Playing the media can be a dangerous game

acker says:

07:34am | 24/12/10

How come no one is taking Sam Gilbert to court ?
Like Nick Reiwoldt or any one else unfortunate to have a photo of them on his computer….early on Reiwoldt asked him to delete the image of him, Gilbert saved it instead.

Diogemes says:

03:20pm | 24/12/10

Ah if only she had posted the photos on wikileaks - then she could claim freedom of speech

Phil says:

03:35pm | 24/12/10

I think the AFL is wrong to threaten this girl with legal action basically saying we are bigger than you f@ck off.

She may well have issues, and is obviously pissed off that one of the St Kilda players had consentual sex with her then left her pregnant. I like most comentators cannot comment on this as we have no proof. She wont be the first nor last to get in bed with a footballer.

As for St Kilda and/or the AFL taking to her with a big stick, as is mentioned why would a bloke have images on his computer of naked men anyway, unless he was that way inclined. Hey im hetrosexual and I dont have naked pictures of women on my computer much less a drunken photo of some of my mates. Yes we all do stupid things as drunk youngens, perhaps the AFL/St Kilda needs to teach their players how to treat women much like the ARL.

TO push this girl to breaking point, do they seriously want a suicide on their hands. I wonder what Kennett as head of Beyond Blue would think of their actions.?

Shelly says:

09:56pm | 24/12/10

Regardless of the reason Sam Gilbert had these images on his computer the critical word is ” his” computer not hers. What he has on his own private computer is his and for those who are trying to say nothing is private anymore then I challenge you to put the contents of your own hard drives on the web then regardless of what is on them

And rather than casting childish aspersions on their sexuality ( who cares )  which i find in itself offensive why are we not asking real questions like why has this girls parents turned their backs on her ? Does she have a history of problems with discipline and the like

The girl is obviously seeking her own 5 minutes of fame and if she is so innoncent in all of this what was a 17 year old girl doing at an AFL players house in the first place.

These guys are grown men and the fact she was there with them ( did her parents know ) voluntarily only goes to show she is not a sweet innocent child that needs protecting but rather a manipulative young women hell bent on getting her name up in lights one way or another

Show her face so we can all see her and know who she is and give other grown men the chance to steer well clear and avoid her clutches in the first place. 17 or not this girl knows exactly what she is doing

Peter from the bush says:

07:19am | 25/12/10

Why take the St.Kilda player to court…he hasnt broken the law.She has by stealing pictures from a PC.Telecommunications Act I believe,so why procecute him.She is the one who has bitten off more than she can chew

click click boom says:

10:26am | 25/12/10

Both the players and this girl are in similar positions,victims of peer behaviour.
Porn ,prostitution and sextapes are celebrated on a daily basis in all forms of media and group sex is seen as normal to football teams,
Poor parenting and the social media perception that if you get paid well for being an alleged elite sportsman celebrity is a ticket to participate in any activity a PR company or solicitor can protect you from
The young woman seems to seek fame and the riches we all support
Storm in a D cup and really not important,but it sells print and the ubiquitous advertising dollar

Denny Crane says:

07:22am | 24/12/10

TChong, this is the first time i have agreed with you must be Christmas.

The players are the victims, now if she has stolen the photos form a players computer, she should be prosecuted for theft, and whatever other law, they can get on in that area.

For her to be posting these in the public arena, is a disgrace and could damage a players reputation, which would leave them to take legal action against her for defamation of character.

If she claims she was pregnant then provide the proof, instead of mouthing off without the relevant evidence to back this claim up.

This needs to get into caught, and whoever is guilty the full weight of the law needs to come down on them.

To say she is 17 and immature is going to be her defence, and a pretty weak one at that, most people work at 17, and how about all the fallen diggers who were sometime younger then 17 that went off to war, so please dont try the i’m 17 years old defense.

Badjack says:

08:11am | 24/12/10

“The players are definite victims”    rubbish!!!  they allowed nude photos to be taken of themselves. They need to take responsibility for their own actions.
If they thought it was innocent fun to pose nude then they are as thick as 3 bricks. In this wonderful new age of e-life nothing is private.
The footballers need to grow up and the clubs need to get some real men running them and stop pandering to these inflated ego maniacs.

