NRL, RLPA must stand down players charged with rape or domestic violence

The Rugby League Players Association seems blind to the catastrophic impact rape and domestic violence allegations against their players are having on the code, Jessica Halloran writes.

• NRL, Dragons risk public wrath over de Belin
• NRL needs to get rid of violent men in league

The Rugby League Players Association seems blind to the catastrophic impact that rape and domestic violence allegations against their players are having on the code.

They seem to be blatantly ignoring the millions of sponsorship dollars lost during the off-season of shame.

They don’t seem to understand that allowing a footballer who allegedly assaulted his fiancee to run out on the field and play in trial game on Saturday night is a shocking look for the remaining sponsors in the game.

It’s stunning that the RLPA don’t get that playing a footballer — who has pleaded not guilty to raping a 19-year-old — will be a disastrous move.

St. George Illawarra Dragons player Jack de Belin is facing a rape charge. He has denied the allegation. Picture: AAP/Dean Lewins

It’s breathtaking they believe that taking part in a football game is of paramount importance to what message it sends to the community.

Just to be clear, that really is not taking a “strong stance” in trying to stop “violence against women”. It really doesn’t signal respect for women to the wider community.

In their recent statements the RLPA have indicated the extent they have quarantined themselves from real life, so much so that they don’t recognise the Jack de Belin issue is a watershed moment for the game.

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If the players’ union strike on the back of what the ARL Commission are most likely to recommend this week — that is to stand down de Belin — then the RLPA will make the code suffer by failing to evolve with the rest of society.

They’ve made it known loud and clear all week that de Belin should have the privilege to play on. RLPA boss Ian Prendergast said “the game can’t be judge, jury and executioner before the criminal process is complete”.

The game is not trying to be any of those things. No one questions that de Belin is innocent until proven guilty. What is clear, however, is that the NRL can and must raise its standards.

Prendergast argues the majority of players support the status quo.

Rugby League Players Association chief executive Ian Prendergast and NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg. Picture: AAP/Daniel Munoz

But he should be asking himself whether the union needs to take more of a leadership role rather than parroting views that have hurt the game for decades.

Do we want more of the same, or do we want to change the culture?

The game and the players’ union needs to catch up to the rest of corporate Australia, and other industries, who already stand down their employees when they are charged with a serious offence like rape or domestic violence.

That’s called respecting the severity of police charges and not ignoring them. The players’ union need to get out their selfish bubble and realise that community expectations and standards have been lifted of late.

Ultimately, this issue is not about a singular player — and the players need to get over themselves on this — because the game is bigger than them.

The RLPA must respect what the ARL Commission is trying to do for them and that is to establish some integrity in the game. Integrity will bring the sponsors back.

Digital artwork for the sunday tele

The ARLC in establishing a policy that will stand aside players on serious criminal charges will in turn becoming a leader in Australian sport and that’s something the RLPA should be in support of.

What the RLPA should be doing is actively tryin`g to improve a culture where disrespectful behaviour towards women has festered. Instead they have barely recognised victims and shown little introspection to why their players have found themselves in this situation.

It’s predictable that there are lines about de Belin doing it tough have emerged.

This week James Maloney said the NRL will enter ‘‘some really muddy waters’’ if any proposed changes to its disciplinary policy force de Belin to be stood down next week.

But the NRL is already in too deep and there is no other choice but to stand de Belin aside for the good of the game.

In 2017 Prendergast helped negotiate a bigger slice of the financial pie for the players. A deal that saw the footballers for the first time receive a 29.5 per cent share of forecast game revenue.

“In other words, the better the game performs, the more the players will receive,” NRL boss Todd Greenberg said at the time.

If only the RLPA woke up and acknowledged the reputational and financial damage being done then maybe their view to standing down footballers would change.

Originally published as NRL, RLPA must stand down players charged with rape or domestic violence