Melbourne Storm skipper Cameron Smith has called for the NRL to hand out harsher penalties to players with poor off-field behaviour.
The president of the Rugby League Players Association was disappointed with the number of scandals that took place during the off-season and thinks it's time to take a stand against them.
It comes after NRL boss Todd Greenberg issued a phone call with all the team captains last week to ask for greater leadership within each club.
"Todd Greenberg came out early in the week and said that he was disappointed and embarrassed and being in the game myself for a long time I have the same feelings," Smith told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"It's a great opportunity for everyone in our playing group in the NRL to sit back and have a think about our behaviour and the choices that we make.
"It really is time that we grow up as a game. These guys have got to understand that there is a responsibility that comes with being a professional athlete.
"It doesn't matter what code you play, you've got to make the right choices and if not, there are consequences involved."
Smith added that the previous penalties were not severe enough and did not rule out the prospect of deregistering serial offenders from the league altogether.
"Depending on the indiscretion and severity of it - I’m all for that."
As long as he can still be a disgusting grub ON the field.
This bloke is just after praise from the NRL. Knows what to say so they pat him on the back. He is a hypocrite, and narcissist to the highest degree.
Does off field incidents include receiving brown paper bags Cameron?
Be careful what you wish for old fella
Why? It wouldn’t matter what he did, he is protected.
Put them on me woodchooks chopping board that’s more than enough punishment
Don’t forget Inglis who just got a free pass, and Greenberg who gave him a glowing reference.
“These guys have got to understand that there is a responsibility that comes with being a professional athlete.”
I don’t think that’s a particularly helpful, appropriate, constructive message for a lot of what we’ve seen.
There have been criminal charges of physical assault, sexual assault, domestic violence etc. so “These guys have got to understand that there is a responsibility that comes with being a professional athlete.” may not be particularly relavent. By that, if you needed to consider the potential consequences of these sorts of actions in the context of “but I’m a professional athlete”, well things aren’t looking good.
That said, I don’t blame RL, or the NRL, or the clubs, but I do understand it impacts them all.
But “These guys have got to understand that there is a responsibility that comes with being a professional athlete.” does still play a part with regards to some actions in the world today. I’m a grey haired old man with glasses and a “porch over the toolshed” now but I too was a young man a few decades ago, and fortunately back in those days cameras required film and I wasn’t in the public eye, so I do agree these guys (professional athletes) need to be educated/aware, from an early age, that they need to be extra careful with regards to what could be described as “silly/somewhat innocent” actions (for the mere mortals).
I will also make a final, brief point, being I would like to see any punishment for player actions limited to/focused on the player, and not the club, and whilst I understand the impact player actions have on the sport/club etc, it shouldn’t be viewed as representative of either, but rather viewed for what it is/was, being an individuals action/s.
Its easy for smith to now say life bans for players. It won’t affect him. Hes at the end of his career.
I don’t like the guy at all but off the field, he’s never set a foot wrong. For this, he is no hypocrite and is completely right. You guys have no clue and see the game through the eyes of a goose.
Is that the same useless thing that wanted Mitchell Pearce banned for life? She is obviously out of her depth as an investigater and botched the burgess thing big time. Where has she been during all the sexual assaults on women?
Personal vendettas against certain clubs i believe.
Catharine Lumby wanted Pearce banned for life. She was, and I think still is, the NRL’s adviser on women’s issues.
Are you serious??? He cheated the salary cap & he is the one who should have been suspended for life…. how is this not a hypocrite??? Before you start criticizing others try & get your facts straight!
Trublu63, Smith signed a contract that was offered to him. It was the storm who cheated. I do understand what you are saying though, and I agree.
Youre the clueless one bulldog. Take your sunnies off and take a good look around you.
And panthers18. Don’t you think that signing off on multiple contracts would have alerted smith that something was not quite down the straight and narrow. He is as guilty as the storm club itself.
More protected than the panda
I do, ManWar78, and I agree with you wholly.
Spot on bulldog, im no fan either but Smith will go down as one of the greatest.
He’s referring to the likes of Dylan Walker who, if found guilty, should be banned indefinitely.
