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Martin Devlin: Disgraced Bulldogs player deserves everything he gets

Author
Martin Devlin,
Publish Date
Wed, 18 Mar 2020, 1:53PM

Martin Devlin: Disgraced Bulldogs player deserves everything he gets

Author
Martin Devlin,
Publish Date
Wed, 18 Mar 2020, 1:53PM

Remember the name Jayden Okunbor. This young man is about to become the poster boy for all NRL players stupidity, about to lose his NRL contract and be sacked from the game.

Okunbor is one of the two Bulldogs who brought young women back to their hotel rooms last week after the club's promotional visit to the girls school. And, from an employment perspective, he deserves everything he gets.

This is not a moral judgement.  So don't even start arguing a defence for him along those lines. 

Let me repeat that people just so we're all absolutely clear: THIS IS NOT A MORAL JUDGEMENT.

This has nothing to do with consenting adults so don't even bother introducing that argument. This is, very plainly and very simply, only about breaking an employment contract clause that the guy happily signed and agreed to for the privilege of being a handsomely paid  professional, paid to play a game of sport that you love so much you'd play anyway.

This is about arrogance, narcissism and the rampant egos of dumb young men - and eventually one of these clowns has to be held to account.

The problem the NRL has always had is they've handed out second, third and fourth chances but this time enough is enough.

All of us, no matter what jobs we do are beholden to, have behavioural clauses in our employment contracts. These cover things like bullying, sexual harassment, theft as a servant. It's simply part of the deal you sign and if you're so arrogant you think you can roll the dice on it, then good luck and be prepared to cop the consequence.

What the two Bulldog players did was violate the condition of employment that no women are allowed to be brought back to the team hotel.

It would be like my employers stressing that there is to be no random partners brought into the radio station after hours to have sex in the studio. Yet one drunken Friday night, overcome with lust and alcohol, you decide to do it anyway.

Now face up to the consequences of what you've done.

And again, don't even attempt any sort of defence along the lines of "he didn't know, he wasn't aware, he's just a young guy who didn't think". Because ALL this stuff is the first stuff explained to these goons. They are spoon fed every single aspect of it.

From the moment they join the NRL they have seminar after seminar, advisement after advisement, in fact more education programmes almost than actual training sessions.

Yet, just like those who insist on their right to use their mobile phones while driving, there are those among us who think the rules apply to everyone but themselves.

For Jayden Okunbor this is the consequence of his arrogance. The only good to come out of this is hopefully his stupidity might influence the next moron thinking of doing the same. Or at least influence one other idiot not to anyway.

Should he be given a chance to repent - heck yes. But not before a significant period

of reflection, acceptance, time to mature and, yes, regret.

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