A Legal Question

[grassy1]

This post isn’t about having a go at a particular player.Rather it is trying to establish if the AFL Commission,despite saying it engages serious matters on a case by case basis,is actually engaging in a blatant double standard here.

Where does Jordan de Goey stand legally?

Is he still facing charges for indecent assault of a Woman,or is that over now?

If his Legal troubles are over,that’s fine and I accept that he is free to get on with his Life and Football Career.As I said,this is not about having a go at him.As a Collingwood player,it would be so easy for us,to have any one of ‘em practically burnt at the stake,if we were that one eyed.I used to be years ago,but not much now.

If not,why is he still allowed to play,when the AFL Commission went to great lengths to prevent Elijah Taylor(an non listed AFL player),from playing?This is not to downplay his situation,just because he is a listed player for my Club,by the way.

He has to go through various steps apparently,before he is allowed to play any form of Footy.Does the same principle apply to Jordan De Goey?

Again,This is nothing against Jordan here.I hope his off-field issues have been sorted out already.But if not,is the AFL Commission applying a Blatant Double Standard here?

I bring this up,because a story published today on the ABC Website by David Mark,grabbed my attention regarding how Australian Sporting Codes deal with Issues of Morality,both on and off the field.

It grabbed my attention moreso,after I chatted with a fellow Perth Supporter about where Elijah Taylor stood right now.Granted,he didn’t appear to do himself any favours last year.But I don’t believe for a second that he chose to stand out of football himself.Moreso,given the AFL’s exerting it’s power over the WA Football Commission(as it does anyway),not once,but twice in the past few weeks,after reading an article by John Townsend in The West on Thursday.

1 - Elijah Taylor’s Status in Football
2 - Reducing Docker Ben Treacey’s Suspension by a week,when quite frankly,they had no business to do so.He did what he did,with his Cheap Shot on Demon Brady Grey and was lucky not to get more than 2 Weeks,in my opinion.

I welcome all opinions,including any that might say,my opinion is clouded by Club Bias.

Declaration - The Author of this Post is a Match Day Official of the Perth Football Club.

[BenDoolan]

I’m no lawyer, but I think in one case (Elijah Taylor) who pleads guilty to an assault versus a case (Jordan DeGoey) who pleads not guilty to a sexual assault, will be treated differently by the AFL.

DeGoey (under law) will have a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. The AFL will allow this to take its course.

[grassy1]

I’m no lawyer, but I think in one case (Elijah Taylor) who pleads guilty to an assault versus a case (Jordan DeGoey) who pleads not guilty to a sexual assault, will be treated differently by the AFL.

DeGoey (under law) will have a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. The AFL will allow this to take its course.

Thanks for clearing that up mate.

From what you told me,What I do remember is the AFL won’t stand down players facing charges,as opposed to the NRL and most rece5ly,the NBL.The latter two competitions have been using what is called a No Fault Stand down clause,that won’t allow a player to play until his legal matters are cleared up.

Still,given Taylor is an unlisted AFL Player,that has given a few people the shits that the AFL sees the need to over-reach like that.

[BenDoolan]

I don’t agree with standing down players until legal matters are cleared up.

[grassy1]

What about standing down players,whose Legal Matters have already been cleared up?

Unless there’s Bail Conditions that excludes them from playing any Competitive Sport?

[s'dreams]

What about standing down players,whose Legal Matters have already been cleared up?

Unless there’s Bail Conditions that excludes them from playing any Competitive Sport?

There have been a long list of players "let go" by clubs for serious legal allegations even before they went to court.

The ones who manage to stay on (for example a couple of Saints) were considered club champions or the matter was considered minor (drink driving)

This sort of dual system has been around since the days of John Nichols (served a few months jail in 1960 for embezzlement where similar cases were given years) and a lot of cases never make it to court because "benefactors" manage to sort out an "arrangement" to make the problem go away.

I think you may find examples of both circumstances closer to home without needing to look at Adelaide,Collingwood or St Kilda

[grassy1]

What about standing down players,whose Legal Matters have already been cleared up?