Tim says:

08:32am | 24/12/10

Badjack,
can you explain what is actually wrong with “allowing nude photographs to be taken of themselves”???
Is privacy only for people who are not famous?

Denny Crane says:

08:32am | 24/12/10

So Badjack, the players are at fault for allowing nude photos of themselves, which were being kept by the players themselves.

This E-life you talk of still has laws, and one of them is theft, the girl allegedly has stolen the photos, which is a crime punishable under the westminster system.

Then with stolen items in her hands, went and listed these on a website, defaming the victims, yet another crime.

So you want to blame the players for taking photos, which last time i recalled was not a crime, and side with a individual who at least broken the law on 2 seperate occassions, actually more as it will be a law broken on each player she posted these photos.

Great to see you support the alleged criminal in this action, and not the people who are INNOCENT

Tom says:

08:48am | 24/12/10

@Badjak, “they are as thick as 3 bricks”. That is not a crime. They are the victims.

Economist says:

09:24am | 24/12/10

Denny Crane you used the key word their ‘allegedly”, but your happy to then go on and blame her regardless.

Denny Crane you don’t know the details at all, and quire frankly nether do the media. How do you “steal” photos from a computer? How did she know they were there? Did Sam Gilbert show her? Was he using it as bragging rights? Your defence of the players is on the grounds that the woman has broken the law so I assume you have no problem with the fact that some of the players may have had sexual relations with a minor, it is unclear as to who has been involved,  and to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law?

The defamation charge may have some merit, but opens up a whole can of worms like how does Sam Gilbert have photos of players from Carlton etc? Were they running some sort of game? a Swingers club? who know? who cares. 
The problem with this situation is none of the parties are victims, they’re all to blame for their choices. Firstly the football players, behave simply like any other male pseudo (B grade) celebrity. They basically want to bang chicks. They want to behave like porn stars. So when, if, you get caught, man up to it. Pay for the consequences. As someone who used to do a lot of clubbing in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart I saw a sportsman, cricketers and footballers, married and single with young women in toilets taking them back to their hotels etc. It’s just unfortunate for these guys they got caught with their pants down so to speak. Personally it’s nothing new, so there’s nothing really to report. I’ve come to except b grade celebrities to behave liek this and as Denny’ has indicated it’s none of my business unless they break the law. 
As for the homo erotic photos,  I don’t see it this way. Alcohol makes people do stupid things, from nudie runs to dakings, to just general tomfoolery. Even people who generally have high moral standards can get caught up in the heat of the moment with whatever’s a at the time. 
As for the girl, the lesson here is choose who you hangout with wisely. At 17 it may all seem exciting, but what do you expect. The’yre not going to take you to the Brownlow at 17. Though I will blame her parents for their atrocious behaviour in not providing her support and guidance. 
The best strategy for the AFL would have been not to front the media, use Google and facebook quietly to assist them some of the photos. Expect some to come out eventually, but let it blow over, the photos will simply end up on some obscure website As demonstrated with Warny, Matt Johns and Tiger. The impact is minimal and for the most part people will still accept you, including sponsors.

Steph says:

09:48am | 24/12/10

I agree with you Tchong. Forgot to add that into the last post

Lizzy says:

10:27am | 24/12/10

Hard to see through this mess indeed.

According to the girl herself, she’s had ‘relationships’ with several of the players she had pictures of. Even at 17 you should know that this kind of promiscuity, especially in AFL circles, never leads to anything good. Also the claim to be this immature at 17 is a bit weak. Heck, you’re only one year away at this stage from being legally responsible for ALL your actions. You should have acquired some maturity by then.

If she truly got pregnant by one of the players and the player as well as the club wouldn’t have any of it (and that wouldn’t be a new thing either), shame on them and they should man up and stand in for their mistakes. But I dare say, a claim like this would require some sort of proof and then should be handled without the media hype by the courts.

The other thing that truly bugs me, however, is the following: Why do grown men not have the maturity to keep their hands off minors? And especially for AFL players ... there’s apparently enough females out there that don’t mind being bedded by these guys (however questionable this might be). I’m sure they’d have ample choice of legally adult women and not have to resort to engage with minors in the first place.