I Hate this Cam has said all the right things there. Everyone in the NRL isin the spotlight kids look up to players here. An when they are seeing players in the NRL no matter there stature getting charged with Domestic violence, Assault, Drink driving, Drugs. You idiots think that’s good for our kids to see or for our Games publicity. I DONT. So how about you get off your horse an appreciate someone that wants our game to be the best it can be.
All the haters have players on bail for assaulting women.
😏😆😆
Hahaha Panthers3. You forgot to mention your own half back Liam Coleman but conveniently attacked another clubs player for the same offence. You really are a low life buffoon.
Inglis should be sitting out for atleast 10 weeks, he got done high range drink driving and he was driving for 2 hours, imagine what he was like when he first started driving.
Liam Coleman and Walker aren’t charged with the same thing, Coleman reportedly grab a chick on the a$$, Walker assaulted his girlfriend. He can hit his misso but he is to scared to hit Curtis Scott back.
Harsher penalties as long as they have left the Roosters and have signed with another team.
Aint that right Woodchook?
So what? Are you saying that what Coleman did was fine?
They are both charged with assaulting females. Physical or sexual it doesn’t matter. Both are wrong. Or are you the type that thinks its ok to go around grabbing chicks on the a$$? And as for Curtis Scott he is nothing but a dog coward punching someone when they are not expecting it. Again probably something you also do.
And it was actually reported that he grabbedher breasts and groin area which is much worse than just a “grab on the a$$” as you put it.
When did I say it was alright? They are both grubs (if true) your the one who said they got charged with the same offence, I think you will find Coleman and musgrave will be found innocent. It apparently happened at a nightclub, if the girl was so upset why wasnt it reported that night? There is always police around.
Walkers girlfriend had the marks on her face to prove he is guilty but I bet your happy having a women basher play for your stain.
punching a women is way more of a dog act than a fight on the footy field, I seriously can’t believe you are calling Scott a dog, while you stick up for a women basher.
He should be kicked out of the game
I don’t know why everyone keeps bringing up burges, he doesn’t have a case to answer to, Inglis on the other hand need to be suspended for 10-15 weeks atleast. He misses 1 game for Australia and people think that is enough punishment? It’s a joke, he could of killed someone.
Yeah annoys me to, pierce was just being a drunk idiot, he didn’t put anyone’s life in danger and he still sat out 8 weeks.
Inglis put multiple people’s lives in danger and he only had to sit out one game for Australia. If a roosters player got off that easy all these rabbits fans would be saying there is a conspiracy.
In regards to Mitchell Pearce, what you also need to take into account when you question the high penalty he incurred is that he was a repeat offender. This was his 4th or 5th notable indiscretion that brought him, his club and the game into disrepute. Of course the penalty was going to be sizeable because he showed repeatedly that no penalty handed out to him earlier had any impact on him and certainly wasn’t any deterrent to improve his continuing bad behaviour.
The other thing that did come to light over this incident was that Mitchell Pearce obviously needed help which seemed to be a good thing and for some time there his rehabilitation appeared to make a massive change in him although a recent alleged incident has put a shadow on that.
I too agree that Greg Inglis needs to face sanctions from both his club and the NRL. Fairness in all things.
But at the end of the day, any and all of this bad behaviour is unacceptable. Each case should be looked at individually, but rules for codes of conduct, inappropriate behaviour and illegal acts need to be put in place for all players by their clubs and the NRL. It’s time the reckless few in the game understood the responsibility that goes with the privilege of representing their club and the game.
It was his 2nd time for minor offences, the first 1 was when he got kicked out of that club a couple weeks before origin and the 2nd was the dog incident. Each of them incidents is worth 2 weeks. The punishment has to be in proportion you can’t have pierce out for that long and Inglis won’t even miss a game of the regular season, this is not Inglises first offence either.
For example Dylan walker punched his girlfriend in the face and she had a black eye to prove it, so in my eyes you can’t compare that to what pierce did.
I just want consistency.
I think everyone wants consistency.
But there were more than two incidents involving Pearce. His drunken party boy antics were well publicised a few years before the 2 you mention. In fact, at one time they created big problems between he and Brian Smith , who was the coach back then. If I remember rightly, there was talk of Pearce moving on to the Tigers but it never eventuated. He’s never been what you’d call a shining ambassador for the game. But like I said before, rehab seemed to do him the world of good.
