Not all NRL players are Jarryd Hayne

The court heard that Hayne had arrived in a taxi, told the driver to wait outside, placed a vodka cruiser on the mailbox, met the woman in her bedroom, watched the grand finale with her mother and left then taxi ride Sydney.

A question for Hayne: Is that the right way to treat a woman?

High-profile court cases involving high-profile athletes cause people to choose sides when in reality that is foolish in a case this complex. The swamp of scornful and defamatory posts on social media on the subject shows how nefarious these platforms are.

In that trial, it took a jury of six men and six women 18 hours of deliberation and multiple orders from Judge Graham Turnbull SC to reach their guilty verdict.

Significantly, they once asked Turnbull if “ignorance is a sufficient defense.” His answer: “No.”

Less than an hour later, Hayne was convicted on both counts.

On Thursday, Hayne had continued his bail, allowing him to be free with his family over Easter – although Turnbull told the court there was “no question” Hayne could face imprisonment.

Not all players are Jarryd Hayne. Not all footballers need to be told how to deal with women.

The NRL is fortunate to have a burgeoning generation of articulate, thoughtful and respectful young players. Harry Grant, Nico Hynes, Cameron Murray, Nathan Cleary, Sam Walker, Isaah Yeo, Tom And Jake Trboyevic and many, many others come to mind.

Rugby league culture has changed a lot in recent years – because it had to.

But whenever there’s a merging of young men from diverse backgrounds into life-changing contracts that are constantly admired by fans and the media, there will be a dangerous level of aspiration that manifests in ugly ways.

If ever there was a cautionary tale about respect and approval, this is it.

If the NRL, RLPA, agents and – most importantly – clubs and coaches needed a reminder that they can’t give their players enough education and advice on how to deal with women, this is it.

Jarryd Hayne was the biggest name in rugby league. He billed himself as “The Medalist” after winning the first of his two Dally M awards, which he may now have revoked.

Leaving a woman bruised and on a blood-soaked bed, he thought little of it. “Go to the doctor,” he said when the victim told him about the cuts on her vagina, the court heard.

Tell me what’s wrong with the picture. Do the math.

Shark’s siren sounds again

Gregory Norman: What a drama queen.

“But it’s not about me,” said the boss of LIV Golf in the run-up to the US Masters. “It’s about the players and I’m telling you, they don’t go there as individuals but as a team, support each other, support and support each other.”

If you can’t win the Masters, hijack it.

The three-time Masters runner-up couldn’t stop ranting about his Saudi-backed Rebel League ahead of the first round at the Augusta National.

He conjured up images of LIV-oriented players coming around the 18th green to cheer one of their own home on the final day like it was the Ryder Cup; He argued that their presence added spice to the tournament and claimed broadcasters would prefer a showdown between a LIV and a PGA player coming down the track. and he found it “petty” that he had not been invited.

“I’m a big winner!” declared Sharkie. But remember, this isn’t about him.

Norman may think he’s fighting a civil war, but his own golfers say they want peace.

Asked about the idea of ​​storming the 18th green, Aussies CameronSmith said: “There was definitely no conversation with me. If there was one, I was definitely left out of this one.”

Smith and other LIV players mingled with their PGA Tour colleagues during practice sessions like long-lost friends who hadn’t seen each other since college.

Norman has gobbled up the Saudi dollars to revolutionize golf – to make it “louder” – and he has every right to do so. It would be hard to fight back wads of cash if they were waved under your nose, especially for Norman, who only has a net worth of $400 million. I mean how do you make a living out of it?

But come on Sharkie: stop starting a fight on behalf of your players that doesn’t exist. It’s not about you, remember. If anything, it seems more like a battle of words between you and you Rory McIlroy and it gets boring and boring.

And the Masters doesn’t need a hype man. Because they are the masters.

From Tina to 42nd Street: Remembering Brian Walsh

Legendary television and PR manager Brian Walsh was passed earlier this week and attracted high-profile figures from all walks of life, including sport, to his funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral in the city on Monday afternoon.

His wake at Fox Studios showed how important he was to the design Tina Turner‘s Winfield Cup campaigns and putting together groundbreaking commercial deals for Wayne Pearce And Andreas Ettinghausen.

One of the funniest speeches at the event came from the producer Peter Riexwho teamed up with Walsh to put together the NRL’s big final entertainment for a time — including that infamous moment in the 1980s when the cast of 42nd Street: The Musical was stranded on stage without miming anything because someone forgot the tape.

“We did it again, mate!” Rix would tell Walsh every year. “We made it Sydney Morning Heralds List of Worst Big Graduation Entertainments!”

RIP Keith Dudley – a great boxing character

Boxing lost one of its true characters Thursday morning Keith Dudley passed away at the age of 92.

Born in Brunswick in Melbourne, Dudley was a champion amateur boxer before moving to Sydney where he quickly became good buddies with the likes of Manly International Rex Mosop and sports columnist Mike Gibson. He was also close to the Hall of Fame coach Johnny Lewis.

“Boxing has lost a good one,” Lewis said. “He was one of the best, loved by everyone.”

Dudley was a highly respected boxing judge and official for many years before coaching countless people from North Sydney’s PCYC in his 80s.

It was here, in 2006, that I met him for the first time. The training was tough and the banter even tougher.

One day as we were working the heavy sack he started barking like he always does and telling me about the ways of the world and life and boxing and rugby league.

Slap, slap… slap, slap…

“Is there any danger that instead of this babble you’ll give me a few words of inspiration?” I asked.

Slap, slap… slap, slap…

“Hit harder, fat man [expletive]’ he said, sticking his head out from behind the bag. “How is that?”

Rest in peace KD.

THE QUOTE

“@PhilGould15 blocked you.” – I may have missed it, but I have a vague feeling that Gus wasn’t happy that last week’s column revealed that he had fallen out with Uncle Nick.

thumbs up

Justin Pascoe. Like an endless pack of Tim Tams, he’s the gift that keeps on giving.

thumbs down

You have to be a special gibberer to break down the security fence at a Formula 1 event and try to walk on the track. Unfortunately, some people were just that in the closing moments of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.

It’s a big weekend for…

Competitors at the Rip Curl Pro at Bell’s Beach while waiting for the perfect swell, maybe even the 50-year-old storm point break, this long Easter weekend. It is Owen Wright‘s professional surfer swan song and at the time of writing he was still singing.

It’s an even bigger weekend for…

Champion Horse anamoe, who will be attempting to win the $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in his final run on Australian soil at Royal Randwick on Saturday. He has a powerful challenger in Dubai Honor. We call this a ‘Ding Dong fight’.