most recently Micheal Vick spent 23 months in prison for his part in a dog fighting ring. He was also sacked and fined by the NFL.
Sadly in Australia our sporting culture places these criminals above average citizens. We praise their sporting skills and ignore their transgressions as “too much drink” or over exuberance then give them symbolic slaps on the wrist.
This in turn sets the example to young men in the community that as long as they play sport their off field crimes will be forgiven.
The reality is that the young men who are accused of committing heinous crimes at Philip Island in October were given the example that you won’t be severly punished for something you do at an offield sporting event as long as your drunk and surrounded by footy people. The AFL has set that example.
It is too late for Andrew Demetriou to come out in the Herald Sun and decry violence against women, for Neil Mitchell to ostrecise these young men as an abomination or anomaly. They are not an anomaly. They are the product of a culture that says its ok to do as you please so long as you are a sports “star”.
Until we sack, fine and jail our criminal sports stars like they do in the rest of the world we will continue to have these horrible knock on effects. We may need to learn to stop being so shocked.
