The Australian Rugby League commission has today stood down St George Illawarra forward Jack de Belin as he responds to aggravated sexual assault charges.

The league commission met on Thursday to discuss and amend a new player policy, one that will stand down any player accused of a criminal act, at least until their case has been judged in court.

The Dragon's star pleaded not guilty to the charges, and will now face an indefinite period away from the game.

Previously, if a player were to plead not guilty during an alleged offence they would be allowed to continue playing before the court came to a closing judgement.

Now, under a new policy, any serious criminal charge offence that may result in 11 years imprisonment counts as automatic ban from the league.

On top of this, any player accused of a serious crime will be stood down by the league pending the court hearing, as seen with de Belin.

NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg also outline his ability to stand down players following any alleged charges involving the assault of women and/or children.

The fresh policy will help control player charges, yet will receive plenty of backlash from the Australian Rugby League player's association.

"We are very supportive of the desire of the NRL to improve player behaviour and propagate the game of rugby league," Dragons chief executive Brian Johnston told the Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday afternoon.

"What we are dealing with is a very compromising and polarising subject regarding Jack de Belin but above all we have been guided by the legal system and NRL rules.

"Above all we are concerned about the welfare of Jack de Belin - that's our priority at the present stage,

"We are just about to head off now and give consideration to the changes the NRL are making to the rules so we can digest that and understand, clearly, what it means."

28 COMMENTS

  1. I can see all the player managers reaching for their lawyers number…

    I get that something had to happen to shake these guys up.

  2. I don’t know that there would be much to argue as it is (now) a standard policy applicable to all and that the player himself suffers no financial loss. As it is a standard policy triggered by a police prosecution then there can be no case to be made of prejudicing the judicial process. In other words, being stood down is no more an indication of guilt than the police deciding to prosecute.

  5. Maybe just maybe they might learn it is not okay to beat innocent women and children. Praise to the ARLC and NRL for finally doing something about this.
    One thing will be interesting to watch is whether court appearances a conveniently hurried up.

  6. That one will be at the discretion of Greenberg it seems, which is scary to say the least. Decision to be made in next few days apparently

  7. I agree,

    They are making themselves look like fools, if they had come out and endorsed this policy like many players would want, then their credibility would have soared. It is ultimately in players own interests that this sort of behaviour is rubbed out for good.

  8. I’m surprised how many people miss the point in this. This isn’t just a job. These guys train their whole lives to have a decade or so, competing at the highest level. There IS damage done by suspending the player and I call utter BS on the idea that the player is innocent. Total BS.

    Potentially, someone comes along and accuses them of something and with the hideous culture we have right now of giving a voice to anybody who is “offended”, regardless of veracity, the game has actually sunk to the level of completely turning their back on the player, to keep its image protected.

    If the player is considered innocent until proven guilty, then the accusation is treated false until proven otherwise. This cannot be the case. It’s very simple, the NRL are hedging their bets at the cost of the team involved and the players desire to be able to compete in their sport.

    Regardless if you agree with me, two such recent examples come to mind: Brett Stewart, SKD. Both rubbed out for what turned out to be nothing.

  9. It isn’t okay to beat anybody. This idea that women and children are “worse” is absolutely BS, too. I realise that they are less capable of defending themselves but the fact is, the person should NOT be beating anybody up, period. We don’t need to treat those crimes with higher intensity, we need to treat all of them as that.

  14. Wayne, I don’t think that anyone “misses the point”, we all understand the potential losses that these guys face even if they are innocent. It is easy to sit there and whinge about it but tell me this, what else could the NRL have done ?

    At least there is a positive that comes out of this in that it should help to drive home just how serious the NRL is on this sort of behaviour and what players risk by going down this path.

  15. You are right there waynethepayne. I totally disagree with every sentence and paragraph you have written, except maybe the last one, regarding BS and SKD. Your first paragraph seems to contradict itself, one of the unfortunate things about this site is that you cant edit or delete your comments.

  16. Rucky, the NRL didn’t need to do anything. They should not do anything. Guilt has not been assessed. In my humble opinion, the vehemence that JDB has pursed in this has led me to question some of the news reports I’ve read, painting him a very dim picture (reports with highly implied guilt). I remember being quite convinced that Brett Stewart had done wrong, only to discover it was based on lies. Lies, might I add that he was unable to defend himself in the media about until after the court decision was given.

    I learned a lot about that situation. I learned that I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Sadly, society has moved on from that now. We’re back to witch hunts and torching the village before asking the question.

    Without resorting to casting aspersions your way, daffy, I’d remind you that the police saw fit to bring Brett Stewart to court, who was duly exonerated. The police are not a court. In fact, they are forced to go by what (sometimes dishonest) people say. I’m sure they would be first to admit that they are the mercy of this. I don’t need to tell them how to do their job, their job isn’t to establish guilt. Their job is to gain evidence to allow a court to make a hopefully correct decision.