AFL players NEED to learn that women are not just a commodity that is available for use for their personal satisfaction and can be discarded at will when they think they got all there was to get off them. Teaching them a lesson via the means the ‘girl’ is presently attempting to? I don’t think that’s the right way to go, really.

tom says:

10:37am | 24/12/10

Clearly this girls behaviour and actions show her to be the child/vicitm she really is.  she was actually younger when they picked her up, the photo’s i have seen of her you can clearly see she is underage.
These men the victims ???? Hardly. Can’t they go after women their own age instead they pick up little girls to feel like men,
It makes me ill. Maybe the world should stop giving these dumb footballer’s attention and letting them off the hook for there pig like behaviour.

Ben81 says:

12:12pm | 24/12/10

“I don’t believe the AFL’s fabrication of how it all went down for a second”

Any particular “fabrication” you’re talking about here? Are you suggesting there is actually a hotel room in Australia that by some massive coincidence looks *exactly* the same as the very unique looking one in Miami, that the same players just happened to stay in when this girl says she took the photos?

jim says:

06:14pm | 24/12/10

Her parent’s must be AFL zealots. How could you disown your own daughter?

It’s clear the influence for her actions are from these parents. It’s consistent with everything that has happened and how this girl reacted.

John Ryan says:

11:17am | 25/12/10

Funny how its OK for Fevola to spread Bingles picture around and all the AFL crew snigger behind their hands and say she deserved it and poor old Fev,but crucify the girl.
The one thing that strikes me is the old Double Standards one rule for the AFL its sycophantic journalists and followers,and another rule for the rest,one wonders how many codes have as the say a loose signed work arrangement with the Victoria Police who funnily enough seem to lose evidence in cases which involve AFL players.
Maybe a Royal Commission in the Vic Police is not a bad idea

KH says:

08:08am | 24/12/10

If she is old enough to pick up footballers, so she is old enough to take the consequences - you don’t magically grow a brain at 18.

Claire says:

08:43am | 24/12/10

I’m with you, KH

Tripper Smurf says:

09:40am | 24/12/10

Age of consent in Australia is 16.  Although a minor she may be, in matters pertaining to the sexual she is as adult as you and I.

Consquently if you play with fire, you have to expect to be burnt.

tipster86 says:

11:46am | 24/12/10

@Richard

Because the age of consent in Victoria is 16 (the real age of the girl when they first meet). According to the players, they meet in a licensed premises and she claimed to be 18.

The police officer is charged because he was in a specified position of authority over her. In those circumstances the effective age of consent is 18.

Two Mummies says:

08:34am | 24/12/10

Where is ‘boys’ responsibility for the pregnancy in your neat wrap up of the situation?

Brian says:

10:25am | 24/12/10

The boys responsibility, under law, is limited to child support payments when paternity is ascertained. Morally, I would argue that a casual relationship requires no more - the father doesn’t need to support the mother through her pregnancy (it would be nice, but not morally required), nor does the mother have to keep the child after birth.

In the event that the child is lost (as in this case) there would be no more moral obligation than a small contribution to any medical expenses involved.

Finally says:

07:53am | 24/12/10

Mark, you are the voice of reason!

Harlem says:

07:54am | 24/12/10

Brilliant summation MarK. It also smacks of some kind of perfect karma in my book. How many AFL players got their jollies when the Lara Bingle shower photo was doing the SMS round of all the clubs? I’m a massive AFL fan, but these guys suffer from the delusionary view that because they are paid ludicrous sums of money to run around on a Saturday afternoon, they are entitled to a different code of morals and principals than any other Aussie bloke. Lets not forget, this girl was 16 when she got pregnant to one of these cretins, thats 16 people!

Matt says:

07:59am | 24/12/10

Well summarised. Defenders of the players keep insisting that nothing illegal has been done. As far as I know, that is right. However, you can still be a lowlife pig to others without breaking the law. This “if it’s not illegal it’s OK” attitude is quite bizarre and much different than the way we expect out politicians (for example) to act.

It’s a bit like the whole Matty Johns affair. Even if he was acting within the law in that hotel room in Christchurch, he was still lining up alongside four of his mates for sex with no consideration for her thoughts or feelings of the woman involved. Legal perhaps, unconscionable, definitely.

