Rumour Multiple GWS players are set to be suspended to start the 2025 season after distasteful costumes and skits from their post-season function

[greatwhiteshark]

They're not making fun of themselves. They're making fun of victims of sexual abuse.

Nope they are just some lads having some fun. I know you disagree but it’s just fun mate.

 

[Kappa]

You'd think gambling would be the antithesis of public morality, but...

The AFL only care about morals when they might hurt their bottom line. Which is exactly the same as every major corporation, woke hypocrites.

 

[btdg]

Nope it’s still on the person who is offended. If you are one of them that is then that’s on you to deal with it. Just because you get offended by something doesn’t mean the whole world should get offended by it.
You got 40 odd young men all together, none of them were offended or cared. Why then is it others who care? 40 players is a big number of people not to care or find it offensive.

It's not about someone taking 'offence'.

It's that your actions reveal your character, and that every organisation has behavioural standards and expectations. The AFL isn't alone in this.

Dressing up as a rapist and simulating a rape on a sex doll? That's just plain wrong. You would cop the full brunt of the boss's wrath for doing that in any decent workplace, and any decent bloke would call out a friend for doing that in private, too.

We don't know the full details but most of the other incidents reveal some pretty ordinary thinking and character too, and certainly inappropriate for the workplace:

• joking about 9/11 and simulating the attacks that caused the deaths of thousands of people? That's pretty bad
• re-enacting a movie about slavery with a black team-mate? My god.. that's just indefensible

That's appalling behaviour amongst friends, colleagues or anywhere and the fact that the GWS leadership group sat through it and let it roll on... sheesh.

Let alone that this is a public industry, where image is everything, and an industry where concerns about both sexual violence and treatment of people with colour have a pretty big history too...

It's an all-time 'what on earth were they thinking' situation and the fact that the Giants and their administrators have copped the penalties and committed to internal action as well is at least a start

IF there's any criticism possible for the AFL here it is that they appear to have issued the harshest sanctions on fringe players (including a guy who has been delisted) and not on some of the senior players who were involved as well

 

[Vice]

Favourite part of these type of stories is seeing the same handful of people comment incessantly, from dawn to dusk, about woke culture, virtue signalling...take your pick of buzz words spoken only online because you're damn sure they've never spoken to anyone irl about it.

 

[sherb]

Nope it’s still on the person who is offended. If you are one of them that is then that’s on you to deal with it. Just because you get offended by something doesn’t mean the whole world should get offended by it.
You got 40 odd young men all together, none of them were offended or cared. Why then is it others who care? 40 players is a big number of people not to care or find it offensive.

Where do you draw the line though? At what level of behaviour does it become not the onus of the offended person to "deal with it" and rather the onus of the offending person not to behave that way?

Eg should a disabled person "deal with it" if someone were to mock his disability? Or is the onus on the person doing the mocking?

You are entering very subjective territory here with this argument.

 

[Underarm]

Nope they are just some lads having some fun. I know you disagree but it’s just fun mate.

Just so we're clear, re-enacting rape is fun?

Just making sure you're clear which side you're on.

 

[andy_20]

How about we take them at their word instead of reflexively disregarding the views of women?

Do better.

I'll keep doing life the way have

 

[captainMyCaptain]

This is wild but good to see the bar has been outed

 

[greatwhiteshark]

It's not about someone taking 'offence'.

It's that your actions reveal your character, and that every organisation has behavioural standards and expectations. The AFL isn't alone in this.

Dressing up as a rapist and simulating a rape on a sex doll? That's just plain wrong. You would cop the full brunt of the boss's wrath for doing that in any decent workplace, and any decent bloke would call out a friend for doing that in private, too.

We don't know the full details but most of the other incidents reveal some pretty ordinary thinking and character too, and certainly inappropriate for the workplace:

• joking about 9/11 and simulating the attacks that caused the deaths of thousands of people? That's pretty bad
• re-enacting a movie about slavery with a black team-mate? My god.. that's just indefensible

That's appalling behaviour amongst friends, colleagues or anywhere and the fact that the GWS leadership group sat through it and let it roll on... sheesh.

Let alone that this is a public industry, where image is everything, and an industry where concerns about both sexual violence and treatment of people with colour have a pretty big history too...

It's an all-time 'what on earth were they thinking' situation and the fact that the Giants and their administrators have copped the penalties and committed to internal action as well is at least a start

IF there's any criticism possible for the AFL here it is that they appear to have issued the harshest sanctions on fringe players (including a guy who has been delisted) and not on some of the senior players who were involved as well

I can guarantee you 100% that every single club in the AFL and I mean the players here think it’s fine which means we are all supporting a sporting league where all the participants Are of very poor character and not worthy of our support.

