Curtis Scott (and others) - Offseason trouble

[The Who]

The de Belin case highlights how unfair the so-called 'no fault' policy is. With the wheels of Australian justice moving so slowly it has ruined his RL career. de Belin missed all last season and may have to sit out a second season before he gets a chance to defend the charges in court.
This is unjust.
Shoddy may claim the rule doesn't pre-judge him but what it clearly does to de Belin is curtail, and probably end, his NRL career.
I can't see anything wrong with the presumption of innocence until such time as a court rules otherwise.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

The de Belin case highlights how unfair the so-called 'no fault' policy is. With the wheels of Australian justice moving so slowly it has ruined his RL career. de Belin missed all last season and may have to sit out a second season before he gets a chance to defend the charges in court.
This is unjust.
Shoddy may claim the rule doesn't pre-judge him but what it clearly does to de Belin is curtail, and probably end, his NRL career.
I can't see anything wrong with the presumption of innocence until such time as a court rules otherwise.

The rule which is hypocritically titled the "No Fault Rule" was a knee jerk reaction made hastily and showcased to the media even before its final draft had been completed. To make things even worse the part of the rule that applies to the majority of cases (maximum penalty less than 11 years) was left wholly and solely to the discretion of one man without transparent guidelines and procedures. Why should one person make decisions of such significance when we have a commission that should be making decisions by majority vote based upon clear and transparent guidelines that are applied in accordance with published and transparent rules. What the heck are the commission being paid for? All authoritative bodies within our community that have the power to make decisions that prejudice people (Police, Local Councils etc) have statutory guidelines and clearly defined powers which can be enlivened in clearly defined circumstances. The eye balling bull**** is just an insult to everyone's intelligence. Instead of just dealing with Debelin's problem they took the opportunity to give Greenberg a free reign in respect of the majority of matters under the smoke screen of De Belins case and then praised themselves for it.

 

[Captain Moondog]

Apparently it's unknown now how he lost his phone although earlier it was known
"Canberra bosses were unable to contact Curtis Scott following his arrest in Sydney because he allegedly threw his mobile phone at a passing car earlier in the night."

Curtis Scott: SCG security camera could hold key to NRL star’s playing future
Paul Crawley, The Daily Telegraph
January 29, 2020 8:31pm

Troubled NRL star Curtis Scott will “vigorously defend” serious police charges including claims he kicked and punched an officer during his alleged alcohol-fuelled Australia Day antics when he fronts court in Sydney on Friday.

A source has confirmed police are in possession of security footage obtained by a SCG camera that apparently focuses on bushes near the Olympic Hotel on Moore Park Rd.

It is not known what the vision shows but this is believed to be where the alleged incident occurred.



Arresting officers also wore body cameras at the time that will be crucial to any potential defence.

The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday that senior officers were reportedly happy that correct procedure was followed by police on the night.

But this is where the security vision and body-cam footage could prove vital given Scott is ready to defend himself against the allegations.



It is understood the first responders to the incident were two female police officers.

Scott was due to return to Canberra training on Wednesday but was told that he would not be required until after his court hearing on Friday in the Downing Centre Local Court.

While the Raiders are furious the club has been forced to address serious allegations relating to a player who only recently joined the club from Melbourne, they are also determined to give Scott every chance to defend himself in court before any potential punishment is even considered.

The Raiders as a club have a strong history of making their players answerable for their actions but are adopting a wait-and-see approach to make sure Scott receives a fair hearing.



The court hearing was initially set down for February 20 but has been brought forward, assumedly so Scott’s legal team can make an application for a change to his bail conditions, or potentially challenge the charges.
The Raiders are also privately upset that Canberra teammates who were with Scott on the night in Sydney have been subjected to accusations they didn’t look after their mate.
It is understood teammates had helped Scott into a cab to send him back to the hotel where the group were staying.
It is unknown how Scott ended up in the bushes outside the SCG precinct, although it was claimed he had earlier lost his phone earlier in the night.

 

[The Wheel]

Frankly I am disgusted by what I consider to be the NRL's inconsistent treatment of players and clubs. I have zero faith in the current administration. The favorable salary cap treatment Souths received for Inglis and Burgess just cannot be logically or sensibly reconciled against decisions they made in respect of players like Matai and Stewart. The NRL allowed Souths to sign Mitchell for 500K when he was asking for 1 million and had been offered 800K by the Rorters, they allowed Parramatta to sign Hayne for 500K from the Titans when he was on a million as against when they wouldn't allow Manly to sign Glen Stewart at the end of his career by determining the contract was undervalued. Then relevant to this discussion they let the Broncos player off without punishment even though he assaulted a chap in Bali and had to pay $30,000. It stinks like a rotten fish and the smell is making me puke!

