Johnathan Thurston and the rise of the so-what scandal

Drunk Guy says:

06:43pm | 17/09/10

Well for many people it is completely normal behaviour, and stories on national TV current affairs shows back that up, and if the police are so thin skinned that they need to arrest people for laughing at their over officiousness, then we all should be arrested, in fact I laugh at them even when I’m not drunk, and it infuriates them I have no idea why.

Rodney says:

04:56pm | 16/09/10

Wow Joe,

Hating over the internet…of all things…about their ears?  Is it jealousy that’s caused your green eyed rant in the public forum?  Your ears not too attractive and you project onto someone else?

Bob says:

08:42am | 17/09/10

Absolutely agree. Time to get “bad behavour” into prspective.

Macca says:

03:08pm | 16/09/10

@Peter, its a fair comment, many of the clubs run fan days, junior footy clinics, visit kids in hospitals, make donations to charaties etc.

We rarely celebrate the good things they do as much as we criticise the bad

Andrew says:

03:33pm | 16/09/10

@ Peter: “there aren’t many blokes i know that didn’t do a 4 hour stint for D&D”????

Do you seriously think getting so drunk the police lock you up to stop you hurting yourself or someone else is normal? That type of attitude is what wrong with league, the idea that you’re only a man if you’re hard drinking and have a disregard for authority.

I must admit I have heard nothing but negative things about JT. I understand if he wasn’t a good footy player noone would give him the time of day.

If you want to see what becomes of a player with the self control and strength of character to stay of the grog, just have a look at Carney and to a lesser extent Myles.

I agree with you on the media double standard though.

Go the mighty ROOSTERS!

Macca says:

03:58pm | 16/09/10

@Andrew, Todd Carney’s story this year has been one that I would like more widely acknowledged. A few years ago, the kid was a grub. But he’s taken steps, including no grog, to amend his behaviour, and focus on his on field performances. The results are far greater than anyone would expect. Brian Smith has done some wonderful off the field to fix the culture at the Bondi Club (despite the story regarding the under 20s last week). This season has been an almighty success considering last seasons wooden spoon. I know who I’ll be supporting Saturday night, C’arn the Chookies!

Also, I’d love to see Canberra win a premiership, anything to see St George choke again

Peter says:

07:32pm | 16/09/10

@ Andrew, alcohol and sport go hand in hand for some reason. I’m not saying getting blind drunk and being in public is a good thing, but celebreties, sportsmen, they are all human being suseptable to the same human failings as the rest of us. That’s all im saying and unless someone does something really bad, we shouldn’t really bother reporting the story.

I will make a confession here on the Punch. I caught for drink driving after a pattern of behavior that lasted for around 10 years. Getting caught, copping my court imposed fines and the embaresment of driving around with an interlocking devise was enough for me to learn my lessson. I was glad to get caught really as it was a wake up call to me, i was just lucky i never hurt anyone. I will not drink drive ever again. The education process i went through showed me that it’s quite easy for me to keep my BAC at 00. I never need to be in this situation. The best investment i ever made was bying a good quality breathyliser. I won’t bother with this 0.05 anymore. Being .00 is so easy without hampering what you do. I know i can have a drink or 2 at lunchtime and by home time. im 0.00… How good is that?

Funny story, a bit unrelated to this, while i was in court, the case before me was about a guy with mental issues who had a case worker assigned to him. He was in court for throwing bottles at the police. I learnt that this guy was having alcohol delivered to his home by the state so he doesn’t drink in public places. I look at that, and the intervention in the NT, and something does not make sense to me…

Barry says:

08:54am | 17/09/10

“....there aren’t many blokes i know that didn’t do a 4 hour stint for D&D…. “

I’ve been known to have a drink or two, but that’s a pretty shocking comment.

Markus says:

12:12pm | 17/09/10

Macca
Given that he was only (finally) sacked by the Raiders after refusing to give up drinking, I still have this sneaking suspicion that it is the Roosters club doing the majority of the work in keeping Carney sober and under wraps, as opposed to suddenly developing some self-control.
If he pulled the amount of crap he did at the Raiders at any Sydney club (assault, indecency, multiple DUIs without a license) he would have been banned from the NRL for life by now.

Peter says:

12:18pm | 17/09/10

@ Barry. Shocking comment. People have been locked for simply walking home, i never said anything about misbehaving. Ive known someone to be locked up less than 100 from home because he had a bit of a stagger and those policemen were having a bad day or something. Rather than let him go home, they locked him. The last time i checked it’s not illegal to get drunk in this country… At least he was walking home and not driving..

Jason says:

04:44pm | 17/09/10

“there aren’t many blokes i know that didn’t do a 4 hour stint for D&D”

That’s bizarre. I know loads of blokes who get pretty smashed (and myself back when), yet only once has any of them been locked up. Are the cops really on that short a fuse where you live or are your mates hurling glasses at windows?

Johnathon says:

09:27am | 19/09/10

@Barry   Riiiiggght…...., “people have been locked up for simply walking home”.
There wouldn’t be any more to that story at all would there?
That’s it, like you said; COPS have a bad day and just lock people up…. !All the time! And you can’t do anything about it because the system is corrupt!
The jovial tipsy larrikin getting locked up by the bigoted Coppers is a myth; take responsibility for your actions.

mrs smith says:

04:09pm | 16/09/10

NO his crime is that he broke the law. The unfortunate part of the story is that being a public figure, him breaking the law makes the news. The haters are out there because he claims to want to be one of the leaders of the game but repeatedly proves to be a fool.

