Burgess.........

[Epaminondas Pules]

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[Epaminondas Pules]

Actual article is behind a paywall. It is grim reading, but also a newspaper expose, so possibly a pinch / tonne of salt required....maybe.

[Mellsblue]

I blame George Ford.

[twitchy]

TLDR please I can't read the text it's too small.

[Scrumhead]

Sound like a top bloke ...

I can’t speak for the trustworthiness of the Australian media, but that is a very extensive and damning article to publish without pretty concrete proof.

[twitchy]

Jesus. That is grim.

[Stom]

That's pretty disgusting from the club. Absolutely appalling.

[twitchy]

Also, is there anything that other sports will try and blame on football?

[Stom]

Also, is there anything that other sports will try and blame on football?

That's what league is called in Aus.

[Mikey Brown]

What an absolute (alleged) c***. It does seem like one of those cases with far too much detail to be something out of nothing. Terrible behaviour from many around him too.

I do wonder sometimes what a lifetime of encouragement to keep relentlessly smashing in to people as hard as you can, where there’s so much glory in doing damage to your opponent and never dropping your intensity for a single moment, what that actually does to your brain? That’s not any sort of attempt to excuse this behaviour though.

[Stom]

What an absolute (alleged) c***. It does seem like one of those cases with far too much detail to be something out of nothing. Terrible behaviour from many around him too.

I do wonder sometimes what a lifetime of encouragement to keep relentlessly smashing in to people as hard as you can, where there’s so much glory in doing damage to your opponent and never dropping your intensity for a single moment, what that actually does to your brain? That’s not any sort of attempt to excuse this behaviour though.

Look, it's really different from rugby, at least rugby here in England, as these guys are literally built up and up and up, any behaviour is OK, they're treated like gods...and you wonder why they:

a) get a superiority complex
b) act like utter twats
c) turn to drugs and alcohol
d) struggle with their mental health.

It's disgusting. It's a terrible cultural phenomenon and it's something that should be eradicated, ffs.

[twitchy]

Also, is there anything that other sports will try and blame on football?

That's what league is called in Aus.

I wasn't being entirely serious.

What an absolute (alleged) c***. It does seem like one of those cases with far too much detail to be something out of nothing. Terrible behaviour from many around him too.

I do wonder sometimes what a lifetime of encouragement to keep relentlessly smashing in to people as hard as you can, where there’s so much glory in doing damage to your opponent and never dropping your intensity for a single moment, what that actually does to your brain? That’s not any sort of attempt to excuse this behaviour though.

I think lots of people (not saying all by any stretch) that are good at very violent things have issues from their childhood. I constantly see this with mma fighters and boxers. Physical/sexual abuse. There is some internal rage that they channel using their sport and never get proper help/therapy.

[Digby]

Not really something for the rugby board, just saying.

[Puja]

Not really something for the rugby board, just saying.

Agreed - have put into Other Sports.

Mod

[Puja]

What an absolute (alleged) c***. It does seem like one of those cases with far too much detail to be something out of nothing. Terrible behaviour from many around him too.

I do wonder sometimes what a lifetime of encouragement to keep relentlessly smashing in to people as hard as you can, where there’s so much glory in doing damage to your opponent and never dropping your intensity for a single moment, what that actually does to your brain? That’s not any sort of attempt to excuse this behaviour though.

I think lots of people (not saying all by any stretch) that are good at very violent things have issues from their childhood. I constantly see this with mma fighters and boxers. Physical/sexual abuse. There is some internal rage that they channel using their sport and never get proper help/therapy.

I think as well there's a genuine possibility of brain damage. Shortly before he came to union, there was the thing where he had a broken cheekbone in the first few minutes of a Grand Final and played on with such effort that he was MotM and was lionised for his bravery. That kind of attitude to head knocks isn't good and it's pretty well established that repeated concussions can result in drastic personality changes and violent outbursts.

Of course, could just be a c*nt as well.

Puja

[Digby]

Sarcasm and flippancy lose a little when people take them at face value

[Puja]

Sarcasm and flippancy lose a little when people take them at face value

You weren't wrong though - he was a union player for under a year and it sounds like all of the allegations came after he ran home to Mummy complaining that people were mean to him, so it's an Other Sports thing to me.

Puja

[Digby]

He ran home and did what to Mommy?