David_M says:

08:27am | 24/12/10

in addition, our media is very piggy like too! and very blinkered! No victims, no defamation, no nothing except the usual Football Mafia coverup, aided by their mates in Media la la land. Lets not forget the WikeLeaks..kept it all open and accountable they cry, cept when it is about them.

TimB says:

08:29am | 24/12/10

I dunno MarK. Seems to me that she willingly chose to sleep with the player then got filthy when he dumped her. Now she’s out for revenge.

The timing is critical here though. Did he end the relationship before or after she lost the baby? If he found about the child and then dumped her straight away, then yes she’s entitled to feel anger.

If however he was going to do the right thing and stand by her when he thought she was pregnant, and then only reconsidered the relationship AFTER she lost the baby…well it’s something he’s perfectly entitled to do. I can’t see why he should be tied to her forever in such a circumstance and she shouldn’t expect him to be either.

An interesting hypothetical would be what would her reaction be if there had been no baby involved and he’d just ended the relationship anyway. Would she still be out for revenge as the jilted lover?

It’s a tricky situation, and I think Daniela is right in that there’s probably blame on both sides here. To what extent, we’ll probably find out as it all unfolds.

mary says:

08:36am | 24/12/10

My sentiments exactly.

Tim says:

08:40am | 24/12/10

Yeah,
The Catholic teacher thing is exactly the same…...Not.
How about in true Grisham tradition, we make it a 16 year old who has a fake ID, goes out to nightclubs, tries to pick up footballers with dreams of being the next WAG, gets pregnant, loses the baby, is unhappy with being dumped, breaks the law trying to get revenge.
Oh wait we don’t have to make it up because that is exactly what happened.

AdamC says:

09:09am | 24/12/10

MarK, I agree with you up to a point. It does seem as if this girl has been treated rather shabbily. However, the reality is that there are limits to what one can reasonably do in response to getting knocked up and dumped by a caddish footy player(s).

Leaking humiliating photos of his(their) teammates surely goes well-beyond a defensible response.

Mind you, the thing that baffles me the most is the response of St Kilda to this whole thing. Here’s some advice:

1. Strongly discourage your players from sleeping with ‘legal’ yet clearly naive and impressionable young women;
2. Don’t ignore the evident cries for help from a used and discarded young woman who is clearly in crisis;
3. Ensure that your players don’t take and retain compromising images of each other;
4. Stop giving the story oxygen by having silly press conferences with your star captain; and
5.  Stop giving the story oxygen by pursuing the girl through the courts.

Van says:

09:15am | 24/12/10

This is perfect. You have summed it up perfectly. This whole scenario makes me so angry. The imbalance of power. The complete lack of any understanding of the extreme vulnerability of teen girls that is masked by their bravodo and womanly bodies.

The AFL have handled this so poorly. These footballers are low life scum. Gorillas with good hand/eye coordination. I’m sick of seeing them sooking and moaning on television and through the papers when they have done to women a million things worse to countless women and this girl than what this girl has done to them. I hope their wives and girlfriends leave them. I hope they are shamed and embarrassed in front of their families and friends. They are pigs and always will be.

FJ says:

09:16am | 24/12/10

Well said Mark. She has been mistreated and kicked to the curb and now the AFL want to come out and sue her claiming they’re the victims. Not only have they ruined her life enough as it is but now they want to continue doing it till she’s in her 30. Disgusting way to treat a child who obviously has some major dirt on this primitive organisation.

ngs says:

09:28am | 24/12/10

It seems to me that AFL is fast going down the NRL route i.e. if its covered up well enough, then it didnt happen. Now they have been caught out behaving like village idiots they try for the moral high ground, which doesnt exisrt in this case, as well as the overwhelming financial power to persecute throug the law courts. Shame on her for behaving like she did, but more and enduring shame on the players and the club, because they are supposed to know better. They are ALL pigs!

hot tub political machine says:

09:29am | 24/12/10

Wow Mark, Some blooody good points.

Scarneck says:

09:55am | 24/12/10

Hear Hear MarK @ 07:30am…well said.

Steph says:

09:57am | 24/12/10

If there’d been proof that a player had slept with the girl at 16, then that would have been illegal. The man in question would have been jailed. 17 is considered okay, though. Source: the police.

ibast says:

10:09am | 24/12/10

Not often we agree Mark, but spot on.  If these other photos only showed nudity, why would they go to such lengths?  All indications are there are going to be a lot of people with questions to answer when these photos are released.

