Wild west: where there's smoke, there's fire
ALARM bells should be ringing when there are repeated stories that Western Force rugby union players are "alleged" to have done something. It is a legal term to emphasise that the charges, complaints or allegations have not been tested in court. But what is going on across the Nullarbor that the players or officials are alleged to have done something, or anything, so constantly that the alleged dramas are blurring into one big, embarrassing mess?
Yesterday, the alleged offences were ugly and spanned the continent. In the west, the local police were confirming that, yes, there had been complaints levelled against Western Force players for allegedly mistreating the cute marsupials native to Rottnest Island, the quokkas. Mistreatment of fellow players is one thing, but harming cute, defenceless marsupials, even allegedly, is another.
Stories have emerged of players allegedly swinging the quokkas by their tails. The players allegedly involved risk $10,000 fines, but their penalty in the court of public opinion will be much more severe.
Western Force club spokesman Tom Baddeley said Monday afternoon was the first opportunity the club had to speak with the players about the incident that allegedly occurred on Friday night and was reported to authorities on Saturday morning. Funny that Monday was the same time the story was picked up by the media. Obviously, time moves slowly across the Nullarbor.
On the same day as that nasty quokka allegation surfaced, the Herald reported that two players were being investigated by Western Australia and NSW police over an alleged assault of a former Western Force employee, who had the balls to tell the players to pay for their own bar tab following a 16-16 draw with the Waratahs in March. The players deny the allegation.
Yet around the same time another assault allegation against Force player Matt Henjak was being settled, with a $16,000 payment wired to South Africa to an alleged victim of an alleged Henjak hit outside of a nightclub who dropped civil charges and withdrew a complaint to the police.
I wonder what club sponsors - Emirates, Woodside, MBF, Tooheys New, Vodafone et al - think of their money possibly being spent on legal fees, secret payments, ARU fines and donations to wildlife societies?
Memo to Force officials: the bells are tolling louder than ever.
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Wild west: where there's smoke, there's fire
