Broncos pair cautioned by police

[Smithdom]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/spor ... 09,00.html

Last October, following an off-field indiscretion by halfback Peter Wallace, Cullen warned that the next incident bringing the club into disrepute would be treated "very, very seriously".

Cullen stated dropping players would send out a sterner message than fines with his warning voiced after a damaging two-month period for the Broncos headlined by a serious sex assault investigation levelled against three teammates.

"We can't afford to just say: 'Well, you're a first-time offender'," Cullen said at the time.

"We have to say to everyone we don't care if you are halfway down the track as a serial offender or if you have a clean sheet and have been here 10 years.

"The next one is a serious one and if we need to do something very, very serious to get you all to understand that no one can overstep the mark then that is what we will do."

Cullen yesterday denied that the alcohol policy had been breached in this instance, but he was disappointed the players had put themselves in a "vulnerable" position.

 

[Kimlo]

^ What's your point? it's a non incident.

 

[titan4wests]

for all we know the car that was kicked was being driven by bruno cullen and he was simply checking the air pressure of the tyres... as said earlier, if it was serious wouldnt the police have done more about it then asking them to move on

 

[broncosil]

Not much of an incident but I am sick of hearing stories like these. Eventually there will be blanket bans on alcohol, because players simply can't be trusted when on the drink.

I wish these dumbarse football players would just stop and think. If you get paid $150 000+ per year it means that your job carries enormous responsibilities (in any industry), and that not only do you represent yourself, but your employer as well. In the case of RL, sponsors, fans and other stakeholders are just as important.

I wonder what it will take to make these players realise how lucky they are.

 

[Kaz]

Why is it a beat up? They are high profile sports people who were caught urinating and kicking moving cars in public, whilst drinking by police.

They weren't drinking. They had been drinking.

If they were drinking the police would probably have charged them for drinking in a public.

 

[mal]

^ What's your point? it's a non incident.

Sigh. How is it a non-incident? Surely, yes it would be had of the Broncos held a clean image for past year.

The reason WHY it is an incident is because the players had been instructed by their employer NOT to **** up. NOT to get in the media for the wrong reasons related to drinking. And all this after the events involving Lockyer, Wallace, Hunt, Thaiday and Boyd last year?

It's an incident and one would have to be ignorant to think otherwise. Employer said sort your shit out while out on public. Players in media due to kicking a car and pissing on a wall. Pretty simple isn't it?

 

[OXY-351]

What is it with guys thinking "if you gotta go, you gotta go"? We're all adults, or at least toilet trained children. Ever heard of "holding it"?! Women have to, what makes men incapable of it?

Holding it? Men have less tolerance. I hate holding it in.

I hear Coxy loves holding it. In fact, he loves holding it so much, he usually can't take his hand off it

Seriously though, this isn't even a story. It's a media beat up. Footballers behaving badly is the fashionably story to run these days as it generates so much interest, and in turn sells papers, get hits on websites etc. The only stories that I usually worry about is when players are doing things the majority of the general public/I wouldn't do (i.e Brett Stewarts alleged sexual assault, Carney running from the cops etc). As if the majority of males in this world haven't had a slash in public at some stage during their life.

I can see the headline in tomorrow's courier mail. "Broncos Captain gets done for J-walking"

On another note, I wonder what, if any, impact this will have on Karmichael Hunt's decision to resign with the broncos. It's already been widely reported that one of the main reasons he is reluctant to resing is that he is sick of the "fishbowl" type existence members of the broncos have in brisbane. Surely a story like this can't do anything good in allaying these thoughts.

I also had to laugh when I saw this story on the news, and Shane Webke was the one reading it. I wonder if he's gonna write another book about it haha

 

[Flutterby]

Anyone who still thinks that actions of footballers that bring any kind of negative publicity to the club should go unpunished needed to see the report on Ch 7 news last night (and per Smithdom's thread) where the Qld Govt said the poor drinking behaviour of Broncos players and the media attention it has attracted over the past couple of years is THE reason why they did not renew their sponsorship at the end of last season. Players off-field actions have directly cost their employer at least $1 million dollars, so the club has every right to drop/fine/suspend/sack them IMO - I would expect disciplinary action by my employer if I directly cost them this kind of money. No matter how minor the incident may seem, the fact is it is going to be reported widely and in the most negative light possible, players need to get this through their thick skulls. Yes I know they are young men and much of what they do many other young men also do; but they aren't the same as other young men - they are high profile sportspeople, so they have to live and play by different rules. If they don't like the "fishbowl" they can get out any time and get a another job where they aren't going to be in public limelight all the time.