TEZZA says:

10:35am | 24/12/10

I love it. A bunch of over-feted sporting heroes being hoist on their own petard and beaten at their own game. Reminds me a bit of the Australian cricket team being out-sledged and out-played by the despised Poms. Hope the Clubs do pursue the young girl through the Courts, and endless bad publicity (for them) ensues before the inevitable happens and they back down from an unwinnable position. Well said Mark.

Cath says:

12:15pm | 24/12/10

Excellent summary Mark. I’m one of the sisterhood that is supporting her, advising her where I can, and I’m rapt to see a bloke looking at it the same way.

Tracker says:

12:24pm | 24/12/10

“Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned / Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.” ...  (“The Mourning Bride” (1697) by William Congreve).

jimmy says:

12:31pm | 24/12/10

Mark, one important point here is that, depending on who you believe, Nick Riewoldt hasn’t even met the girl, let alone slept with her.

So why does he deserve to be dragged through the mud?

john says:

01:27pm | 24/12/10

Great post Mark, I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Anu W says:

09:34pm | 24/12/10

I agree that they are a pack of pigs. I would be happy though, if the parents had given more support to this girl. It is likely that their perhaps their lack of parenting got the girl to admire these hooligans in the first place.  It was very amusing to see their lawyer emphasising that this girl was a woman-repeating the word woman around a dozen times in the 3 minute statement. I for one am enjoying the discomfort of the players, the AFL, friendly media, the sponsors and everyone who make money off these leather ball kicking immature pack of pigs

Chris Thompson says:

10:21am | 25/12/10

Agree with MarkK. Those of you say that she should take responsibility should be mindful that it is children that need to be protected from predatory adults. Especially those in a position of power - whether they be teachers, family members, or footballers.
A PhD candidate looking for a thesis topic couldn’t go wrong with categorizing blog and readers comments as ‘pro schoolgirl’ or ‘pro footballers’. Reckon they’d find that females are harsher on the girl. Sad, as she needs support, and help.

Nathan says:

08:08am | 24/12/10

Who cares what the pictures were for.

In the whole balance of things, there would be dozens of footballers who are homosexual or bi anyway, who cares. People need to get over the lables and labeling people.

That is the problem in this whole gay rights crusade (and the race debate also) everyone is looking to lable someone else, looking to find out how they can say they are different, or make us feel like a better person.

Piss the lables off and let everyone from straight, gay, bi, black, yellow orange or white to just go on with their business.

Is it unisual for a straight man to have nude photos of women on their computer? If not , why is it unusual for a gay or Bi man to have nude photos of guys on theirs.

This whole country, media included need to grow the f@#* up.

Harry.V.Dirchy says:

09:43am | 25/12/10

Agreed, however a few points to add after following this saga in the Melboune papers. The girl also threatened to place at least 19 more photos on the internet of players from at least 5 / 8 other AFL clubs. Uploaded image of Nick Reiwold because he wasn’t nice to her in Adelaide.So:
1. As a minor obviously chasing footballers from city to city, what did her parents have to say or do about it?
2. Footballers from 5/8 (depending on the day she is spoken to) other clubs. Sam Gilbert wasn’t the one and only true love.
3. What does she do in her spare time?
4. Most of these players are just as immature as the girl involved.
4. Where does the truth stop and the bush!t start - on both sides.

mary says:

08:40am | 24/12/10

Agreed Jade, I hope that the girl gets a mega payout for having been screwed up like that. Oops forgive the pun.

It’ll set the family right too. Deserting their own? Some values this kid has been and is being taught ..

Swanssupporter says:

09:20am | 24/12/10

same here…no excuses as far as I am concerned..and if she is such a fragile young thing, then maybe her parents are culpable…give me a break!!!! I was a mother and married at 18 and knew exactly what was what

Jade says:

02:40pm | 24/12/10

I think you miss read my comment Mary…..

mary says:

06:51am | 25/12/10

No Jade, I didn’t. I believe that you miss read the situation.

Helen says:

09:46am | 25/12/10

I dont think she has misread the situation, Mary.

