Murray MiddletonKing, Wiz and the Candy Bar
March 26th 2008 05:32
In the early hours of Sunday morning Richmond captain Kane Johnson was caught urinating out the front of a police complex on St.Kilda Road while celebrating his thirtieth birthday. Little more than one week earlier Carlton spearhead Brendan Fevola was captured on camera while urinating on the front window of Candy Bar in Prahan. Johnson was fined $5,000 and suspended himself for one match. Fevola was fined $10,000 and was demoted from the club’s leadership group. The Blues did not suspend Fevola, simply, because they could not afford to.
On Monday night’s edition of ‘On The Couch’ Andrew Demetriou threw his support behind Kane Johnson. He pointed out that it was Johnson’s first offence and spoke highly of the Richmond skipper as a person. Richmond football director Greg Miller referred to the incident as an ‘aberration’. Yesterday Johnson publicly apologised. His decision to suspend himself shows common sense and has been widely applauded. However the most sensible approach would surely have been to avoid urinating on a police station. Demetriou was far more critical of Fevola’s conduct. He referred to the Blues forward as a ‘repeat offender’. It was clear to viewers that the league’s CEO was sick and tired of answering questions about Fevola.
Two weeks ago Wayne Carey confessed to having a cocaine problem. It was a thinly-veiled attempt from the former champ to attribute his fall from grace to a substance, rather than to take responsibility for his actions. Carey’s confession does not excuse the act of smashing a glass over a female’s face. No addiction, however severe, can excuse his behaviour. It was not the first time that an elite sportsman has resorted to a shock confession on the back of distasteful public behaviour. The aim in such instances is to transform the player from a villain to a victim. It is pathetic, regardless of the authenticity of the confession (which must be questioned in Carey’s case).
Last season Jeff Farmer committed countless acts which helped to de-rail the Dockers season. He ought to have been sacked by the club, but, like Fevola, his services were considered too valuable to cut loose. Farmer, on the advice of his manager, later called a press conference to disclose his alcohol problems. Once more it was the alcohol, not the player, who was to blame. The move worked for Farmer. He retained his place on the Dockers list and was even applauded for his ‘brave’ confession. Any person with half a brain knew the game that Farmer was playing.
Brendan Fevola and his football club have been happy to attribute his behaviour to the substance rather than facing the real problem. The one constant in Fevola’s actions is not alcohol – it is him. Other human beings, even elite sportsman, are capable of consuming alcohol without punching a barman or urinating on shop windows. It is not a difficult ask. Fevola is incapable of lasting two yeas without slipping up. Therefore he is almost certain to end his career at another club. Kane Johnson has shown genuine remorse for his behaviour and seems to have acknowledged that it was him, rather than his drinking, that was to blame.
Farmer, Carey and Fevola have been paid to play football. Because of their soaring wage, they must behave when they are not playing football. Trouble will inevitably follow them. Their careers are relatively short. They need to put their profession ahead of their leisure for the brief period in which they are going to be in the public’s eye. The trick is to refrain. It is not difficult. How many times has Robert Harvey made headlines for the wrong reasons? In Carey’s case, such was his sense of invincibility, it is possible that the only conquest that remained was his best friend’s wife. No substance addiction can account for that mentality.
The feel good story of last season was undoubtedly Geelong’s Steve Johnson. He was arrested pre-season for public drunkenness and neglected to inform the club of the offence. Geelong subsequently suspended Johnson for the first five matches of the season and banned him from drinking. Johnson returned to the VFL and focused on football. The Cats only lost one match after Johnson returned to the side. He was selected in the All Australian team. He won the Norm Smith Medal. And, most importantly, he was a premiership player. But why on earth did Steve Johnson need to drink himself to oblivion to realise his potential?
On Monday night’s edition of ‘On The Couch’ Andrew Demetriou threw his support behind Kane Johnson. He pointed out that it was Johnson’s first offence and spoke highly of the Richmond skipper as a person. Richmond football director Greg Miller referred to the incident as an ‘aberration’. Yesterday Johnson publicly apologised. His decision to suspend himself shows common sense and has been widely applauded. However the most sensible approach would surely have been to avoid urinating on a police station. Demetriou was far more critical of Fevola’s conduct. He referred to the Blues forward as a ‘repeat offender’. It was clear to viewers that the league’s CEO was sick and tired of answering questions about Fevola.
Two weeks ago Wayne Carey confessed to having a cocaine problem. It was a thinly-veiled attempt from the former champ to attribute his fall from grace to a substance, rather than to take responsibility for his actions. Carey’s confession does not excuse the act of smashing a glass over a female’s face. No addiction, however severe, can excuse his behaviour. It was not the first time that an elite sportsman has resorted to a shock confession on the back of distasteful public behaviour. The aim in such instances is to transform the player from a villain to a victim. It is pathetic, regardless of the authenticity of the confession (which must be questioned in Carey’s case).
Last season Jeff Farmer committed countless acts which helped to de-rail the Dockers season. He ought to have been sacked by the club, but, like Fevola, his services were considered too valuable to cut loose. Farmer, on the advice of his manager, later called a press conference to disclose his alcohol problems. Once more it was the alcohol, not the player, who was to blame. The move worked for Farmer. He retained his place on the Dockers list and was even applauded for his ‘brave’ confession. Any person with half a brain knew the game that Farmer was playing.
Brendan Fevola and his football club have been happy to attribute his behaviour to the substance rather than facing the real problem. The one constant in Fevola’s actions is not alcohol – it is him. Other human beings, even elite sportsman, are capable of consuming alcohol without punching a barman or urinating on shop windows. It is not a difficult ask. Fevola is incapable of lasting two yeas without slipping up. Therefore he is almost certain to end his career at another club. Kane Johnson has shown genuine remorse for his behaviour and seems to have acknowledged that it was him, rather than his drinking, that was to blame.
Farmer, Carey and Fevola have been paid to play football. Because of their soaring wage, they must behave when they are not playing football. Trouble will inevitably follow them. Their careers are relatively short. They need to put their profession ahead of their leisure for the brief period in which they are going to be in the public’s eye. The trick is to refrain. It is not difficult. How many times has Robert Harvey made headlines for the wrong reasons? In Carey’s case, such was his sense of invincibility, it is possible that the only conquest that remained was his best friend’s wife. No substance addiction can account for that mentality.
The feel good story of last season was undoubtedly Geelong’s Steve Johnson. He was arrested pre-season for public drunkenness and neglected to inform the club of the offence. Geelong subsequently suspended Johnson for the first five matches of the season and banned him from drinking. Johnson returned to the VFL and focused on football. The Cats only lost one match after Johnson returned to the side. He was selected in the All Australian team. He won the Norm Smith Medal. And, most importantly, he was a premiership player. But why on earth did Steve Johnson need to drink himself to oblivion to realise his potential?
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