Jack De Belin charged

[jirskyr]

It's the same problem though. De Belin has not been found guilty in a court of law, nor admitted guilt. NRL has no jurisdiction in the courts. They can't restrain someone until there's guilt. You can argue, somewhat fairly, that the Barba case he wasn't found guilty in court either, however there is video evidence that is sufficient for disrepute.

NRL has no such regulations on themselves. Pascoe has been tried and partially executed by the NRL within their own system, and they hold most of the keys.

A previous poster was correct - this could all turn out like Brett Stewart, who was penalised for something he was ultimately exonerated for.

 

[Masterton]

I must admit, I was one of the people who read all about the Brett Stewart case and thought, "Yep. That sounds true. Rub him out." History shows I was completely wrong. When you read the accusations against De Belin, I don't want him playing, but it's the ethical thing to do.

 

[Tweed_Tiger]

It is a slippery slope, standing a player down on full pay until the case is done sounds good on paper but if this was how it worked you know false convictions will come out during finals, origin and world cups or even blackmail attempts at any time.

 

[Marshall_magic]

After the Brett Stewart debacle I think the NRL will be very careful in standing down a player with a matter before the courts. I believe players are entitled to the presumption of innocence and whilst standing them down doesn't completely go against that, it does set a dangerous precedent.