Yep

 

[47MVEagle]

The de Belin case highlights how unfair the so-called 'no fault' policy is. With the wheels of Australian justice moving so slowly it has ruined his RL career. de Belin missed all last season and may have to sit out a second season before he gets a chance to defend the charges in court.
This is unjust.
Shoddy may claim the rule doesn't pre-judge him but what it clearly does to de Belin is curtail, and probably end, his NRL career.
I can't see anything wrong with the presumption of innocence until such time as a court rules otherwise.

I have a feeling De Belin may very well successfully sue the NRL for restraint of trade etc. somewhere down the line once his case has been dealt with (assuming he is not found guilty).

Of course, it will be too late to save his NRL career & no doubt Greenburg will have moved on to a higher role in another organisation by then (possibly even in politics), which would result in the NRL being drained of money to pay De Belin compensation & leaving the game in an even more precarious state financially.

 

[yokahontas]

The de Belin case highlights how unfair the so-called 'no fault' policy is. With the wheels of Australian justice moving so slowly it has ruined his RL career. de Belin missed all last season and may have to sit out a second season before he gets a chance to defend the charges in court.
This is unjust.
Shoddy may claim the rule doesn't pre-judge him but what it clearly does to de Belin is curtail, and probably end, his NRL career.
I can't see anything wrong with the presumption of innocence until such time as a court rules otherwise.

From what I’ve been told, de Belin’s own actions on the night in question are what will likely end his NRL career. That’s the least of his worries at this point.

I can see issues - not so much with the presumption of innocence per se, but with the ‘business as usual until your day in court’ approach. Think about, say, a preschool teacher accused of kiddie fiddling - they are rightly suspended and denied access to children in the interim, presumption of innocence notwithstanding. Defence members have their access to firearms restricted if an AVO is taken out against them; ambos accused of drug offences most certainly don’t carry on their daily work as normal until their court date. There are heaps of examples out there. Should someone accused of the type of offence de Belin and Hayne are charged with be able to carry on their very public career while they wait for court? It might be contentious, but I don’t think they should, if for no other reason than the fame/media/publicity element and the effects it would have on the victim to see the person who allegedly assaulted them being hero-worshipped. That aspect could quite conceivably affect a victim’s willingness to come forward and report an offence, and to pursue it through the courts.

 

[MuzztheEagle]

From what I’ve been told, de Belin’s own actions on the night in question are what will likely end his NRL career. That’s the least of his worries at this point.

I can see issues - not so much with the presumption of innocence per se, but with the ‘business as usual until your day in court’ approach. Think about, say, a preschool teacher accused of kiddie fiddling - they are rightly suspended and denied access to children in the interim, presumption of innocence notwithstanding. Defence members have their access to firearms restricted if an AVO is taken out against them; ambos accused of drug offences most certainly don’t carry on their daily work as normal until their court date. There are heaps of examples out there. Should someone accused of the type of offence de Belin and Hayne are charged with be able to carry on their very public career while they wait for court? It might be contentious, but I don’t think they should, if for no other reason than the fame/media/publicity element and the effects it would have on the victim to see the person who allegedly assaulted them being hero-worshipped. That aspect could quite conceivably affect a victim’s willingness to cone forward and report an offence, and to pursue it through the courts.

People will still argue examples like Brett Stewart's case and the fear that you can be removed from your job with just an accusation. Personally, I don't think this huge problem and it exists in far more workplaces than just professional sports. But then throw in the fact that you could be waiting over two years for courtroom proceedings to conclude and it becomes a much bigger problem. Can anyone tell me a reason why so many cases take so long to conclude. Is this what is broke and needs to be fixed?

 

[yokahontas]

People will still argue examples like Brett Stewart's case and the fear that you can be removed from your job with just an accusation. Personally, I don't think this huge problem and it exists in far more workplaces than just professional sports. But then throw in the fact that you could be waiting over two years for courtroom proceedings to conclude and it becomes a much bigger problem. Can anyone tell me a reason why so many cases take so long to conclude. Is this what is broke and needs to be fixed?

I think that is probably the bigger problem - if you turn out to be not guilty, that’s a big chunk out of your life where you’ve basically been in suspended animation, and far-reaching consequences in some cases. A quicker resolution would help, even if only to allow you to start picking up the pieces and getting your life back together sooner.

