Sympathy for Brett Stewart but Peter Beattie backs no-fault stand down rule
ARL Commission chairman Peter Beattie feels “enormous sympathy” for Brett Stewart – but still won’t back down on the NRL’s controversial no-fault stand down rule.
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ARL Commission chairman Peter Beattie feels “enormous sympathy” for Brett Stewart – but still won’t back down on the NRL’s controversial no-fault stand down rule.
Stewart opened up in an explosive interview with The Daily Telegraph on Thursday stating he was “heartbroken” at being suspended by the NRL over a 2009 sexual assault allegation before the matter reached court.
He was ultimately found not guilty.
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In a remarkable interview Stewart said: “There will always be something burning inside me. It is too big of a thing in my life just to block out. I could sit here and say I’ve blocked it out but I’d be lying.”
“It affected me then and is probably still affecting me now. I don’t trust many people any more where before it happened I was pretty open and talked to anyone. Now I’m a bit more cut off, a closed book.”
The NRL remains under scrutiny for standing down St George Illawarra star Jack de Belin (sexual assault), Manly’s Dylan Walker (domestic violence) and Penrith’s Tyrone May (filming and disseminating sexual acts).
Beattie had already read the article when contacted on Thursday by The Daily Telegraph, who sought his thoughts on Stewart’s emotional comments.
“I don’t want to comment on the past – I wasn’t here at that time – but obviously people have an enormous amount of sympathy for what happened to him. Let me say that from the beginning,” Beattie told The Daily Telegraph.
“Of course we feel for him. I think any fair-minded person would.”
Stewart openly questioned why the NRL would introduce an automatic stand down rule for a serious charge before the matter had reached court.
The former Manly star fullback even suggested the NRL may not be considering player welfare in implementing such a policy.
“This rule has been bought in for what we believe is in the best interests of the game,” Beattie told The Daily Telegraph. “I full appreciate this is going to be controversial and there will be people who support it and people who don’t.
“But we have to act in the best interests of the game and sometimes making the right decision is a tough decision but the commission is unanimous in believing it’s the right thing for the game.
“I saw he (Stewart) made that comment (about player welfare). This is one of the reasons why the commission made the decision. Players can continue to train with clubs and that is absolutely for player welfare.
“And they are paid. We’re not for one minute suggesting they shouldn’t be paid. We have thought very carefully about player welfare.
“These decisions are never going to be popular but we are doing our best for the future of rugby league.”
In the interview, Stewart said the NRL should allow a court to determine whether a player is guilty or innocent before being suspended.
“I have been there. I can’t speak on anyone’s behalf – or on Jack de Belin’s behalf – but I can speak from what I went through. How the NRL thinks they can do that…this is me talking … it baffles me,” Stewart said.
“No one really knows what has happened. My thinking would be to let the accused go through court and let them then find out whether he is guilty or not. How can you penalise him before he has been court.
“He will be trialled twice. You’d think they would have learned a few things from my case. From the outside looking in, it doesn’t seem like they have.
“I don’t know what it’s going to take before they put the player first. I know it’s a serious charge and has the NRL thought about the players’ welfare? I’m not sure.”
Manly officials preferred not to comment on Thursday.
Originally published as Sympathy for Brett Stewart but Peter Beattie backs no-fault stand down rule
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