Let Matt Lodge start on the road to redemption
PAUL CRAWLEY: In almost every walk of life offenders are afforded the chance to rehabilitate. Why should rugby league players be excluded?
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ROBERT CRADDOCK: No right answers in Matt Lodge case
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I DON’T feel sorry for Matt Lodge.
But I will be happy to see him run out for the Broncos tonight.
In his interview with Yvonne Sampson on League Life last night, Lodge’s eyes flickered and his bottom lip quivered at times.
He was extremely nervous, but still appeared completely genuine.
Lodge took responsibility for most of his actions and showed believable remorse. He explained how he was on a mixture of what a toxicology report indicated was a near “lethal dose” of prescription drugs and alcohol the night he terrorised that family in New York.
There were parts of the interview where Lodge appeared to get his words tangled. And it was difficult to understand how he could question certain allegations even though he said he had no recollection of the night because he “blacked out”. Overall, though, he was convincing.
He recalled waking up in Rikers Island prison handcuffed to a bed crying. He said he has since given up drugs and alcohol, for two years now.
He not only acknowledged the hurt and fear he caused in the United States, but the embarrassment to his own parents. He said he had attended a rehabilitation clinic for six weeks and had extensive counselling.
He told Sampson at the point of returning to Australia he had no knowledge of the civil suit. By that stage, he said he was “a couple of hundred thousand dollars” in debt and could not afford to employ his legal counsel.
Many people are still angry that Lodge hasn’t paid the $1.6 million lawsuit to his victims. The question I ask is this: how can he possibly pay the money if he is not allowed to play NRL? It makes no sense to me. In saying that, it would be good to see the NRL and the Broncos work out a payment system that ensured his victims were compensated.
There is no way to excuse what Lodge has done in the past.
But in almost every walk of life offenders are afforded the chance to rehabilitate. Why should rugby league players be excluded?
When courts look at the prospects of rehabilitation for criminals, they take into account four key factors.
Firstly, an acceptance of responsibility and remorse, which Lodge has shown. There also needs to be stable accommodation and community support put in place, which the Broncos have done. But the last factor in respect to rehabilitation is giving an offender the opportunity for employment. This is probably the most important, because without hope there is no future.
People continue to say playing in the NRL is a privilege, and a bloke like Lodge has no place in it. I clearly remember many said similar things when Russell Packer returned. Players like Packer, Manu Ma’u and Danny Wicks have all returned from prison sentences to play in the NRL.
In each instance, the player has held up his end of the bargain, proving to be a positive story for the game.
While the Broncos have been widely criticised for not allowing Lodge to tell his story before his interview with Sampson, he did sit down with NRL boss Todd Greenberg and Integrity Unit chief Nick Weeks long before this latest controversy erupted. Rather than convince you and me, he convinced Greenberg and Weeks to give him this chance.
People also criticise Wayne Bennett for saying the Broncos signed Lodge because “he is a good footballer”. Bennett’s honesty is sometimes uncomfortable. But it is important to remember other clubs were also chasing Lodge’s services. Why? Let’s not kid ourselves.
Newcastle reportedly offered him $400,000, while it was suggested the Sydney Roosters feeder club Wyong made a play. But don’t think for a minute Bennett made his decision entirely because of Lodge’s talent.
While he’ll never tell the story publicly, Bennett sat down with Lodge soon after he returned to Australia. Lodge told Bennett of the night he woke up handcuffed to the bed in Rikers crying. At that point Bennett knew the young man had hit rock bottom. So Bennett challenged Lodge to prove he was worthy of another shot.
I know I’m in the minority and I rarely agree with Todd Greenberg. But in this instance I don’t believe the game should be ashamed for allowing this 22-year-old an opportunity to show he has turned his life around.
Originally published as Let Matt Lodge start on the road to redemption
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