Steve Johnson at it again

Crowny · Post by **Crowny** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 2:06 pm

Steve Johnson from Geelong is at it again, arrested for being drunk in a public place. Not for the first time either. At once stage I think Geelong tried to trade him to Essendon

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/real ... 24071.html

DYSON#2 · Post by **DYSON#2** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 8:06 pm

argh who cares if an AFL player gets on the turps in the festive season... good on him i say. i wouldnt care if Mark Johnson went and had a day on the gas, as long as they rock up to training on time and prepared to give 110% then there should be no concerns... imo of course

rama_fan · Post by **rama_fan** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 11:57 am

Exactly Dyson.

How many people have been drunk in public before, I mean if he does something stupid then fair enough, but if he's just wandering around off his tits and not causing trouble then a bit of perspective is needed.

Sol · Post by **Sol** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:02 am

Exactly, not sure the issue with drunken footballers unless they get into fights or do something wrong whilst they are drunk.

In fact just the other week I went out for an all night bender, got on the train home at about 10:30am, then fell asleep and woke up back at flinders at about 12:00pm and had to get off the train as it was now going somewhere else.

I was an apsalute mess and had to catch yet another train looking like a gutter bumb and got home at 1pm. Woulda made for a shocking photo, but fortunately I didnt quite get passed the under 16's so I dont think I'll be looking at myself in the paper any time soon.

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 12:27 pm

Thats not the point. Its the third time it has happened now and last time he said he was on his last chance and reall had to work hard to get back the players respect.

Stocksy · Post by **Stocksy** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 1:28 pm

Get the players respect back for what?

He is just another bloke who enjoys a night out with mates. How he chooses to spend his nights are his business. Just another example of football journalists training for the paparazi gig.

I can understand the club having the shits with him as alcohol and rehabilatation are never a good mix but how this shit even becomes a headline has me f*****. Between newspapers with nothing better to write and cops (not all but there are some out there) who with there inflated egoes like nothing better than a name to pin to there sheet, footballers have no where left to go to enjoy a night out.

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 1:45 pm

Stocksy wrote:Get the players respect back for what?

He said after the last time he had to get back the players respect. Personally I couldnt give a flying f*** what any footballer does off the field.

And Essendon player can f*** every girl he sees and booze up all night, but if he performs on the field then thats all that matters.

billyduckworth · Post by **billyduckworth** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:58 am

[/quote]
And Essendon player can f*** every girl he sees and booze up all night, but if he performs on the field then thats all that matters.[/quote]

I agree absolutely. Isn't that why we all loved players like Vander?

Rusty1978 · Post by **Rusty1978** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 10:03 am

Exactly Billy.......I was talking to a bloke on new years that used to be there with Vanders doing that exact same thing!!

billyduckworth · Post by **billyduckworth** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 10:16 am

And he is still alive to tell the story - amazing!

Rusty1978 · Post by **Rusty1978** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 10:24 am

Certainly is Billy. I think you may have heard of him. Does the name Ronnie Andrews ring a bell?? We were sitting at his pub in wentworth on new years eve.

rama_fan · Post by **rama_fan** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:26 pm

Anyone think his punishment (banished from the club until May) is extremely excessive?

DYSON#2 · Post by **DYSON#2** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:19 pm

very! and it was the players who made the decision

Rossoneri · Post by **Rossoneri** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:21 pm

rama_fan wrote:Anyone think his punishment (banished from the club until May) is extremely excessive?

I think its ok. I wonder if Gary Ablett Jnr or Scarlett were on three strikes, would they cop a 6 week suspension?

BenDoolan · Post by **BenDoolan** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:37 am

rama_fan wrote:Anyone think his punishment (banished from the club until May) is extremely excessive?

Very harsh, but you can't say he wouldn't have seen it coming. It seems he didn't learn from previous encounters. One wonders if he'll learn from this. When I initially heard on radio that he was "suspended" by the club for 6 weeks, I thought I was hearing things. Suspended for 27% of the season seems extraordinarily tough. One would think they'll allow him to play VFL (I haven't read the full story, so please enlighten me if that isn't the case)

Stocksy · Post by **Stocksy** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 9:15 am

What I cant work out is (considering they are paid to play football) He cops 6 weeks for an off field discretion which will not alter where the club finishes on the ladder. Yet Cam Mooney can rack up suspension after suspension seriously damaging the clubs chances of finishing higher on the ladder and apart from what the AFL dish out we here the same stock standard line coming out of Geelong "We are dissapointed in Cam".

Which one hurts the club more, Johnson picked up for being drunk in a public place, or Cam Mooney suspended for four weeks for a reckless cheap shot? Pretty sure the latter affects Geelong more.

