Should Mat Johns be stood down from the footy show?

[Rex]

Johns' teammate told of group sex

A FORMER Cronulla teammate of Matthew Johns told Four Corners about the group sex incident on the Sharks 2002 pre-season trip to Christchurch that led to the Footy Show host and rugby league commentator being stood down by Channel Nine.

The ABC television program, which aired allegations last week about the incident that has rocked the National Rugby League took the extraordinary step of releasing a statement last night that revealed that the source of the story was another Cronulla player.

"Two months ago, after we had begun researching a story on rugby league, one of the members of the Cronulla Sharks' tour to New Zealand told Four Corners about the events in Christchurch," the statement said.

It was alleged on the program that up to six Cronulla players had sex with a then 19-year-old woman while another six players were in the hotel room.

Former Sharks Test prop Jason Stevens last night became the latest player to deny any involvement in the incident after issuing a statement through his lawyer.

Four Corners said Cronulla players and staff had given graphic accounts to police of the sexual activity, with one player saying that at least one of them had climbed in through the bathroom window and crawled commando-style along the floor of the room.

The program also issued a plea from the woman to be left alone. "I am being harassed in the most awful ways and what is being reported by journalists is horrible and untrue," she said.

"They have got people speaking of me that are not my friends or people I have never met. It feels like I am living in a nightmare. All I wanted to do was to make people aware of the culture and stop it happening to other girls."
http://www.theage.com.au/national/johns-teammate-told-of-group-sex-20090519-bec2.html

 

[Rex]

NRL group sex woman in hiding

The New Zealand woman at the centre of the Matthew Johns group sex scandal has gone into hiding, saying she is "living a nightmare".

She told ABC 1's Four Corners program last week that the night of sex with at least six Cronulla Sharks players and staff, including Mr Johns, left her with significant emotional trauma.

The players maintain the sex was consensual and no charges were laid by police following the episode at a Christchurch hotel in 2002.

Mr Johns has since been stood down from his roles with Channel Nine and the Melbourne Storm and faces an uncertain future in rugby league.

Four Corners released a statement tonight saying it wanted to answer a number of questions that had arisen in response to the story.

The statement contained one from the woman, known only as Clare, which said she was distressed by the media response towards her after the program was aired.

"I am being harassed in the most awful ways, and what is being reported by jornalists [sic] is horrible and untrue," she said in the statement.

"They have got people speaking of me that are not my friends or people I have never met.

"It feels like I am living in a nightmare.

"All I wanted to do was to make people aware of the culture and stop it happening to other girls."

Four Corners said it had not paid Clare for the interview as it would contravene ABC Editorial guidelines.

The program said she agreed to the interview because other women were speaking out about off-field incidents in the NRL and attitudes towards women.

Four Corners said it sought interviews with all players and staff from the team that it was able to track down prior to broadcast, and none, including Mr Johns, wanted to give an on-camera interview.

The program said it did however speak to Mr Johns on numerous occasions about the events of that night.

 

[Rex]

So it seems some interest groups have been spreading damaging porkies about Clare and Four Corners, eh?

Wonder why the Newcastle victim said she wouldn't pursue legal action because she would be taking on the clubs, the NRL and hostile fans on footy forums and the like? 

Was she right then? Can a woman victim get a fair hearing among footy fans, and not be defamed for being a victim?  Is that possible?

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

At this point in time...apparently not.

 

[Fro]

[quote author=Fro link=topic=180326.msg223575#msg223575 date=1242706010]
yeah because the catholic Church is something that should be held up as an icon of moral excellence, give me a break!!

Maybe the NRL should break ties with the kiddy fiddlers themselves.

There it is again Fro, moralising about the Catholic Church this time. It's like a game of getting the angels on your side and the devils on the other.  And one man's angel is the next man's devil. Matty Johns is the angel and Claire (or whoever) is the devil, or vice versa.

This is a practical question, not a moral one.  What would be the impact on the game of the Catholic Church switching loyalties entirely away from Rugby League to Union, Football or Aussie Rules - as they are threatening to do? Just that single organisation.  Is it possible to consider that question without any moral judgements?
[/quote]

This whole thread is about moral judgements Rex. dont kid yourself that it isn't.

but then again I suppose you kid yourself everyday that your views are in any way relevant so you might as well keep it up.

