There was plenty of hype on Tom Boyd from the very start and not just from the media, writes Mark Robinson

FEW 21-year-olds who have ridden football’s highs and lows as Tom Boyd but the media scrutiny on him can’t be blamed for his predicament, writes MARK ROBINSON.

The Western Bulldogs have revealed Tom Boyd is battling depression. Picture: Michael Klein

THERE would be few 21-year-olds who have ridden football’s Big Dipper as Tom Boyd has.

Stark highs, now deep personal hardship and in between a feast of both derision and encouragement for a gifted player who plied his trade under a mountain of pressure.

Others have dealt with the scrutiny of a stratospheric pay packet and the expectation that comes with it.

LIST ISSUES: MAGPIES ‘FULL OF C AND D-GRADE PLAYERS

CLOSE ATTENTION: DOGS SLAM ‘COWARDLY’ BUMP ON JJ

Not many of them, though, were barely out of the teenage years as Boyd was.

The care and support he will receive will be first class and the respect outside of the football club will be forthcoming.

We all wish him the best as he receives treatment for his clinical depression.

Tom Boyd enjoys a goal with teammate Toby McLean in last year’s Grand Final. Picture: Getty Images

Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge spoke like a concerned parent, which he is in these sorts of predicaments, but he also made some interesting observations.

“I think over a significant period of time Tom’s been grappling with this,’’ Beveridge said.

“It’s been a challenge for him and I have had ongoing conversations about how to manage the external noise and deal with the pressures of the game.

“He’s a young man through circumstances, who has become a high-profile player well before his time due to the contract, being a No. 1 draft pick as well.’’

He believed media played its role in Boyd’s predicament.

“I’m inquisitive as to the conscience of people at times and you in the room at times,’’ he said at his press conference on Wednesday.

“Is there an empathetic bone? What are your ethics? Do you care about the individual? That’s why it’s quite hard at times when there’s articles written, comments made about players and even coaches, where there’s no concern for their welfare.”

He’s right, perhaps more empathy is needed, but that doesn’t make mainstream media wrong, mainly because the question has to be asked: How does the media know which players are suffering what?

Exactly, where does the cycle of blame begin in this instance and who has contributed most to Boyd dealing with the “pressure of the game’’?

Was it when player manager Liam Pickering met Bulldogs bosses including president Peter Gordon in June 2014 and, presumably, discussed the money involved to poach him from GWS?

Tom Boyd copped a nasty head knock against North Melbourne earlier this year. Picture: Michael Klein

Did they think about the impact of giving a 19-year-old a long-term deal worth $1 million a season?

Did they ask themselves about the level of pressure they would heap on Boyd?

Beveridge continued: “I don’t know whether everyone understands how serious it can be because there’s no link to some people’s conscience and the way they might try to pull certain people apart when they don’t know much about them. That may tug on a heartstring on people who have been low on empathy for a while, I’m not sure.”

Is that a reference to former Bulldog Luke Darcy last year saying Boyd should consider giving money back?

Or this year, when Wayne Carey, a huge supporter of Boyd’s, asked if he was suffering a “premiership hangover”. Is it others, all of us, who have questioned if Boyd deserved the money?

Tom Boyd celebrates last year’s premiership success. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Could it go all the way back to a dinner in New York in 2013 when former AFL boss Andrew Demetriou told club chiefs, of which Gordon was one: “This guy is a once-in-a-generation talent.’’

It was a comment well remembered when Gordon struck the mammoth deal with Pickering. According to Gordon, Pickering told the club: “Next year there will be a queue a mile to get him.’’

That’s plenty of hype, from the very start.

What is media anyhow?

Is it radio talkback, print, social media, memes, TV analysis? Is it the viciousness of social media?

The fact is, a footballer’s performance coinciding with the public knowledge of his wage is always going to be a discussion.

Agreed, the onus is on reporters and commentators to be fair and responsible.