The Image Of The Game and Criminal Acts

[dymot]

How should these get handled by the AFL and/or clubs involved in these sagas?

For example people claim Milne should not be playing while he is charged and awaitning an outcome because it looks bad that he is given such freedom when he may have committed a serious act.

Lovett was sacked immediately after his charges were laid using the excuse he had a poor attitude to his footballing life. Many queried this on the basis of the coincidental nature of the two and many thought it was poor judgement by St Kilda to take the rash action they did and this was further criticised upon the acquittal of Lovett.

Collingwood was willing to recruit a convicted and formerly imprisoned player in Krakouer on their list and at numerous times talked up his success and how great it waas while ignoring the acts he committed. There were comments made on whether this decision was acceptable or whether he lost an ability to play in the AFL once imprisoned.

Geelong suspended and punished Stokes once arrested and punished him harshy. There was conjecture over whether the club acted appropriately before the matter was finalised.

Examining these four points how do you think clubs and the AFL should deal with matters like these. There has been much conflict over the handling of the Milne saga for example from Collingwood fans who have in turn had their own decision making queried for allowing and celebrating a jailed person on their list.

What is best to maintain the image of the game at AFL level???

Discuss

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

Sweep it under the carpet

/vlad

 

[finders]

The AFL can only guide and teach is players and staff to not do the wrong thing but they do have a right to interfere in personal lives anymore that anyone else does.

All large organisations (check the ADF and Churches.Police) will have rotten apples amongst them and its up to the people running those organisations to minimise these problems by education and vigilance.

 

[Bayer_]

The AFL can only guide and teach is players and staff to not do the wrong thing but they do have a right to interfere in personal lives anymore that anyone else does.

Disagree. If the AFL wasn't enforcing standards of behaviour on their players, we'd probably end up with a culture like the NRL has.

 

[parano1a]

The average doctor, office worker or janitor would likely see their employment suspended or terminated as a result of being charged with serious criminal offences such as rape. Why should an AFL player get preferential treatment?

 

[Underarm]

Innocent until proven guilty.

 

[cymarak]

The average doctor, office worker or janitor would likely see their employment suspended or terminated as a result of being charged with serious criminal offences such as rape. Why should an AFL player get preferential treatment?

Let's look at it from the other direction.

Why is it that "the average doctor, office worker or janitor would likely see their employment suspended or terminated as a result of being charged with serious criminal offences such as rape" ?

Employers aren't normally allowed to punish you just for being charged with something (witness how St Kilda's official position is that they sacked Lovett for other reasons), so the only valid justification I can see is where suspending or terminating your employment would reduce the risk to your co-workers and / or the community (of you committing more offences like the one you're accused of).

Would sacking Stephen Milne reduce the risk of him committing similar offences to the ones he's alleged to have done in the future ? If not, what's the point in sacking him ?

 

[Hoffy95]

Give Sydney more money.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

How should these get handled by the AFL and/or clubs involved in these sagas?

For example people claim Milne should not be playing while he is charged and awaitning an outcome because it looks bad that he is given such freedom when he may have committed a serious act.

Lovett was sacked immediately after his charges were laid using the excuse he had a poor attitude to his footballing life. Many queried this on the basis of the coincidental nature of the two and many thought it was poor judgement by St Kilda to take the rash action they did and this was further criticised upon the acquittal of Lovett.

Collingwood was willing to recruit a convicted and formerly imprisoned player in Krakouer on their list and at numerous times talked up his success and how great it waas while ignoring the acts he committed. There were comments made on whether this decision was acceptable or whether he lost an ability to play in the AFL once imprisoned.

Geelong suspended and punished Stokes once arrested and punished him harshy. There was conjecture over whether the club acted appropriately before the matter was finalised.

Examining these four points how do you think clubs and the AFL should deal with matters like these. There has been much conflict over the handling of the Milne saga for example from Collingwood fans who have in turn had their own decision making queried for allowing and celebrating a jailed person on their list.

What is best to maintain the image of the game at AFL level???

Discuss

In relation to Krakouer, he was convicted of a crime, served the punishment determined by the court - why shouldn't he play?

 

[Monkey King]

Why should an AFL player get preferential treatment?

A CEO or politician would stand down until the charges were resolved, but football careers have more finite terms, so I reckon innocent until proven guilty should apply here and let him play on.