Lets take out the part about them being football players. Girl has sex with a few guys within a group, gets pregnant to one of them, loses baby, gets dumped at some point. She’s a bit irate about it, maybe had ambitions of being the new Twiggy as someone’s gf, somehow gets access to photos of them in the nude, and decides to get her own back. Posts said photos on fb, not of the guys she had sex with, but friends she has no sexual history with…..
Sorry, if I was one of the guys who she had posted nude photos of, I’d go after her too.
Ohhhh, but that’s right. They’re footy players. Cant have them having the same rights as the rest of us.

June says:

09:56am | 25/12/10

So it’s ok for men to circulate pics of a a nude woman and get off with a slap on the wrist but if a girl dares to do the same.. throw the book at her?  What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.  The football players acted like twats.. they should just suck it up and not go after a 17 year old girl.. they look like a bunch of pansies. Poor diddums them, big guys getting caught out doing stupid things.

fairsfair says:

09:06am | 24/12/10

ha ha. ditto.

DG says:

11:45am | 24/12/10

There’s been just as many, if not more AFL indiscetions over those same years.  The AFL just covers them up better through hush money and a much friendlier media.  This one has just gotten through the net.

Andrew G says:

09:25am | 24/12/10

So by your logic it’s ok for a poor person to steak from a bank? No quite how the law or the morality it’s based on works.

Jerry says:

08:33am | 24/12/10

Media these days aren’t aware of investigative journalism, it’s all cut and paste from someone else’s blog.

John Black says:

08:47am | 24/12/10

It’s not “pornography ” It would be have an R classification not X which is “pornography ” suggest you research a little bit more

Tripper Smurf says:

10:26am | 24/12/10

Breach of copyright and theft of intellectual property you will find are illegal, (if one is to believe the AFL version of events) even if the images themselves aren’t

Helen says:

09:54am | 25/12/10

Tim, agreed.
Amazing how some are finding it difficult to figure it out though. I think a number of people are blinkered by the fact that there are footy players involved. Those people need to look past their job. Maybe if the girl had done that too, she wouldnt have been in that situation too.

Jason says:

04:22am | 25/12/10

It doesn’t seem credible to me. More holes appear in the story daily. Now she wants a deal to tell her story / write a book. But it’s not about the money, she assures the reporters.

Swanssupporter says:

09:16am | 24/12/10

excellent questions..all of which should be answered…and i am an older woman…who used to be a savvy 17 year old once

kp says:

09:23am | 24/12/10

That is exactly what I would have thought.  She needs a good lawyer quickly !!!!!!!!!  The sooner the better.  Someone needs to give her some good advice.  She is too young to handle this on her own !!!!!!!  And the AFL is the “darkness”.  They are like the “brotherhood”.  Everything kept hidden behind closed doors.  It is about time the evil that is the AFL is unleashed. And what is with the guy standing outside the Court yesterday constantly calling her a “woman”.  She is a young girl (minor) you twats !!!!!!!!!  Talk about twisting the situation to make them look like the victims. Pfffffft.

AdamC says:

10:14am | 24/12/10

Ben,

If she got her hands on them, the pics can’t have been that ‘private’, at least in a practical sense.

And it is actually a bad idea for St Kilda to take her to court. They should just bunker down and say nothing. Their actions are giving the story oxygen.

That is an interesting point about the pregnancies, though. It does seem like many reports have just assumed the pregnancy and miscarraige happened. However, it is pretty clear she is mightily ticked off about something.

Catching up says:

08:25pm | 24/12/10

No one has claimed the pictures are fakes.

Wondering says:

03:42pm | 25/12/10

I agree Sarky Baby, what kind of parents make the AFL more important than their own precious child?

Tripper Smurf says:

10:37am | 24/12/10

Think about this.

This girl is angry at several players in the AFL that have allegedly done her wrong.  There has been nothing proven as of yet, and in fact there are reports that say that what she claims is a bit dodge.

Now if you were a AFL player who in a moment of poor judgement allowed some private photos to be taken of yourself by a teammate. A year or two later, said person gets these photos and then uses them in her lambast against the AFL.  Your crime is that you share your profession with the person that has allegedly wronged this young woman.  You too would take legal action to protect your character in this case.

Or does anyone else remember the whole saga of Brett Stewart in the NRL and the way his name was dragged through the mud by another teen who was seeking attention, when later he was found not guilty?

