fLIP
UFO Hunter
Danny Weidler
During the 43-minute media conference where Todd Greenberg and Peter Beattie did a good job of selling their new powers to suspend footballers charged with serious crimes, my mind turned to the alleged victims. But one former footballer’s name also popped into my head.
Brett Stewart. His life was forever changed by a case where he was wrongly accused of a sexual assault.
I vividly remember seeing him break down when I interviewed him about the pain it caused him.
The game had to do something after the alleged incidents involving Jarryd Hayne, Dylan Walker, Ben Barba and Jack de Belin.
There is no easy solution.
But Stewart was on my mind I remembered a good man – Ian Byrne, Stewart’s lawyer – and I thought that his perspective on the NRL’s overhaul would matter.
He wrote me an email.
“Government ministers, police, teachers, judges, health workers etc are sometimes suspended pending resolution of cases before the courts,’’ Byrne wrote.
‘‘Arguably NRL players should be treated differently. Certainly, league players seem to be very frequently found not guilty after facing courts.
‘‘If however a league player is convicted, the league can properly apply its own punishment, but until that time, the presumption of innocence should be upheld.
‘‘Moreover, it can take sometimes two years for a case to be resolved in the District Court. Furthermore, it is simply not just or fair that an innocent sportsman should be deprived of his pursuit.
‘‘[Wednesday] marks the 10th anniversary of the charging of Brett Stewart. His predicament shows how easily a very decent and innocent person can find himself before a court.
‘‘As an alternative to standing down players, perhaps the league could consider banning alcohol advertising? For seemingly, sport advertising increases alcohol sales, which in turn can lead to increased violence against women.
‘‘Alternatively, perhaps the league could donate its income from alcohol advertising to help women’s groups.
This would at once allow innocent players to participate in league, but simultaneously allow the league to continue to demonstrate its undoubted bona fides in attempting to improve player behaviour.”
During the 43-minute media conference where Todd Greenberg and Peter Beattie did a good job of selling their new powers to suspend footballers charged with serious crimes, my mind turned to the alleged victims. But one former footballer’s name also popped into my head.
Brett Stewart. His life was forever changed by a case where he was wrongly accused of a sexual assault.
I vividly remember seeing him break down when I interviewed him about the pain it caused him.
The game had to do something after the alleged incidents involving Jarryd Hayne, Dylan Walker, Ben Barba and Jack de Belin.
There is no easy solution.
But Stewart was on my mind I remembered a good man – Ian Byrne, Stewart’s lawyer – and I thought that his perspective on the NRL’s overhaul would matter.
He wrote me an email.
“Government ministers, police, teachers, judges, health workers etc are sometimes suspended pending resolution of cases before the courts,’’ Byrne wrote.
‘‘Arguably NRL players should be treated differently. Certainly, league players seem to be very frequently found not guilty after facing courts.
‘‘If however a league player is convicted, the league can properly apply its own punishment, but until that time, the presumption of innocence should be upheld.
‘‘Moreover, it can take sometimes two years for a case to be resolved in the District Court. Furthermore, it is simply not just or fair that an innocent sportsman should be deprived of his pursuit.
‘‘[Wednesday] marks the 10th anniversary of the charging of Brett Stewart. His predicament shows how easily a very decent and innocent person can find himself before a court.
‘‘As an alternative to standing down players, perhaps the league could consider banning alcohol advertising? For seemingly, sport advertising increases alcohol sales, which in turn can lead to increased violence against women.
‘‘Alternatively, perhaps the league could donate its income from alcohol advertising to help women’s groups.
This would at once allow innocent players to participate in league, but simultaneously allow the league to continue to demonstrate its undoubted bona fides in attempting to improve player behaviour.”