On another note, I chuckled a little at Phil Gould last night. He has a theory that all the Friday night games is a fair bit responsible for the drinking dramas the Broncos have been having over the past few seasons. His theory being that when players play footy on Friday night, they have all weekend to go out and drink and play up - it is harder to stop them partying.

 

[Coxy]

I'm pretty skeptical about this boot into the car thing.. if he did i could imagine charges not a warning.

Big deal about Kenny too... there wouldn't be a bloke on here who hasn't taken a slash out on the street after a night out.

AGAIN THAT'S NOT THE FUCKING POINT YOU MORON (repeat for broncospwn)!!!!

They KNOW there's a strict alcohol policy. Yet they STILL get publicly shit faced and STILL do stupid shit, however minor, that attracts attention.

Honestly, if they're going to fine them, make it $20000 minimum.

If I was Bruno, I'd show some balls and drop these ***** for a week. I've had a gutful of reading about this shit about my club.

 

[OXY-351]

On another note, I chuckled a little at Phil Gould last night. He has a theory that all the Friday night games is a fair bit responsible for the drinking dramas the Broncos have been having over the past few seasons. His theory being that when players play footy on Friday night, they have all weekend to go out and drink and play up - it is harder to stop them partying.

I personally think this is true to a certain extent. If you play Friday, you'll probably head on on Saturday night for a few drinks. If you play Saturday or Sunday, you might head out on Sunday or Monday for a few drinks, although it's less likely. Even if you did though, there would be less members of the general public out on a Sunday or Monday - less people trying to bait you or see you do something stupid. Saturday night is prime time for shit to go wrong.

I can't blame Steve Michaels for kicking a car tyre though. My red cattle dog Blue also loves chasing cars and trying to bite their tyres too. Must be something in the red haired genes

 

[Flutterby]

Yeah Oxy I understand where Phil was coming from and see his point. There can be any number of "reasons" or "excuses" but ultimately it all comes down to PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Most of us finish work on a Friday and don't start back again until Monday - same as footballers playing on Friday nights, but most of us don't go out and behave in the same way as these guys.

 

[Coxy]

Yeah Oxy I understand where Phil was coming from and see his point. There can be any number of "reasons" or "excuses" but ultimately it all comes down to PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Most of us finish work on a Friday and don't start back again until Monday - same as footballers playing on Friday nights, but most of us don't go out and behave in the same way as these guys.

m1c does, and apparently so does everyone else between 18-27.

We're just old fuddy duddies who are goody two shoes, Flutterby.

 

[OXY-351]

They KNOW there's a strict alcohol policy. Yet they STILL get publicly shit faced and STILL do stupid shit, however minor, that attracts attention.

I see your point Coxy, but how far do you go? It's getting to the point where NRL players can't even go out in public.

These type of stories seem to keep on becomming front page news, but does anyone actually give a shit that Kenny pissed on a wall and Michaels supposedly "kicked" a car (which I reckon has been talked up by the media anyway)? I certainly don't. If it was something serious, then yeah, I'd be concerned, but not for something this minor.

It's a blight on the media and general public that NRL players need to be bound by such strict codes of conduct that can see them fined for simply having a few drinks on the wrong day. People wonder why high profile players leave the game to go and play in other codes/countries where they can enjoy relative annonymity. It's easy to say they should abide by these codes of conduct, but they are becomming so strict it's hard to abide by them and lead a somewhat normal life.

 

[Nashy]

Drop them both. I don't care how well Kenny is going. Get the NRL involved to fine them also.

The clubs and the NRL are a bunch of soft *****.

 

[Coxy]

They don't lead a normal life. They're professional footballers, living the dream thousands would love to have lived and would gladly have sacrificed booze for.