Being a footballer doesnt mean that you are immediatley guilty although some people in the general public seem hellbent on making this so.

grady says:

05:44pm | 24/12/10

Why does everyone consider these boys involved Men, they are not that much older than she is, why cant the young woman be responsible for her own actions

Helen says:

10:02am | 25/12/10

Grady - I was just thinking that. People seem to have forgotten that a large number of football players are not much older than her.

But hey, it doesnt sound as evil as people are trying to make out if someone points that out.

Tim says:

10:28am | 24/12/10

Cloud Strife,
I hope you are petitioning your member of parliament to raise the age of consent then.
If not, why not?

Cloud Strife says:

10:53am | 24/12/10

@Tim I think it’s quite obvious that this is my opinion only.

LH says:

12:14pm | 24/12/10

The girl claimed to be 19.

Helen says:

10:11am | 25/12/10

Cloud Strife….
Are you serious? Men in their twenties have been having sex with sixteen year olds since the start of time. I know a number of girls I went to school with who had boyfriends in their 20s. I doubt very much they were sitting around holding hands.
The only difference is they werent football players. Apparently its not as gross if you’re just an average Joe Blow.

Shane says:

03:01pm | 24/12/10

So, you think it is ok for the “vunerable child” to indiscriminately tarnish innocent person’s reputations without consequence.

Tim says:

10:53am | 24/12/10

Um,
just out of curiousity you do know the difference between personal and organisational privacy?
Can you make an argument that seeing private photographs of naked footballers is somehow in the public’s good?

Tripper Smurf says:

03:11pm | 24/12/10

Based on the facts thus far at hand, Leigh I am one of those people.

There is a difference between a national government/ corporate entity and the private life of a group of people who just happens to play professional football and when said people have not had any involvement with this young woman apart from the fact that they play the same game as someone who has.

The only people who have been damaged by Wikileaks on the other hand are the politicans who have seen their public personas outed for being the masks they really are, or the people who have had something to hide in regards to the deaths of innocents in warzones.

In all reality your comparison is like chalk and cheese and can be thus dismissed as such.

Shane says:

03:05pm | 24/12/10

@Steve - she met the player in a nightclub and told them she was 19

Helen says:

10:19am | 25/12/10

Do we want to live in a society that allows our almost adults to act without thought to the concequences of their actions? She has broken the law, do we stop at what she has done, or do you want to excuse those 17 year old who have killed someone in a punch up, or hooning in a car? Why is she a young innocent, and the people that have killed and raped and injured, and happen to be the same age, are not young innocents?

pete says:

10:22am | 25/12/10

Your comment betrays the meaning of your name common sense.  Yeah, these boys may have done some dodgy things,  hell most likely even but this is not a girl but is a young woman who new exactly what she was doing along with the afl meatheads.  Drag the lot of them over the coals but it’s bleeding hearts like you and the others that continually excuse poor behaviour from young people as simply being a child.  Maybe young people being held accountable for their actions can be a good thing.  It’s about bloody time it started happening again.

Shane says:

03:07pm | 24/12/10

So Mal, if you meet someone in a nightclub who then tells you they are 19 is it still immoral - get off your high horse

Mal says:

08:50am | 26/12/10

Shane have you got something to hide? When did the nightclub come into it?  I’m not talking about that situation.  Why are you so angry?  If you think that comment is made on the high horse then you need to get out of your basement and free your daughter.

philip says:

02:33pm | 24/12/10

Used and abused according to who? Her? I take it you’ve led a sheltered life and never been exposed to the non-televised reality that the world is full of people with bizarre and paranoid views, that have to turn everything into a dramatic saga where they’re the central character. It’s not a gender specific phenomenon either.

