johnnomac
All Australian
It's not hangable, but dumb, like you say.
The rest of the story who knows what is true. We just know what we are told.
The conviction isn't the issue, it is the message it sends to the club regarding what you can get away with.
Josh should have known better and that's probably reflected in the Club's reaction and the Court's ruling.
He should have managed the Speech Therapist situation differently. He should have sought advice from the Club, the Speech Therapist's practise or the Health Department's COVID helpline to see if there was a permissible "work-around". Perhaps the Speech Therapist could have stayed away for the "lock-down" period but given the family exercises or other things to do for that short time.
As for the cleaner excuse it really is quite a poor explanation. If this is a regular service, he could have called the company and told them of the situation and cancelled the service during that time. Or don't let the cleaner in. Or if the cleaner does come in, contact the Health Department for advice. Did the cleaner come dressed in PPE to clean the house? Even though he went outside and then to the laundrette, coffee shop and his brother's house, if he was COVID-positive the virus can survive on inanimate objects for up to many days. That alone, without PPE, exposes the cleaner (and the Speech Therapist) to the COVID virus.
Footy has been allowed to continue this year because the AFL has worked with and followed the States' public health and medical directions. Everyone that's part of the AFL, like Josh, has surely had what they need to do drilled in to them.
Finally, I think that he made very poor decisions with regards to this case. He is a role model for the younger, less mature players. But he is also a member of our community. He broke the law, and he needs to face the consequences of that. He faced court, was represented by a lawyer, and was not treated any differently to anyone else. The community needs to see that the law is applied fairly and equally to maintain confidence in our legal system.
He pleaded guilty to all three charges. That's not in question. The magistrate fined him. The fine seems to be in line with what others have received.
It's absolutely fair for us to discuss what happens after this - the reaction from the Club and wider society. I get where Electronic_Renaissance and others are coming from. They see this as another example of the Club allowing unprofessional behaviour to permeate it and that they believe inevitably leaks through to performances. Past threads like the "no d*ck-head" rule, etc all come back to this same idea. I really do get that.
But once you've taken your punishment and have shown that you understand your error and are genuinely remorseful life needs to go on.








DRAGONS FFC 