Whether you think it's manifestly unfair of society (media and public) that these codes of conduct are required and are so strict is neither here nor there. They ARE here and that's not going to change anytime soon, so players better smarten up and realise (puts on Arnie's voice) the party's over.

If the players genuinely feel like they're being persecuted unfairly then they should, with the player's association, lobby the NSW and QLD state governments to raise this and in particular the media and police scrutiny, as a political issue. They'll look like total yobbos arguing for their right to write themselves off, but hell, go for it.

Continuing to do it and/or whinging when they get criticised will not help.

 

[OXY-351]

Most of us finish work on a Friday and don't start back again until Monday - same as footballers playing on Friday nights, but most of us don't go out and behave in the same way as these guys.

Do you go out drinking at all? With the way things are these days, you'd only need to step out of line slightly to make the front page. Can you honeslty say you've never taken a slash anywhere but a toilet? It's easy to say that they know the code of conduct etc and shouldn't be doing it, but in the heat of the moment, things just happen sometimes.

Coxy is right when he repeatedly says that players should get together and drink at other players homes. It's really the only way to enjoy a few drinks and not be under constant public scrutiny. I think it's sad that it's gotten to this point though. NRL players are still normal people and should be able to enjoy nights out on the town.

If the clubs want to have such strict codes of conducts, then they have to accept that people will continue to break them, or get so sick of them, they'll leave the game altogther. If you try and over-police people with unrealistic guidelines, then people are always going to be breaking the rules.

Does anyone actually know the Broncos code of conduct? I'd be interested to have a read and see exactly what the players can and can't do

 

[OXY-351]

They don't lead a normal life. They're professional footballers, living the dream thousands would love to have lived and would gladly have sacrificed booze for.

Whether you think it's manifestly unfair of society (media and public) that these codes of conduct are required and are so strict is neither here nor there. They ARE here and that's not going to change anytime soon, so players better smarten up and realise (puts on Arnie's voice) the party's over.

If the players genuinely feel like they're being persecuted unfairly then they should, with the player's association, lobby the NSW and QLD state governments to raise this and in particular the media and police scrutiny, as a political issue. They'll look like total yobbos arguing for their right to write themselves off, but hell, go for it.

Continuing to do it and/or whinging when they get criticised will not help.

Mate, agreed on all points. I don't have a problem with the players being fined/dropped for what they did if it broke the broncos code of conduct and the code allows for that, because as you say, they knew what was expected of them. I have a problem with the code of conduct if it allows them to be dropped/fined for such minor things in the first place.

Without knowing the specifics of the broncos code of conduct, I think it's wrong to call for them to be dropped/fined though. For all we know, the broncos may have dealt with this in accordance with their code of conduct, and this doesn't involve fining or dropping the players

 

[Flutterby]

Do you go out drinking at all?

Not so much these days, but when I was in my 20s I'd be out drinking pretty much 3 or 4 nights a week. But I always knew my limits and conformed to decent human (and legal) behaviour.

Can you honeslty say you've never taken a slash anywhere but a toilet?

Yes I can honestly say that I haven't. Then again, I am a girl - as Schmix has previously pointed out it largely seems to be guys that find it necessary to pee on a tree/wall/car etc

Coxy is right when he repeatedly says that players should get together and drink at other players homes. It's really the only way to enjoy a few drinks and not be under constant public scrutiny. I think it's sad that it's gotten to this point though. NRL players are still normal people and should be able to enjoy nights out on the town.

I agree, but that's the way it is. I disagree that they can't enjoy nights out on the town - they can if they don't step out of line. They all know they are under greater scrutiny than other people, so I'll keep saying it - if they don't like it, get out of footy. It's part and parcel of the job. I have had jobs in the past where there was an aspect or aspects of it that I hated, but instead of just moaning and complaining about it and saying it was completely unfair, I left the job. This option is also open to footy players.

Does anyone actually know the Broncos code of conduct? I'd be interested to have a read and see exactly what the players can and can't do

No because the club won't actually show it to anyone outside the coaching/playing group (a lot of the club staff don't even know it) citing that it is a "confidential document".