 

[radiojake]

Krakouer has done his time - He's repaid his debt to society -

 

[Morris Major]

The average doctor, office worker or janitor would likely see their employment suspended or terminated as a result of being charged with serious criminal offences such as rape. Why should an AFL player get preferential treatment?

let's be realistic here

rightly or wrongly, sports stars are not your average joe and they will forever get treated differently

 

[the distributer]

Lovett was on his last legs anyway, he would have been sacked if he was caught DUI etc IMO.

I don't really have an opinion on whether Milne should be allowed to play or not, if he is stood down it should be on full pay though. at least until the verdict is known.

 

[the distributer]

The average doctor, office worker or janitor would likely see their employment suspended or terminated as a result of being charged with serious criminal offences such as rape. Why should an AFL player get preferential treatment?

Because AFL players have contracts, sure there would be clauses that say if they're found guilty of a serious crime the contract becomes void, but being charged isn't being ''found guilty''

 

[Slax]

Because AFL players have contracts, sure there would be clauses that say if they're found guilty of a serious crime the contract becomes void, but being charged isn't being ''found guilty''

That's only used if the play is deemed to be a fringe player rather than a required player. Just look at what has happened recently with Heath Scotland and further back with the likes of Ben Johnson and others who have been found guilty in a court.

The AFL has no integrity and if they did try and take action against a player who has only been charge they'd find themselves in court well before the player is

 

[forwardflanker]

Collingwood was willing to recruit a convicted and formerly imprisoned player in Krakouer on their list and at numerous times talked up his success and how great it waas while ignoring the acts he committed. There were comments made on whether this decision was acceptable or whether he lost an ability to play in the AFL once imprisoned.

Quotes of non-anonymous internet people who made those comments please. Until then

no discuss

 

[Cmarsh]

Innocent until proven guilty.

But if I was a St.Kilda fan, I would have reservations about cheering Milne on, simply because I might be cheering for a crim.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

What is best to maintain the image of the game at AFL level???

Discuss

Why are you worried about the image of the game? How about worrying about the substance of the game.

When you eat a sausage, do you worry about the image of how the cow is killed and how the image at the abattoirs looks cutting it up, and how the image of what parts of the cow goes into the sausage, or do you worry about whether you have a safe product and a tasty snag?

 

[JackOutback]

It's a tough one...presumption of innocence against protecting the image of the employer (which they are within their rights to do). Most people would be stood down (possibly on pay) until the matter has been dealt with and that's probably the right situation here too.

If they sack him and he is found not guilty, that is unfair. If they keep playing him, and it turns out he is guilty, well that damages the club. Middle ground seems best.

 

[uncle chop chop]

The average doctor, office worker or janitor would likely see their employment suspended or terminated as a result of being charged with serious criminal offences such as rape. Why should an AFL player get preferential treatment?

This....it's simple really. Here, I'll write it in the rule book to save the AFL the trouble: Any player that is formally charged with a criminal act will be suspended from playing at any level until the matter has been heard or dismissed by the appropriate authorities. In any criminal matter clubs are advised to make no comment until the matter has been heard in the interests of all parties involved.

 

[cymarak]

This....it's simple really. Here, I'll write it in the rule book to save the AFL the trouble: Any player that is formally charged with a criminal act will be suspended from playing at any level until the matter has been heard or dismissed by the appropriate authorities.

So you'd have a player suspended if charged with tax evasion ?
If charged with shoplifting ?
If charged with jaywalking ?

What does suspending the player accomplish, other than to massage the employer's public image ?

 

[uncle chop chop]

So you'd have a player suspended if charged with tax evasion ?
If charged with shoplifting ?
If charged with jaywalking ?

What does suspending the player accomplish, other than to massage the employer's public image ?

Yeap why not? Keep it simple. Don't f**k up lol - at least it's clear and there can be no excuses

 

[JackOutback]

So you'd have a player suspended if charged with tax evasion ?
If charged with shoplifting ?
If charged with jaywalking ?

What does suspending the player accomplish, other than to massage the employer's public image ?

I agree the definition was too broad...you don't want to be standing players down for minor infractions. However, I disagree with the last point...football clubs are private enterprises, they have every right to massage their public image and don't owe a (potentially) misbehaving employee anything outside their contractual rights.

 

[cymarak]

Yeap why not? Keep it simple. Don't f**k up lol - at least it's clear and there can be no excuses

You don't have to **** up in order to be charged with a crime.

 

[Books]

A CEO or politician would stand down until the charges were resolved, but football careers have more finite terms, so I reckon innocent until proven guilty should apply here and let him play on.

Unless the politician's vote is vital for a government to hold power, in which case... anything goes.