Thought provoking piece from Gus today.
A line in the sand
Where does all this behaviour stuff end? As a game, we have for many years supported players to try to make a difference to them and their families. Personally, to those lads I have felt worthy of giving support and opportunity, I've bent over backwards to help them make a go of their careers and their private lives. This sometimes means giving these blokes a second chance (or many chances) after they have stepped out of line. As long as I believe they are trying to improve, I try to stick by them. Hell, I was no angel as a kid. I made my share of mistakes. It's an ongoing process and we are always dealing with a few like this in our clubs who require this extra attention. But sometimes they just wear you out. Just when you think you are getting somewhere, they disappoint you again; and for no justifiable reason. Many we protect, not because we think we should, but because no one would understand if we didn't. Others we find hard to adequately discipline because in many instances, the public persona they display to media and fans is far removed from what they are really like behind the scenes. Hero worship from those outside the club is often so badly misdirected. Sometimes you just want to scream the truth from the highest building. And every time we get another event like James Tamou, Blake Ferguson or George Burgess hitting the headlines, which significantly damages the image of the game and those who do the right thing, it makes you question if it's all worthwhile. Maybe it's time for zero tolerance. Take the game away from them. It should be a privilege being a professional sportsman. Players should treat the honour accordingly.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/what-were-the-booze-bros-thinking-20130618-2ogst.html#ixzz2Wb7ddnXG
A line in the sand
Where does all this behaviour stuff end? As a game, we have for many years supported players to try to make a difference to them and their families. Personally, to those lads I have felt worthy of giving support and opportunity, I've bent over backwards to help them make a go of their careers and their private lives. This sometimes means giving these blokes a second chance (or many chances) after they have stepped out of line. As long as I believe they are trying to improve, I try to stick by them. Hell, I was no angel as a kid. I made my share of mistakes. It's an ongoing process and we are always dealing with a few like this in our clubs who require this extra attention. But sometimes they just wear you out. Just when you think you are getting somewhere, they disappoint you again; and for no justifiable reason. Many we protect, not because we think we should, but because no one would understand if we didn't. Others we find hard to adequately discipline because in many instances, the public persona they display to media and fans is far removed from what they are really like behind the scenes. Hero worship from those outside the club is often so badly misdirected. Sometimes you just want to scream the truth from the highest building. And every time we get another event like James Tamou, Blake Ferguson or George Burgess hitting the headlines, which significantly damages the image of the game and those who do the right thing, it makes you question if it's all worthwhile. Maybe it's time for zero tolerance. Take the game away from them. It should be a privilege being a professional sportsman. Players should treat the honour accordingly.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/what-were-the-booze-bros-thinking-20130618-2ogst.html#ixzz2Wb7ddnXG