Muttley says:

11:00am | 17/09/10

No, you’re spot on dianael. A little bit of perspective here is required but the knee jerk reactions are laughable.  For goodness sake he’s a sportsman Mrs Smith, not the bloody pope. I swear, the wowsers are taking over this country.

Mmmm... says:

04:09pm | 16/09/10

You can’t really say if someone is drunk until they have been breathalyzed. There are signs of course but to categorically say someone is drunk can’t be done until they have had alcohol testing.

I don’t think the casino needs to lie. They did what they had to to remove him from their property - which they did with a minimum of fuss and no consequences. What Thurston did happened after he left the casino. The casino has nothing to protect itself from.

David says:

04:16pm | 16/09/10

Yeah - it’s the fault of that evil Casino, forcing him to drink to excesses before ejecting him. Get real, when will people become responsible for buying a drink and deciding to drink to excess?

No one forced Thursty to drink all that grog.

No one forced him to act like a tool when drunk either.

Matt says:

01:43pm | 17/09/10

Hear hear. If he had assaulted someone or damaged their property then maybe there is a story, but merely being drunk at the casino? I don’t blame the police - they need to maintain public order - but this is the ultimate victimless crime.

Macca says:

04:17pm | 16/09/10

Some of the best games have very few rules. Many would argue Rugby Union is a pain because it can be so complex. Soccer, the World game (is universally easy to understand, apparently) only has 15 rules.

Mark Geyer's Elbow says:

04:47pm | 16/09/10

As opposed to the obviously brain dead players dealing with essentially no rules in AFL of course - the sport for the true connoisseur of ugly

At least we know JT wasn’t on the toot.

At 340am he would have been hitting his straps, not seeking a ride home in a divvy van.

Matt says:

01:52pm | 17/09/10

I was arrested at exactly the same place for much the same reasons when I was much the same age as Thurston. I was young, I was silly and I learnt a lesson. At least no one other than my friends and family gave a hoot - and while disappointed, they were supportive.  No doubt you feel they should have cut me off at the knees given that I am no longer fit for “civilised society”!

Does that now make me worthless as a role model. Should my employers never consider me for a leadership position. Should I seek a vasectomy so I can’t raise kids, given that I cannot ever be a “good example”. Get a grip, people. Exactly one person was affected by Thurston’s actions - Thurston.

Bill says:

03:47pm | 17/09/10

Hi Bob:
He’s a footballer for gods sake. He’s paid heaps to play football not to be a role model.
Being a role model is the tag we put on JT. Ask anyone in the indigenous community how much time and effort he puts into getting indigenous kids into school, sport and jobs to improve their lives and their future. I’d hazard a guess that none of the posters here would put one tenth of the effort into improving the lives of others that JT does.

All young men when growing up are faced with the same problem. They are ten feet tall iand bullet proof, have far too much testosterone for their own good, and their male brains will not be fully developed until they are in their thirties. A recipe for disaster, expecially if the media seek to sensationalise it to boost circulation. As an example, look at the way the arrest of Craig Moore or the trial of Brett Stewart is being handled by the media.

No offence Bob, you’re entitled to your opinion. I just wish we could all take a deep breath and realise that it’s all just a case of young men behaving badly, but normally. It’s part of growing up for better or worse.

Let’s get back to the footy. My beloved Broncos aren’t in tha finals this year, but there are still plenty of Queenslanders running around to keep me interested in the finals. I never thought I would ever says this, C’mon Waynes men.”

hot tub political machine says:

06:06pm | 16/09/10

Agrred White Knight,

The police don’t arrest for D & D because they want to make life hard for you. They do it to protect you or someone else. Imagine what would have happened had the Blue not intervened - we would be talking about something a lot worse for his career than a D & D arrest

Walloper says:

04:53pm | 16/09/10

Donald,

When someone is arrested Police are required to keep them for four hours, no matter their state of intoxication.  If they are able to be released to someone who can properly care for them, they can be released earlier.  If they are still too intoxicated, they may be kept longer than four hours till they can safely manage themselves.  Accepted practice is four hours.  Generally, at that time people aren’t necessarily sober, but they can now safely look after themselves.

Just because you hear or read ‘according the Police’ from the Australian media, doesn’t mean that the Police said that or that it’s an accurate account of what was said.  He wasn’t kept in till 9.00am, his release into the care of his manager was televised.  There is no .05% for drunkeness - there’s no power to test a pedestrian.

Mmmm... says:

04:54pm | 16/09/10

The rate alcohol metabolises varies between the individual greatly. Some people might be able to get it out of their system quickly. Some may take hours upon hours.

The White Knight says:

05:46pm | 16/09/10

I like that bit Walloper “he was’nt kept in till 9 am”

AFR says:

09:37am | 17/09/10

I heard Mark Geyer use this excuse on the radio yesterday, and think its a croc. By cutting back on the booze for a few months, you don’t suddenly turn into a “cadbury” (glass and a half).

Gavin Hodge says:

12:42pm | 17/09/10

AFR, you do become a cadbury if you take a few months off AND undertake intense fitness conditioning. These bloke have quick metabolisms and next to no fat so the absorbtion rate is so high and fast. All athletes struggle with hard grog. The point I make is that, far from using it as an excuse, these blokes need to be aware of themselves and their limits.