 

[MissKate]

What’s the status on debellend’s contract. I thought his contract was only up until the end of last season. Is that correct, or does it include this season also

 

[yokahontas]

What’s the status on debellend’s contract. I thought his contract was only up until the end of last season. Is that correct, or does it include this season also

Apparently includes this year as well, according to zero tackle.

Trial date has been moved forward as well, now starts Feb 3. His co-accused has a new barrister who’s able to start earlier.

 

[Will on the hill]

The fact they are still paid during the stand down period means the only ones that are really punished are the clubs and fans.

 

[Shoe1]

They should be known as “the boys of summer” i.e Curtis Scott, fifita, fainu, Sivo,Josh Reynolds etc

 

[pt73]

More gold .....

"Canberra Raiders rugby league player Curtis Scott's legal team has accused the police officers involved in his Australia Day weekend mishap of misconduct, stating that police "clearly misunderstood their powers" during an incident in which he allegedly kicked and punched an officer."

 

[lsz]

The fact they are still paid during the stand down period means the only ones that are really punished are the clubs and fans.

To be fair for De Bell he would have missed state of o payments, possible sponsorship and incentive payments.

I am not sure how they would deal with the issue as, opposed to say the teacher example here, the relative career of an athlete is pretty short. Also there is an impact on their future earnings considering there is no wage structure past the min wage.

For mind it needs to be on a case by case basis with clear transparency and thought behind the decision (understanding there could be impacts down the line here )

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

So at this stage NOT stood down like DeBelin / Walker??

Is this because no females were involved ( although reports suggest the police who were first at the scene were female but that obviously doesn’t count!!).

Meanwhile Toddy is off enjoying his First Class lounges and service on Qantas attending Superbowl and not giving a flying **** as the club concerned wasn’t Manly.

I bet you anything had this been one of our players they’d already be stood down.

 

[MadMarcus]

based upon clear and transparent guidelines that are applied in accordance with published and transparent rules.

on a case by case basis with clear transparency and thought behind the decision

You guys are freakin' hilarious! We are talking about the NRL here!!

 

[lsz]

You guys are freakin' hilarious! We are talking about the NRL here!!

And that is the issue!

 

[urulion]

People will still argue examples like Brett Stewart's case and the fear that you can be removed from your job with just an accusation. Personally, I don't think this huge problem and it exists in far more workplaces than just professional sports. But then throw in the fact that you could be waiting over two years for courtroom proceedings to conclude and it becomes a much bigger problem. Can anyone tell me a reason why so many cases take so long to conclude. Is this what is broke and needs to be fixed?

Hey Muzz,

Cases take so long because procedures must be followed. The courts must also ensure that the defendant receives at every available opportunity a fair trial (including an opportunity to defend the entire matter and afforded an appeal process if the defendant so choses).

Trials usually take time to conclude because many things occur behind the scenes that the lay person is generally not aware of. For example, Counsel for either party may seek; adjournments, further and better particulars, applications for discovery of information if required, subpoena's, witness statements and amendments of briefs. Matters are usually adjourned several times so all this information can be collected. Then you also have empanelling of juries if required as well.

Further, the cause is not assisted with Judges and Magistrates usually starting work at 10am (they tell you to be there at 9am but, I am yet to have seen a start before 10am)and finishing at around 4pm. Take away 1hr for lunch and usually a short 15 minute recess, that is a record of 4 hours and 45 minutes of solid work.

We already have a shortage of Judges and have cases in reserve lists every day (meaning if your case is not heard you must come back another day that is given). It is to be expected with a solid half day work that some cases take up to 4 years to conclude.

 

[Mal Cochrane]

has our hooker been officially stood down yet?

 

[Ralphie]

It's not Todd Greenburg who is going out getting wasted and allegedly hitting police or allegedly stabbing poeple. Sure he is not a great administrator but the primary targets should be the players getting themselves into trouble because it precedes any decision making the game's governing body are forced to make.

If the players behaved themselves, Greenberg wouldn't have to show inconsistency in the first place.

I've had about all I can stand of the morons that play RL these days. There are dickheads everywhere, but lots of them seem to gravitate towards a career in the NRL.

It’s no different today than it was in the 70’s, it’s just that the sensational media chase it and seem to relish it. I can tell you stories from that era that would make your hair curl, but the media back then reported on the footy first & foremost.