Rex
Bencher
David Beniuk
April 10, 2009 - 6:29PM
Police have confirmed two people were injured in a car accident in the early hours of Friday morning as the Canberra Raiders stood down forward Trevor Thurling indefinitely after he was charged with drink driving.
A police spokesman said a 24-year-old Queanbeyan man had been measured with a blood alcohol level of 0.1, twice the legal limit.
The Raiders released a statement identifying the man as Thurling, saying he had been arrested and would appear in court next month.
The incident occurred at around 1.25am on Friday morning at Bondi, the police spokesman said.
"(The car's) come off the road and struck a traffic sign and a stone wall and then it's pretty much stopped across two lanes of traffic," he told AAP.
"A female front seat passenger and a male rear seat passenger (were) both treated at the scene, taken to St Vincent's Hospital with possible back and neck injuries."
Thurling underwent a roadside breath test before being arrested and taken to Waverley police station, where he was charged with mid-range drink driving.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner said Thurling had been stood down from all playing and club commitments until further notice.
"The Raiders are very disappointed with Trevor's actions in this matter and have taken appropriate measures by standing him down from all playing and club commitments until the matter is dealt with by the appropriate authorities," Furner said in a statement.
"Trevor has broken the Raiders' code of conduct by drinking while injured and more seriously put himself and others in danger by his actions."
Furner refused to comment further when contacted, but said the length of Thurling's ban would be decided next week, after the Easter break.
Thurling was named as an interchange player in the side to play Cronulla at Toyota Stadium on Saturday, but had withdrawn with ankle syndesmosis.
The injury was expected to sideline him for four weeks.
Thurling has played in all four of the Raiders' NRL matches this season.
His is the latest in a series of alcohol-fuelled incidents for the NRL in 2009, and amongst Raiders players in recent years.
Manly's Brett Stewart and Anthony Watmough, Cronulla's Brett Seymour, the Sydney Roosters' Jake Friend, Willie Mason and Nate Myles and the Bulldogs' Jamal Idris, Ben Barba and Lee Te Maari have all been disciplined this year for off-field incidents.
Last year Raiders playmaker Todd Carney was sacked, and deregistered by the NRL, following a long history of alcohol and driving-related incidents.
In 2007, the club sacked Steve Irwin for his involvement in a police car chase with Carney.
NRL chief executive David Gallop backed Canberra's actions.
"They appear to have handled it appropriately but I haven't had a full report from them yet so we'll wait to get that from them next week," Gallop said.
Gallop said the spate of punishments meted out this year needed to continue for the message to get through to players.
"One of the reasons people need to be punished is to send a message of deterrence to others," he said.
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-sport/raider-stood-down-following-accident-20090410-a2n9.html
Edit: Oops, should have been through submit articles.
April 10, 2009 - 6:29PM
Police have confirmed two people were injured in a car accident in the early hours of Friday morning as the Canberra Raiders stood down forward Trevor Thurling indefinitely after he was charged with drink driving.
A police spokesman said a 24-year-old Queanbeyan man had been measured with a blood alcohol level of 0.1, twice the legal limit.
The Raiders released a statement identifying the man as Thurling, saying he had been arrested and would appear in court next month.
The incident occurred at around 1.25am on Friday morning at Bondi, the police spokesman said.
"(The car's) come off the road and struck a traffic sign and a stone wall and then it's pretty much stopped across two lanes of traffic," he told AAP.
"A female front seat passenger and a male rear seat passenger (were) both treated at the scene, taken to St Vincent's Hospital with possible back and neck injuries."
Thurling underwent a roadside breath test before being arrested and taken to Waverley police station, where he was charged with mid-range drink driving.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner said Thurling had been stood down from all playing and club commitments until further notice.
"The Raiders are very disappointed with Trevor's actions in this matter and have taken appropriate measures by standing him down from all playing and club commitments until the matter is dealt with by the appropriate authorities," Furner said in a statement.
"Trevor has broken the Raiders' code of conduct by drinking while injured and more seriously put himself and others in danger by his actions."
Furner refused to comment further when contacted, but said the length of Thurling's ban would be decided next week, after the Easter break.
Thurling was named as an interchange player in the side to play Cronulla at Toyota Stadium on Saturday, but had withdrawn with ankle syndesmosis.
The injury was expected to sideline him for four weeks.
Thurling has played in all four of the Raiders' NRL matches this season.
His is the latest in a series of alcohol-fuelled incidents for the NRL in 2009, and amongst Raiders players in recent years.
Manly's Brett Stewart and Anthony Watmough, Cronulla's Brett Seymour, the Sydney Roosters' Jake Friend, Willie Mason and Nate Myles and the Bulldogs' Jamal Idris, Ben Barba and Lee Te Maari have all been disciplined this year for off-field incidents.
Last year Raiders playmaker Todd Carney was sacked, and deregistered by the NRL, following a long history of alcohol and driving-related incidents.
In 2007, the club sacked Steve Irwin for his involvement in a police car chase with Carney.
NRL chief executive David Gallop backed Canberra's actions.
"They appear to have handled it appropriately but I haven't had a full report from them yet so we'll wait to get that from them next week," Gallop said.
Gallop said the spate of punishments meted out this year needed to continue for the message to get through to players.
"One of the reasons people need to be punished is to send a message of deterrence to others," he said.
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-sport/raider-stood-down-following-accident-20090410-a2n9.html
Edit: Oops, should have been through submit articles.