 

[CollingwoodBoots]

Nope they are just some lads having some fun. I know you disagree but it’s just fun mate.

Lads having fun just doesn’t cut it anymore. 1 woman dies on average at the hands of their partner per week in Australia. These foundational behaviours need to be called out and ended.

 

[sherb]

You dont see a little bit of hypocrisy with the AFL taking issue with players misbehaving while raking in billions of dollars from gambling addicts and having no issue with kids being bombarded with gambing ads?

Yep, selective morality from the "moral police" (ie the AFL) is a terrible look, particularly when you can easily argue that their inaction on gambling is because it would affect their bottom line.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

This is wild but good to see the bar has been outed

Oof shit gonna hit the fan now

 

[Outtatym]

Predictable AF a young bloke cops the suspension while senior players get a tiny fine

 

[Zacs_Magic_Tooth]

Maybe Rugby League is a better fit for you?

Classic

 

[Bagger72]

They're not making fun of themselves. They're making fun of victims of sexual abuse.

They were being satirical is the word you are looking for my precious snowflake

 

[Underarm]

They were being satirical is the word you are looking for my precious snowflake

Calling it satire doesn't make it any better.

 

[thejester]

You dont see a little bit of hypocrisy with the AFL taking issue with players misbehaving while raking in billions of dollars from gambling addicts and having no issue with kids being bombarded with gambing ads?

I would love gambling ads to be banned etc but the answer is no - lik at a basic level gambling is legal and rape is both illegal and widely reviled.

 

[Billy_01]

Idun and Whitfield get a slap on the wrist for reenacting slavery while all the young guys get banned. LMFAO

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Lads having fun just doesn’t cut it anymore. 1 woman dies on average at the hands of their partner per week in Australia. These foundational behaviours need to be called out and ended.

So they just should have not done that bit. The rest is fine yes?

 

[Belnakor]

• re-enacting a movie about slavery with a black team-mate? My god.. that's just indefensible

A black player came up with the skit and checked with his fellow players to make sure it was cool. Not sure why he got a fine. He’s black if he wants to dress as a slave for a skit thats his right.

 

[Belnakor]

Idun and Whitfield get a slap on the wrist for reenacting slavery while all the young guys get banned. LMFAO

Idun is black he can do a skit like that if he wants to

 

[sherb]

I would love gambling ads to be banned etc but the answer is no - lik at a basic level gambling is legal and rape is both illegal and widely reviled.

Legality doesn't necessarily determine the amount of damage something causes to society. Gambling is one example, alcohol is another.

I agree with HairyO's point 100%. The AFL's selective morality is a poor look. And hypocritical.

 

[CollingwoodBoots]

So they just should have not done that bit. The rest is fine yes?

Not at all. Not really sure what your point is to be honest

 

[btdg]

I can guarantee you 100% that every single club in the AFL and I mean the players here think it’s fine which means we are all supporting a sporting league where all the participants Are of very poor character and not worthy of our support.

You can guarantee me 100% that every player in the league thinks its fine? That's a pretty revealing statement to be honest. I don't know a single bloke who thinks its fine, and I'd call attention to anyone I knew behaving like that.

I don't think we can even be sure that the GWS players were ok with it. Some may have stayed quiet but sheesh... would it be a surprise if an indigenous or other player of colour came out and said 'actually, that time where a senior player at the club re-enacted slavery with a much younger black team-mate really upset me'.

Even beyond that, it sounds like the players themselves have been doing a bit of reflection. Here's a quote from Toby Greene today:
"As a leader of the club and captain of the team, I am embarrassed that we are in this situation and that I failed to uphold my responsibilities as a leader to prevent it," he said in a Giants statement.
"I am disappointed I did not adequately process the situation, and intervene, in the moment."

I don't think a single incident defines any individual or group as being of 'poor character and unworthy of our support'. It's disappointing, and I'm sure frustrating to a whole range of people. But individuals and groups make mistakes, and how they respond is often just as revealing of their character as the initial act. That's what remains to be seen here.

And also maintaining a sense of perspective, this is bad, but in some ways they'll get off pretty lightly. The players are copping a fine or a short suspension and will keep their jobs. Not many workplaces where that would be the case

 

[Colonel_Panic]

I wonder what happens at cinemas.
Some really disgusting movies out there. I assume staff get the choice to not work, I wouldn’t have a clue.

Yeah I'm sure most cinemas have a similar policy. I don't think, for example, Terrifier 3 is what most people want to spend their workday in front of.