Monday Buzz: NRL to set up whistleblower hotline to expose acts of concern

The terrible old-school mentality in rugby league where it is seen as a weakness to speak up about important issues could soon be a thing of the past, writes PHIL ROTHFIELD.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo is a key figure in setting up the hotline. Picture: Monique Harmer

The NRL and the RLPA are to establish a confidential welfare helpline to protect the health and safety of players across the 17 clubs.

Under the plan, players, coaches or officials can act as whistleblowers to privately expose any acts of serious concern around wellbeing issues that would otherwise be ignored.

It follows a number of recent alarms around the coronial inquiry into the death of rising Manly star Keith Titmuss from heat exhaustion and the case at the Bulldogs last year when a young footballer suffered a mental health illness after being forced to wrestle his teammates as punishment for being late to training.

This initiative is a fantastic idea that will potentially short circuit and prevent even the more serious incidents such as the old Cronulla peptides scandal of 2011 — a case in which those who were troubled by what was happening had no proper outlet to confidentially express their concerns.

An independent panel will be established to investigate any concerns from whistleblowers.

RLPA chief executive Clint Newton is working in conjunction with NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and his welfare department to set up the complaints hotline.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo is a key figure in setting up the hotline. Picture: Monique Harmer

“Our code must not be left behind when it comes to creating a culture of putting their people first and creating the safest workplaces possible,” Newton said.

“We know there has been and still is a significant amount of under-reporting of issues because some players feel a deep sense of loyalty towards protecting their club even if it’s to the detriment of their personal life and professional career.

“This will allow people within our professional environments to raise issues at clubs without fear of retribution.

“It will allow more issues to be effectively assessed and addressed by the clubs. In an ideal world it would not be required, but it’s necessary and demonstrates we care and respect our people across all parts of the NRL and NRLW industry.”

This is something long overdue in rugby league and other major sports.

I’ve always hated the terrible old-school mentality in rugby league where it can be seen as a sign of weakness to speak up or complain about important welfare issues.

You’re seen as being soft.

Like at the Bulldogs last year when Andrew Davey spoke so bravely and openly about his experiences at the club yet was publicly clobbered for doing so and told to harden up.

Football players are not machines.

CEO of the RLPA Clint Newton. Picture: AAP

They might be big, strong, tough and powerful but at the end of the day they are humans with weaknesses like all of us.

There are so many examples to prove the hotline will benefit players.

I remember years ago at Manly when one of Australia’s most experienced sports medicos, Nathan Gibbs, had issues in regards to high-performance practices.

His concerns fell on deaf ears … so he left. In future there will be a complaint line and avenue to go down.

Newton insisted it was for all football club staff, not just the players.

“The purpose is to continue making all places of work in our game safe and underpinned by fairness, respect and integrity,” he said.

“We know that some clubs have existing policies, and many other codes and sports in Australia already have very similar policies and frameworks in place, but this needs to be supported and implemented across the entire NRL and NRLW space.

“The policy will safeguard the player or staff member to ensure that we are developing and maintaining a culture of people trusting they have an independent and confident body to consult on serious issues. This ultimately protects all parties, including the game itself and its integrity.”

Originally published as Monday Buzz: NRL to set up whistleblower hotline to expose acts of concern