BenDoolan · Post by **BenDoolan** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 9:34 am

Stocksy wrote:What I cant work out is (considering they are paid to play football) He cops 6 weeks for an off field discretion which will not alter where the club finishes on the ladder. Yet Cam Mooney can rack up suspension after suspension seriously damaging the clubs chances of finishing higher on the ladder and apart from what the AFL dish out we here the same stock standard line coming out of Geelong "We are dissapointed in Cam".

Which one hurts the club more, Johnson picked up for being drunk in a public place, or Cam Mooney suspended for four weeks for a reckless cheap shot? Pretty sure the latter affects Geelong more.

Yes but one could argue that Cam Mooney's indescretions are in the heat of battle.

Johnson's previous escapades has damaged the club by severely injuring his ankle in a drunken stupor while jumping fences. The injury still causes him problems today. I can understand the club's frustrations. They are paying him big bucks while he is disregarding his own fitness and well being in the process.

Sol · Post by **Sol** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:26 am

BenDoolan wrote:
rama_fan wrote:Anyone think his punishment (banished from the club until May) is extremely excessive?
Very harsh, but you can't say he wouldn't have seen it coming. It seems he didn't learn from previous encounters. One wonders if he'll learn from this. When I initially heard on radio that he was "suspended" by the club for 6 weeks, I thought I was hearing things. Suspended for 27% of the season seems extraordinarily tough. One would think they'll allow him to play VFL (I haven't read the full story, so please enlighten me if that isn't the case)

He will be playing and training with the VFL however the VFL players train only 3 times per week and he is banned from the Geelong senior teams training resources when any Senior player is present. As such, he will need to find his own training resources on days where the VFL team dont train or he will fall behind in fitness and end up spending his remaining weeks in the VFL before being delisted.

Very, very harsh in my view, and as for the ankle injury, regardless of being drunk it was still an accident. Everitt broke his ankle on a shovel when gardening, has his team suspended him for six weeks for trying his hand at gardening again?

They are human beings and entitled to blow off some steam in the off season in my view. As long as they turn up to training (and arn't drunk or worse) and put in 100% in the track there shouldnt be a problem.

It's issues like this that make me glad I want any good at footy as I think this reaction allong with media scrutiny makes AFL football a far less attractive employment option.

azza78 · Post by **azza78** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:41 pm

I remember reading somewhere that the club didn't suspend him just 'cos he was arrested, but that it took him over a week or so to actually inform the club what happened.

It's a harsh call tho. Wonder what the AFLPA has to say about it.

BenDoolan · Post by **BenDoolan** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 12:57 pm

Sol wrote:
BenDoolan wrote:
rama_fan wrote:Anyone think his punishment (banished from the club until May) is extremely excessive?
Very harsh, but you can't say he wouldn't have seen it coming. It seems he didn't learn from previous encounters. One wonders if he'll learn from this. When I initially heard on radio that he was "suspended" by the club for 6 weeks, I thought I was hearing things. Suspended for 27% of the season seems extraordinarily tough. One would think they'll allow him to play VFL (I haven't read the full story, so please enlighten me if that isn't the case)
He will be playing and training with the VFL however the VFL players train only 3 times per week and he is banned from the Geelong senior teams training resources when any Senior player is present. As such, he will need to find his own training resources on days where the VFL team dont train or he will fall behind in fitness and end up spending his remaining weeks in the VFL before being delisted.

Very, very harsh in my view, and as for the ankle injury, regardless of being drunk it was still an accident. Everitt broke his ankle on a shovel when gardening, has his team suspended him for six weeks for trying his hand at gardening again?

They are human beings and entitled to blow off some steam in the off season in my view. As long as they turn up to training (and arn't drunk or worse) and put in 100% in the track there shouldnt be a problem.

It's issues like this that make me glad I want any good at footy as I think this reaction allong with media scrutiny makes AFL football a far less attractive employment option.

I agree to a degree. Something tells me that if it isn't in season and while you are not representing your club, then penalties should not be incurred. If I go home from work, go out and get pissed, then arrested, my workplace could not discipline me. And why should they? Unless you sign a contract (and here in lies the answer perhaps) stating that you will not "x" and "x" and will "x" and "x", then the club is being harsh and unreasonable. BUT, there may also be a "code of conduct" within the club that has been agreed upon by the players, AFL etc, and players are expected to conduct themselves within those rules. And previous misdemeanors do count against him....

I find it bizarre that Johnson can cop such a media bashing, receive a harsh suspension within the club for drunkeness, YET, there is a known group of players who have tested positive to drugs and the AFL, media and clubs have kept this secret and no action has been taken.