Keep replying to your own posts champ, because nobody else has much desire to read your dribble.

 

[Matabele]

Rex, you are reminding me more and more of a philosophical poster on One Eyed Eagle, many years ago. Do you go back to those days?

 He's oldboy, and my opinion is increasingly that he's a welcome addition to this site. 

 

[Matabele]

So it seems some interest groups have been spreading damaging porkies about Clare and Four Corners, eh?

Wonder why the Newcastle victim said she wouldn't pursue legal action because she would be taking on the clubs, the NRL and hostile fans on footy forums and the like? 

Was she right then? Can a woman victim get a fair hearing among footy fans, and not be defamed for being a victim?  Is that possible?

  No.

 

[Fro]

[quote author=ManlyBacker link=topic=180326.msg223577#msg223577 date=1242706074]
Rex, you are reminding me more and more of a philosophical poster on One Eyed Eagle, many years ago. Do you go back to those days?

 He's oldboy, and my opinion is increasingly that he's a welcome addition to this site. 
[/quote]

Ok Matas, and we will treat your opinion in the same spirit with which it is delivered

 

[Rex]

This whole thread is about moral judgements Rex. dont kid yourself that it isn't.

Thanks for the insight into how you make sense of your world.

but then again I suppose you kid yourself everyday that your views are in any way relevant so you might as well keep it up.

An insight into how you make sense of other people's worlds. Thanks again.

Keep replying to your own posts champ, because nobody else has much desire to read your dribble.

Wow, thanks again, Fro.  

And if you can read others' minds then that's helpful because it really takes the pressure off me to cross the "i"s and dot the "t"s ... or however that bit goes.

And if not, then that's still helpful because I can now safely assume you don't have much desire to read my posts before replying.

 

[Rex]

He's oldboy, and my opinion is increasingly that he's a welcome addition to this site. 

Age is time and time is space and time and space and age are relative and things are not always as they seem.

 

[Rex]

Interesting reading for those who don't believe they already own the truth.  On reflection, this whole process has been especially interesting in looking at the power the media have to form and concretise public perceptions.  Sheep willing herded into their enclosure.

----------------------------------------------

Statement from ABC TV's Four Corners

THE following is a statement from the ABC's Four Corners program about their story on the NRL group sex scandal.

FOUR CORNERS “CODE OF SILENCE”

Due to the high level of interest in this program, we would like to answer a number of questions that have arisen in response to the story.

Four Corners cannot control what is said in the outer reaches of the internet. We can correct some of the rumours and untruths being printed or broadcast in the mainstream media. In doing so we would also like to set the record straight on how the story came into being.

After the incident with the Cronulla Sharks occurred in Christchurch in 2002, Clare was pursued by the media to tell her story; she was offered money by commercial media in Australia; she refused all requests to speak about it. The intervening years were marked by post traumatic stress disorder and its debilitating symptoms. Two months ago, after we had begun researching a story on Rugby League, one of the members of the Cronulla Sharks tour to New Zealand told Four Corners about the events in Christchurch. Through our research we found Clare and asked her to take part in a program looking at off-field incidents in the NRL, attitudes to women in the culture of the game and the possibility for change. On that basis and knowing there were other women also speaking out, she agreed.

A few points of clarification:

* Clare was not paid for the interview. Payment is contrary to ABC Editorial guidelines. Her only requirement was that we protect her identity.

* Clare has not “boasted” about the fallout from the story. She is in hiding from the media, and has made no comment about the consequences of the story for others.

* The program was extensively researched based on police material, medical reports and the first- hand accounts of participants, not hearsay from people unconnected with the events.

* The New Zealand police have not made any adverse comment about the program. They have gone on the record to say that suggestion is completely untrue.

* Most of the activity that took place during the incident is not disputed. Players and staff gave graphic accounts to police of the sexual activity. One player told police that at least one of them had climbed in through the bathroom window and crawled commando-style along the floor of the room.

* We stated explicitly in the story that we were not focussing on the issue of consent in relation to the incident in Christchurch. We stated simply that Clare made a complaint to police. This was investigated at the time. The players say she consented and no charges were laid. The focus of this incident was the role of group sex in rugby league culture and the consequences for the woman involved.