Unless there’s Bail Conditions that excludes them from playing any Competitive Sport?

There have been a long list of players "let go" by clubs for serious legal allegations even before they went to court.

The ones who manage to stay on (for example a couple of Saints) were considered club champions or the matter was considered minor (drink driving)

This sort of dual system has been around since the days of John Nichols (served a few months jail in 1960 for embezzlement where similar cases were given years) and a lot of cases never make it to court because "benefactors" manage to sort out an "arrangement" to make the problem go away.

I think you may find examples of both circumstances closer to home without needing to look at Adelaide,Collingwood or St Kilda

True,though I was looking at it,from a context from Mark’s article.

A prominent Sandover Medallist from the 1970’s was mentioned to me,in terms of off-field notierity in such discussions recently.

[s'dreams]

What about standing down players,whose Legal Matters have already been cleared up?

Unless there’s Bail Conditions that excludes them from playing any Competitive Sport?

There have been a long list of players "let go" by clubs for serious legal allegations even before they went to court.

The ones who manage to stay on (for example a couple of Saints) were considered club champions or the matter was considered minor (drink driving)

This sort of dual system has been around since the days of John Nichols (served a few months jail in 1960 for embezzlement where similar cases were given years) and a lot of cases never make it to court because "benefactors" manage to sort out an "arrangement" to make the problem go away.

I think you may find examples of both circumstances closer to home without needing to look at Adelaide,Collingwood or St Kilda

True,though I was looking at it,from a context from Mark’s article.

A prominent Sandover Medallist from the 1970’s was mentioned to me,in terms of off-field notierity in such discussions recently.

Elijah Who?

Compare and contrast to Wayne Carey ...

What would now be considered sexual assault when he grabbed the breast of a stranger on the street (1997). A number of arrests and convictions for domestic violence in both the USA (once in 2004 against his wife in Vegas, and in 2007 for glassing his GF in Miami) and Australia, convictions for assaulting police in both Australia (he assaulted the police he called to his unit in 2009) and the USA (in Miami, he kicked the arresting female officer in the face after knocking her down ... as well as giving character testimony for Jason Moran

Yet he never had a problem in getting and retaining AFL accreditation. Carey could play football really good.

[grassy1]

What about standing down players,whose Legal Matters have already been cleared up?

Unless there’s Bail Conditions that excludes them from playing any Competitive Sport?

There have been a long list of players "let go" by clubs for serious legal allegations even before they went to court.

The ones who manage to stay on (for example a couple of Saints) were considered club champions or the matter was considered minor (drink driving)

This sort of dual system has been around since the days of John Nichols (served a few months jail in 1960 for embezzlement where similar cases were given years) and a lot of cases never make it to court because "benefactors" manage to sort out an "arrangement" to make the problem go away.

I think you may find examples of both circumstances closer to home without needing to look at Adelaide,Collingwood or St Kilda

True,though I was looking at it,from a context from Mark’s article.

A prominent Sandover Medallist from the 1970’s was mentioned to me,in terms of off-field notierity in such discussions recently.

Elijah Who?

Just some Rookie kid who got entwined with 2 Women,which of course led to tears and the Swans cutting him loose last year.That’s who!

Compare and contrast to Wayne Carey ...

What would now be considered sexual assault when he grabbed the breast of a stranger on the street (1997). A number of arrests and convictions for domestic violence in both the USA (once in 2004 against his wife in Vegas, and in 2007 for glassing his GF in Miami) and Australia, convictions for assaulting police in both Australia (he assaulted the police he called to his unit in 2009) and the USA (in Miami, he kicked the arresting female officer in the face after knocking her down ... as well as giving character testimony for Jason Moran

Yet he never had a problem in getting and retaining AFL accreditation. Carey could play football really good.

If he couldn’t,how screwed legally would he have been with the above rap sheet?

[s'dreams]

As someone once said ... it is an amazing when the screwing of his friend and captain's wife at a party doesn't even make it into the 5 most scummy acts by the person.