Matthew Johns stood down over sex scandal

[jargan83]

lives on a victim of crime pension

I would have thought that a proven crime would have had to take place?

[laura]

This is so topical at the moment! We had a class 'discussion' on the issue yesterday. Thank goodness for TWF or I would have absolutely blown my stack!!
Not one person in my class had any respect for rugby players or a realstic grasp on the topic. Almost the whole class completely blamed Johns and said the fact that there was 11 blokes in the room is irrelevant it was all Johns' fault and he should be held accountable for it all. The rest of the class blamed the girl saying she bought it all on herself and she shouldn't have put herself in the situation in the first place.
Then to top it off they said all rugby players are the same, there's no difference between the codes and they're all stupid.

What was the teachers' saving grace was when she turned the tables and said "what if it was a bloke who was the victim instead of a girl or what if it was physical violence not sexual assault?"

There are so many assumptions being made and it comes down to the fact that the team stuck together and it was their story against the girls. We won't know what really happened and I doubt anyone outside of that room ever will.

[Cowboy]

I would have thought that a proven crime would have had to tale place?

I think that what may the case is that as she has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder she is probably on a sickness benefit, since Woody pointed out that there is no "victim of crime" pension.
I should probably shut up on this topic as I identify with the victim far too much to be rational, let alone logical.

[Flamethrower]

The Sydney Catholic Education office is warning the National Rugby League that its schools will consider breaking ties with the sport if the league fails to change its attitude towards women.

The concern was raised after ABC1's Four Corners program revealed that players and officials from the Cronulla Sharks club were involved in a group sex incident in New Zealand in 2002.

In recent years, the NRL has worked hard to raise its profile among the next generation of football players and fans.

High profile players have visited schools as mentors and conducted training sessions on a weekly basis.

The executive director of 147 Catholic schools in the Sydney archdiocese, Dr Dan White, says the league's response to the incident is important.

"If over the medium to longer term we don't see really clear efforts on the part of the league to improve player behaviour, then we would have to seriously reconsider those close associations that historically we've enjoyed with the league over so many years," he said.

Dr White told ABC Radio's The World Today the NRL's efforts so far have been encouraging.

"I was very heartened by the comments of [chief executive] David Gallop and the type of programs that the Newcastle Knights are putting in, where they have really sustained personal development programs with the players to help them understand that binge drinking and drug taking and their attitude to women needs to reflect good society values and norms," he said.

"So that's a very positive first start, but I think they need to take a stronger line in monitoring the behaviour of players to change the underlying culture that's obviously there in some clubs."

Sydney's Catholic schools are a fertile recruiting ground for the NRL and Dr White says.........

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...15/2571535.htm

[jargan83]

That's a bit rich given the history of the Catholic Church


I know the call is from the Catholic Education office and not the Church itself, but the two go hand in hand

[laura]

Woman in Broncos sex scandal speaks out
Sun May 17 2009

Group sex scandals are not isolated to rugby league, a rape crisis centre manager says.

NSW Rape Crisis Centre Manager Karen Willis, who advises the NRL on sexual assault issues, says the problem of group sex happens across the board.

She said the NRL has already taken steps to address the behaviour of some footballers towards women.

"It's not just footballers ... generally a lot of blokes just don't get it," she told Network Ten.

"The NRL...(has)... been the first male-dominated organisation in this country to put up their hand and say we have a problem and we need to do something about it. That work needs to continue."

Ms Willis also urged the men who took part in the New Zealand sexual assault with Matthew Johns to come forward and publicly name themselves.

"If they're in any way sorry for what they've done or understand the impacts of their behaviour, the very first thing they need to do is admit that."

Her comments come as another woman has broken her silence over a sex scandal involving three Broncos players, describing her continued anguish and how "things went drastically wrong" inside a toilet cubicle at a Brisbane nightclub last year.........

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/...dal-speaks-out

[James]

That's a bit rich given the history of the Catholic Church


I know the call is from the Catholic Education office and not the Church itself, but the two go hand in hand

Very rich. Great news for us though. If they break away affiliation with the NRL it stands to reason that the ties would then strengthen with rugby union.

[Flamethrower]

Why rich??

I didn't think the Catholic Church was into that sort of thing....................with young women

[jargan83]

Very rich. Great news for us though. If they break away affiliation with the NRL it stands to reason that the ties would then strengthen with rugby union.

It's an empty threat if you ask me. Rugby League is the dominant code in NSW and Queensland

I didn't think the Catholic Church was into that sort of thing....................with young women

That would probably be a news story in it's own right if it happened

[Jehna]

You know, whilst I would never condone the behaviour of these players, I have to question the women who put themselves in these situations to begin with. This Broncos woman....seriously...what made her think that it would be a good idea to accompany him to the toilets? And what had she been doing to meet all the players at various points of the night? Again, I'm not saying that what the boys did was right, but there is always two sides to a story and it frustrates me that both sides don't take some responsibility for it because I truly think it detracts from the credibility of women generally.

[Swee_82]

You know, whilst I would never condone the behaviour of these players, I have to question the women who put themselves in these situations to begin with. This Broncos woman....seriously...what made her think that it would be a good idea to accompany him to the toilets? And what had she been doing to meet all the players at various points of the night? Again, I'm not saying that what the boys did was right, but there is always two sides to a story and it frustrates me that both sides don't take some responsibility for it because I truly think it detracts from the credibility of women generally.

I think the woman who said that she had 'classy' sex with random footballers because it was in a hotel room, not a toilet, put an end to any possibility that women were going to come out of that report looking good.

[MI5_Dog]

All sports players are misogynists, all Catholics are pedophiles and all women are sluts.

The generalizations are flowing think and fast so it seems.

The problem here is one of ignorance. The young lady involved was ignorant of the fact that reality doesn't equal the fantasy, and ignorant of the psychological impact group sex was to have on her. Johns was ignorant of the fact that just because a girl's asking doesn't mean it's ok to say 'yes' and ignorant that the 'real' world would have a problem with that. A lot of young men (and women) in the general community, not just in league, have a problem understanding the consequences of their sexual actions and how they will affect themselves and others and most of all people are ignorant of other people as people and not things.

The answer is simple and yet we all fail to do it.
Before you open your mouth, before you act, take a few minutes to think