* As far as Clare’s state of mind at the time is concerned, when she made a complaint to Christchurch police a few days after the incident, police noted her distress in their reports. She was in tears and found it very difficult to describe what had happened. Days later, the police also noted that some comments she made suggesting she was not distressed were a mechanism for coping with what had happened.

* The manager of the hotel in Christchurch, Clare’s boss Keith Burgess, said that Clare was “a stable person” and “the last person to be involved in that kind of thing.” Clare says she doesn’t know the owner of the hotel who has recently made derogatory remarks about her.

* The events later in the evening at the hotel are disputed. Player Daniel Ninness said last week that Clare was not distressed leaving the hotel. Clare told police in signed statements at the time that Ninness was kind to her and came to her rescue and she relied on him for support to get home. We attempted to contact Ninness prior to broadcast but were unsuccessful.

* Four Corners sought interviews with all the players and staff from the team that we were able to track down prior to broadcast. No one wanted to give an on-camera interview. Some spoke freely to Four Corners, others did not. We identified those people whose presence was confirmed by more than one firsthand account. They were Matthew Johns, Brett Firman, and Paul Gallen who told us he came into the room at the end.

* Matthew Johns spoke to Four Corners on numerous occasions about the events and we included comments he made in the story. He declined however to give an on camera interview to Four Corners and answer more detailed questions about his role in the incident. We told Johns in advance of the broadcast that the young woman’s testimony was moving, that she had clearly suffered after the event and had been psychologically damaged by it.

Matthew Johns said before the broadcast went to air that he agreed the worst response to the program would be for anyone to go after the girl. Clare has recently contacted Four Corners asking that the media leave her in peace.

She said this:

“I am being harassed in the most awful ways and what is being reported by jornalists (sic) is horrible and untrue. They have got people speaking of me that are not my friends or people I have never met. It feels like I am living in a nightmare. All I wanted to do was to make people aware of the culture and stop it happening to other girls.”

* In relation to the Newcastle Knights section of the story, the Knights were frequently updated during the making of the story, up to and including just before broadcast. No comment from any one in any part of the program was taken out of context. Four Corners has received no complaint or question from anyone actually involved in the story suggesting the contrary.

 

[DSM5]

Rex, I agree with Fro, you're a wanker.  Anyway, at least I read this morning that Saint Jason wasn't in on the bun.  Good for him. 

 

[Fluffy]

Essentially four corners appear to be pushing that everything she says is true.......

 

[Guest]

Rex, I agree with Fro, you're a wanker.  Anyway, at least I read this morning that Saint Jason wasn't in on the bun.  Good for him. 

Jason would have been watching in the background feeding the chooks.

 

[Rex]

Essentially four corners appear to be pushing that everything she says is true.......

Is there any possibility - at all - in your mind that:
1.  Four Corners may not be wholesale fabricating?  or
2.  The media, people seeking their 15 seconds of fame, and internet commentators supporting your favoured conclusion might be twisting the truth in any way?

And if so, could you bear with this situation?

 

[ManlyBacker]

rex - you should get a job as a quiz-show host.  You just throw up question after question. Take a stand, make a statement, for the love of all those who think here.

 

[Rex]

rex - you should get a job as a quiz-show host.  You just throw up question after question. Take a stand, make a statement, for the love of all those who think here.

No problems MB.  I hear your needs.

The above 4 Corners release made interesting reading for those who don't believe they already own the truth.  On reflection, this whole process has been especially interesting in looking at the power the media have to form and concretise public perceptions.  Sheep willing herded into their enclosure.

Thanks for your helpful advice MB.  How remiss of me to not just come out and say it before.

 

[ManlyBacker]

Now you are restating your previous posts. But you are on the improve.

 

[Fro]

yeah and **** floats too

 

[Rex]

Now you are restating your previous posts. But you are on the improve.

Damn ... caught out ... well done Columbo.  And Fro reckoned you guys didn't care to read the posts.  So much for relying on Fro's critical analysis. Have to focus on what he does reliably know then, which seems to be about the floating propensity of s**t.