The sexual assault charges laid against Manly star Brett Stewart last night are just the tip the of the iceberg for Rugby League's public relations problems.
In recent times (by my count) no fewer than 12 players - one shy of filling an entire football team -have brought shame upon themselves and the game. Accusations have included players been shot at, glassing their female partner, making lewd late night phone calls, engaging in sex acts in public toilets, threatening a girlfriend with a kitchen knife and doing the runner on a cab driver.
As late as yesterday, a court banned one player from entering his home town of Goulburn due to fears he will misbehave. There's no more damaging and damning indictment you could get.
Despite the Rugby League's best efforts to introduce players education programs regarding alcohol and violence against women, it doesn't appear to be working. in PR terms in the current environment, it's just spin and window dressing.
It's now time the clubs took a firm and collectivestand and weed out those elements who are destroying their club brands not to mention the future of rugby league in our community.
If allegations of poor behaviour are made and there's reasonable evidence to suggest they are true, immediate player suspensions should kick in. That means immediate, no questions asked action taken by the club. Don't wait for three days and allow barrage of critical headlines to further erode images and reputations.
If they are proven, players not only are banned from the club but the entire game, end of story.
Anyone else in the community who brings their employer into disrepute can expect to be fired without exception. The same should now apply to the highly paid rugby league players.
Changing the culture through a zero tolerance approach to misbehaviour is the only way to solve rugby league's endemic PR problems.
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