  17. Can I also say that considering the seriousness of this supposed crime, do you believe the police had a round table discussion, drew straws as to whether it was true, and DeBelin lost..lol. There would of obviously been a forensic investigation at the scene of the supposed crime..aka DNA testing, and similar tests done at the hospital. If he is found to be guilty, and for this to be proceeding, there is every chance that he will be, lets all blame the NRL for “hedging their bets” and what it will cost the team and the players desire..what a stupid ramble that is.

  19. You’re allowing yourself to decide his guilt before he has been tried. If it comes down to consensual vs forced sex situation, I honestly have no idea how they figure out it. As I said earlier, when it comes down to it, the police have to go by what the complainant says and if the complainant is wrong or incorrect in their frame of mind as to the events, the police have no idea about that.

    Not saying he is or isn’t guilty, just saying – learn from examples. Brett Stewart was brought to court and it turned out they were liars. That alone should make you pause and think “maybe I shouldn’t presume guilt”.

  20. I’d encourage anybody who is on the fence about this issue to just read some of the responses to me and how very subtly some of the people responding to me blurt out that they have already decided he is basically guilty.

    I’m not expecting many people to agree with me – but to me, reading some of these responses and having people try to suggest that the police taking a crime to court is tantamount to guilt – it’s really the type of shonky decision making that has forced the NRL to act like the majority (who really, deep down do think this way). I don’t blame the NRL for doing it. I might do the same if I were them.

    It’s sad that we live in a society where the media grab a headline, villify the crap out the person and then leave them to try to pick up the pieces, regardless of the actual truth. It’s the same society that makes it almost impossible for the NRL to not rub him out because there are plenty of sponsors and people with money who just absolutely would already have decided he was guilty.

    It would have been nice if the NRL had actually stood up for that and admitted that they have caved to pressure in the past, only to end up with egg on the face, but you can hardly blame them for taking the route they have.

  22. WoodChook February 14, 2019 at 11:41 pm

    Mate to be fair on all the players teams and fans the NRL need to make it clear and make a stand starting season 2020 to all the players if they get themselves into trouble and are hauled before the court system, then they are automatically stood down until there is a verdict. This will stop the new trend of bad behaviour of players. It will be fair for everyone and they will all keep there nose clean if they want a Rugby League career. ✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔

    I said that 2 weeks ago. Congratulations NRL. For bringing it in for 2019. This is the best move the NRL has imposed on our game in a hell of a long time. Now all we need is consistency with other stupidity. If a player gets drunk in private and there was no court appearance like Pearce and cops 8 weeks then a player who is a leader of our country like Inglis who gets called before the justice system in our courts after being caught for Drink Driving Mid Range and SPEEDING. needs a penalty of at least 16 weeks if Pearce gets 8. Consistency please NRL. THAT IS ALL WE WANT.

  23. I think the ruling is a good one. Players just have to understand that they are in the spotlight, they get paid well and they have a limited career – BUT they abide by the rules of society. Whether JDB is guilty or not I don’t know, but the fact he put himself in the situation means he has learnt nothing from the NRL education programs around booze, drugs, personal responsibility and respect for women. The Dragons should have suspended him well before it got to this.

  24. decent thing to do would be to stand down of his own accord ….,. Yes proven innocent till proven but hey Luke Lewis cooper Cronk etc ( so not a Cronk fan ) have never put themselves into a situation where this could occur….,, these players are privileged to be in the nrl ……. we work 6-7 days a week and never make their mone for playing the game we love …. why put themselves into this position where it could happen

  25. Let this be the wake up call that has been needed for ALL players in all competitions. I acknowledge that the victim (at this point in time) has needs and has to be supported. I believe that standing down JDB is the best thing for him, his team and the club. If he had been allowed to play the potential for sledging would always be there, and unless you are indigenous or of a dark skin colour, there is nothing you can do about it. The referees can’t do anything unless a player makes a complaint, and just imagine the wave of ridicule if this happened to JDB.

    I’m not suggesting he’s innocent or guilty, but the culture we have in this country allows us to say whatever we want to say, and sometimes a person’s reputation is damaged beyond repair, even if they are found to be innocent.

  27. Your missing the point paynethewayne mate. The NRL are pushing the players to the take precautions and responsibility within their mind that they represent a sport known as Rugby League, players are registered to the NRL. Its a warning that if a player drags Rugby League into a shocking name due to players despicable behaviour then they will be stood down.

    It has nothing to do with the NRL saying if they are innocent or guilty. The courts will decide the players predicament and get to the truth. The NRL refuses to have their game looked upon by other codes and the public as a bunch of woman bashers, drunks, thugs, drug dealers/ users or sex fiends.

    Its a wake up call for all players to protect the industry that pays them handsomely. If they stuff it up and are stupid enough to get themselves mixed up in a situation that has then charged with serious crime then they have to pay the penalty of sitting out till its resolved. 👍

Comments are closed.