Comment: Ben Barba must be banned from the NRL for the rest of his life
The NRL has no choice when it comes to sacked North Queensland fullback Ben Barba - he must be banned from the league for the rest of his life says PHIL ROTHFIELD.
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The NRL has no choice but to ban Ben Barba for life. Not for 12 months, not for two years. Life
This is his second domestic violence incident, the previous at the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2013 when photos emerged of his partner Ainslie Currie with a bloodied face.
There was huge controversy when NRL CEO Todd Greenberg, the then Bulldogs boss, stood Barba down but didn’t sack him. And now the incident at Townsville casino.
Forget the 12 week cocaine suspension at the Cronulla Sharks for his second drug offence.
It’s the allegations of violence against women that have rocked the NRL in a shocking off-season of scandal. Greenberg recently threatened to come down harder on misbehaving players.
It took the independent commission to step in and demand tougher penalties.
He told The Daily Telegraph: “If players are convicted of criminal offences that have violence against women, that will now sit at the very highest scale.
“We have historically not put the words life bans in place but what we do is we simply take people’s registration off them and we don’t allow them to participate. There is no place in the game for you.”
So here is their opportunity to back up those words and nothing but a life ban will be satisfactory.
Barba hasn’t been charged or convicted but surely this is the last straw.
The 29-year-old can never again be allowed to lace on a football boot. Not in the NRL. Ever.
The game has suffered enough in recent months from shameful player behaviour.
Ben Barba was an absolute excitement machine as a player at the Bulldogs and Sharks.
A breathtaking attacking player and a turnstile clicker.
But he’ll be remembered for his disgraceful behaviour more than anything else.
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Originally published as Comment: Ben Barba must be banned from the NRL for the rest of his life
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