Wendell Sailor: The untold side of footy scandals

IN AN exclusive column for news.com.au, Wendell Sailor reveals the big factor people don’t think about when sport stars are embroiled in off-field dramas.

Wendell Sailor during his visit to Brisbane. Pic Peter Wallis

PEOPLE need to take a breath.

I know these are serious allegations at the Gold Coast Titans but we haven’t got all the information.

Everyone is innocent until proven guilty but, when so much is written and said, it almost changes to they’re guilty until they prove their innocence.

The same thing happened a few years ago with Brett Stewart. He was stood down for a misdemeanour and was later found not guilty. He resented the way he was treated over that period.

People need to understand the ripple effect and the people it hurts. The family members and friends.

Last year I was at a luncheon and Wade Graham spoke about the peptide drama going on at the Cronulla Sharks. He said while he was big enough to handle anything that was thrown at him personally as a player, it was his mum and his sister that it was having a bigger impact on because he’d heard it all before and knew to just let it run its course.

When I got in trouble I was big enough and ugly enough to handle the situations but when it really hits you is when it impacts family members and also the fans who support you.

I’ve been through that and it’s tough for all involved.

The one thing I learned is a lot of people walk out the door when things get heated. But there’s a lot of people who walk in at the same time and they’re the ones you want around you, even when everything’s settled. You find out who your real friends are.

The other thing I want to talk about is how resilient our game is. Every year for the past four or five years we’ve had a scandal to start the season but our supporters still turn up.

It’s been said that the game thrives on scandal but rugby league doesn’t need it. We’re just so used it. It’s like the NFL.

This is what rugby league is: it’s a game where if you make a mistake people will crucify you, but they love a comeback story. They love that you learned your lesson. They love a redemption story.

And while people forgive, they never forget. When I went through my tough time and I came back, people didn’t let me forget about the time I had out of the game.

Rugby league is a funny beast because there’s also all the good that offsets the bad. When you see Greg Inglis do what he did in the All-Star game or Johnathan Thurston giving headgear away or when you see the boys doing what they do off the field, going to hospitals and visiting cancer patients. That’s when the fans go, “You know what? Some days I hate this game, I hate what the players do and the choices they make, but I love the good stuff.”

And it’s only a small percentage who make those mistakes. I’ve been that bloke who makes the mistakes and you probably don’t realise it until you’re out of the game and understand just how lucky you were to be a professional sportsman.