Jimmy says:

01:30pm | 24/12/10

Is throwing “post-modern” into a superficially erudite but ultimately meaningless sentence supposed to make the author sound intellectual?

philip says:

02:25pm | 24/12/10

I think you mean vanity.

hot tub political machine says:

03:04pm | 24/12/10

more vanity than an AFL side? not possible

hot tub political machine says:

03:05pm | 24/12/10

You could take them to do community service but I fear the players would just end up sleeping with everyone there

bobcat's mum says:

01:23am | 25/12/10

I"m with you there Justin. Major sporting organisations are responsible to a degree for the players that represent their team and considering the considerable media coverage of poor behaviour by many sportspeople for so long now, it would be in their favour to start to educate and guide them in appropriate behavours especially considering that they are regarded by many as some sort of role models due to their popularity as sportspeople. I feel that both the girl in question AND the players allegedly involved in these incidents appear to hold very little morals and respectability in various matters. Because someone treated you with poor morals is unfair & possibly unjust but not deserving of illegal action and attempts to defame and shame publicly. However this is not justifying by any stretch poor treatment of females (whatever their age) or anyone for that matter. If no laws have been breached then its of no consequence what the photos subject matter is or whether it is wise to take and or keep them. And it should not be of interest to anyone else! Also so far we only have the word of this girl that she has been rejected by her family… whom were involved with the team in the discussions leading up to the leaking of these photos and were against her releasing them. I do have to wonder if they have “disowned” her, whether they have been at their wits ends trying to control her immature behaviours and apparent lack of sexual morals alone, if the reports of her sexual experiences, some of which from her own mouth and one which is going through the legal courts, are to be believed. For parents to “reject” their child when they are going through a significant event like this would take a considerable lack of concern, which does not tally with their reported meetings with the team involved in attempts to deal with this whole situation. I would very much like to hear their point of view on all that has transpired.

Helen says:

10:29am | 25/12/10

Sheesh…... maybe they shouldnt own a camera? I know plenty of men who sneak around and take photos of each other naked. Yes, they are rather immature, but its who they are. But unlike a number of people, they dont have a problem with the naked body.

victor says:

09:00am | 25/12/10

copywrite.  John your wrong..Who owns the copyright on photographs?
Under law, it is the photographer who will own copyright on any photos he/she has taken, with the following exceptions:
If the photographer is an employee of the company the photos are taken for, or is an employee of a company instructed to take the photos, the photographer will be acting on behalf of his/her employer, and the company the photographer works for will own the copyright.
If there is an agreement that assigns copyright to another party.Interestingly it is not the person who clicks the button but the person who viewed created the image no matter to who the camera belongs

John C says:

06:16pm | 24/12/10

Well, in fact, an AFL footballer did a similar thing; circulating the nude photo of Lara Bingle. Was that ok, Matto?

Who are the hypocrites here?

AMD says:

01:29am | 25/12/10

” imagine if an afl footballer was doing the same to her “
They did it to Lara Bingle she was trying to hide in that photo but they sent it around to so many people the media had it. So what happened to those AFL players who were involved in sending nude photos of someone all over the place.NOTHING!!! I didnt hear anything about 15 years of pain for them.

John Black says:

07:22am | 25/12/10

Clearly you have substantial experience in this area!  More like they made her think they cared about her, screwed her and kicked her to the kerb!

JAG says:

11:32am | 25/12/10

I totally agree with you.  The only comment I have here is that parents are not allowed to discipline their children anymore and, if they do, the child can take them to court.  We have a situation in our family where the same thing is happening and her mother can do nothing to stop her. She is 14.  My God, what is the world coming to.

Helen says:

10:45am | 25/12/10

“As for the naked photos, men don’t have to be gay to take pictures of themselves naked. Men love showing theirs off in front of other men,because if theirs is bigger it and they must be better. Not logical perhaps,but for me nothing in this story so far reported is logical.”

Seems there are a number of people who have an issue with the naked body. They might want to remember these men would be showering after their games, and I doubt very much they have nice seperate little partitioned showers. Its not like they wouldnt have seen each other naked, so I dont think they think too much about being naked around each other.

People’s reactions to there being naked photos taken by footballers of each other as a big question on their sexuality, is more a comment on the person making the judgement.

PigKilda says:

05:32am | 27/12/10

Agreed Notso,supporters should make a statement as the parents of this girl have not been there in support or police her social activities,their absence is palpable and negligent

briperth says:

12:47pm | 02/01/11

a child is a child is a child

Play thing says:

08:41am | 29/12/10

While Reiwoldt is a perfect pawn for AFL to market it wares he and alot of his peers seem to have limited intellectual capacity,having good judgement and manners is probably more an upbringing and parental responsibility,seems most of these scandals are breed in the early or prepubescent years and it could take years or generations to eradicate,after all most of the players will eventually have kids,not promisimg