SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 11: Adam Elliott of the Bulldogs looks dejected after defeat during the round 14 NRL match between the Canterbury Bulldogs and the St George Illawarra Dragons at ANZ Stadium on June 11, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Former Bulldogs skipper James Graham has ripped the NRL's "outrage culture" following Canterbury's drunken Mad Monday antics.

The NRL sanctioned the Bulldogs with a massive $250,000 fine, who handed out $70,000 worth of of their own club-imposed penalties to the players at the centre of the controversy.

And Graham was shocked by the commentary surrounding the scandal and "cheap media" tactics.

"I'm not a fan of the outrage culture, I'm not a fan of the telephoto lenses, I'm not a fan of some of the cheap media that has been around it," Graham told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"There have been some stories I've read ... it's just so cheap. People need to be careful about what they want and where this sport is going.

"When you talk about having access to players for media and for fans, do you think this will help?"

Graham came to the defence of second-rower Adam Elliott who was recognised as one of the key perpetrators of the distasteful acts.

"He has done so much for the community. He studied for however many years at uni while trying to make it as an NRL player. That's better than what I have done," Graham said.

"The stuff he does for his [autistic] brother, the stuff he does in the greater community .... and the very fact people criticised him by saying he was due to go in for surgery. They don't realise he's been in pain and been putting off that surgery for three months just to get through the season.

"Yet people want to personally attack him for what you could argue was over-indulging. It's also a strange one in terms of why Canterbury's Mad Monday was the only one photographed. There were seven other teams.

"I reckon if you went to every club's Mad Monday you would find something for the outraged mob to be outraged about. Some of the people in the outrage culture don't understand team dynamics and the different people within the team, the personality types and traits, and what makes it click."

Graham criticised one reporter for stating they would have felt "intimidated" at the scene, given it was an organised as a private party.

"I read an article where a journalist was saying if he had gone in there he'd be intimidated, but he wouldn't have been allowed in. It was a private party,'' Graham said.

"Go somewhere else. If I walked into a pub and it was full of opposing fans from a different club, I'd just walk out, especially if I was getting abuse or felt uneasy. There are plenty of pubs in Sydney."

 

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