If he wasn’t pulled into line, what sort of problems do you think he’d be having today?
But I agree with you, there has to be consistency and fairness across the board for all players, however, all breaches of the rules would need to be assessed individually because they will always warrant different penalties due to the levels of seriousness of the infringement in question.
For example, the Bulldogs mad Monday antics wasn’t a good look for the game but I wouldn’t place the same penalty on those players as I would for a player who assaulted another person, especially a woman.
I agree with your sentiment (and Smith’s) about high behavioural expectations. I think the main issue here is we are being preached to by a grub who signed dual contracts and help dud the claim of a clean competition for several years. For Melbourne fans Smith is a god, for most others he carries a stench that overpowers his message
I agree with your sentiment (and Smith’s) about high behavioural expectations. I think the main issue here is we are being preached to by a grub who signed dual contracts and help dud the NRL of a clean competition for several years. For Melbourne fans Smith is a god, for most others he carries a stench that overpowers his message
LOL. Then why are you defending coleman? You say.. ” if the girl was so upset why wasn’t it reported that night? There is always police around” If you read the reports before sh00ting your loud mouth off you would know the girl immediately reported the incident to hotel security guards that night and then later went to the police. So stop trying to make out it “wasn’t as bad” as the walker incident.
You are also happy to give Coleman the benefit of the doubt but have basically already tried and convicted Walker only on the basis he is a Manly player and your own prejudice.
How convenient for your stain of club to sweep the Nappa videos under the carpet for all those years but then expose them once he has joined another club and simultaneously attempt to destroy his career and undermine the bulldogs chances in 2019. No wonder your stain are known as the RORTERS.
Any player (man) that assaults a woman should be banned for life, it’s such a coward act.
Your pathetic team was the last team to get caught cheating cheating the cap and they are still bottom feeders. Remind me again when the rooster were caught cheating the cap?
Are you claiming that walkers girlfriend gave herself the black eye? Where’s the proof with the other 2? Your are going off what some drunk chick said
The bruises are enough proof for me, I’ll save my judgement on the other 2 until after there court case.
Musgrave banged her the week before; I’m done with your crap your obviously more than happy to have some weakling who beats on women on your team, enjoy another year in the bottom 4
I can’t find anything else on pierce post the link? I’m curious, the bulldogs should be just fined for they did, if it wasn’t for the grub media nobody would of known. I know for a fact Brisbane hired security guards to keep them grubs away from the building. All players should only do interviews with fox league after games, tell channel 9 to suck a fat one
I know, what really annoys me is that Dylan walker was to scared to hit Curtis Scott back but then smacked his misso around 1 month later, if your that week you don’t deserve to playing nrl
I know pierce loves a drink but what guy in his 20’s doesn’t? When he was asked to leave he left straight away.
I remember Laurie daily broke the premiership trophy in Main Street of Canberra, while he was drinking on the back of a car
Ahhh, there you go again. Sh00ting your big fat mouth off without any evidence or basis of facts. She did not get a black eye. Stop spreading incorrect rumours. Prove to me where you saw her with a black eye. Of course you were there at their house at the time too.
The eyewitness reports state her injuries were limited to minor cuts to her shoulder legs and feet which indicate she had a fall. And probably as a result of walker chasing her to get his play station joystick back or something and perhaps pushing her over in the process. But to say he punched her in the face is just plain wrong and stupid.
And the difference between manly and the rorters regarding cheating is that manly got caught out like many other teams but eveyone knows the rorters still cheat but pay protection money to their mates at the NRL to prevent being caught.
You have no credibility left. Now go away you flea.
Hahahaha all you rooster haters only can say one thing wich has never been proven. It’s not like you can call us a failing club like manly
Your stain has been done cheating the salary cap and fixing matches to work in there favour, they should be kicked out.
You can hate on the rooster all you like this year, we will be top 4 while manly will be fighting it out for the spoon
I’m over talking about walker it just shows how low your morals are for sticking up for him.
That’s what the low life’s do they can’t beat a real man. so they stand over there partners, it’s a absolute joke. Violence against women should be a very harsh penalty full……
Women beaters don’t often change who they are. Walker’s partner should have continued to press charges & left him. Instead of being talked around to drop the charges.
It’s a sad thing for her.