Past #26: Tarryn Thomas [Part III] - 18 week suspension confirmed; ineligible to play in '24 season; NMFC has officially sacked Tarryn.

[Ligma]

let’s dumb it down.

If you ran a business and employed someone and they stole from you and you decide to give them a second chance because you have the best intention to reform them but they decide to do it again, would you employ them again?

NO YOU WOULDNT. I shouldn’t even waste my time on this.

 

[The Butcher]

Poor hypothetical, I think you'll accept. Theft is an action with long term accepted social and legal consequences and it can fairly comfortably be assuaged black and white. Being a XXX jerk tho? L you dont have to pwn the other party to "win" a conversation.

PS. for all I know TT was rightfully pissed off from our club, given.. everything in our clubs interest. My issue is the ligitimisation of corporations and guilds issuing proclamations about individuals (partly as reaction to the wind) and parts of our society pointing to those statements as some sort of compass or indication of true north.

 

[ferball]

Poor hypothetical, I think you'll accept. Theft is an action with long term accepted social and legal consequences and it can fairly comfortably be assuaged black and white. Being a XXX jerk tho? L you dont have to pwn the other party to "win" a conversation.

PS. for all I know TT was rightfully pissed off from our club, given.. everything in our clubs interest. My issue is the ligitimisation of corporations and guilds issuing proclamations about individuals (partly as reaction to the wind) and parts of our society pointing to those statements as some sort of compass or indication of true north.

I spoke to someone yesterday who is devastated we've lost TT, but thinks its the right decision. He was telling me he was busted slapping around an ex in the street in Longford over summer two years ago. Dunno how true it is but he also said he was talking to TT's dad the other week and he (dad) thinks he'll be back in the comp next year.

 

[krakouers]

Mitchell Johnson has his say:

Violence tribute at odds with a culture of too many chances

Geelong great Jimmy Bartel hasn’t played a game since 2016 but he made another huge contribution this week with his forthright comments on violence against women.

thewest.com.au

Mitchell Johnson: The AFL industry needs to back their violence against women tributes with proper action​

Spoiler: Full Article

Mitchell Johnson​

The West Australian​

Sun, 5 May 2024

Geelong great Jimmy Bartel hasn’t played a game since 2016 but he made another huge contribution this week with his forthright comments on violence against women.

It’s very well for the clubs to unite against gender-based violence this weekend, coming together in a circle before the start of every match.

But if it’s not backed by a commitment to take a harder line on players who transgress, then what does it really achieve?

The AFL industry and its 18 clubs appear to pride themselves on giving “second chances” but once we get to the third, fourth and fifth chance surely they need to say enough is enough.

Bartel grew up in a household affected by domestic violence and grew a long beard during his final season to draw attention to the cause.

So I took notice when he said this week that former North Melbourne player Tarryn Thomas

26

Tarryn Thomas

Age

24

Ht

190cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.0

3star

K

5.3

2star

HB

5.7

4star

M

2.1

2star

T

3.3

5star

CL

0.9

3star

D

7.8

2star

K

4.0

1star

HB

3.8

3star

M

1.3

1star

T

3.2

4star

CL

0.2

2star

D

12.8

4star

K

6.2

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

0.4

3star

had run out of chances and should not be allowed to restart his career with another club next season.

Thomas was suspended for 18 matches by the AFL and sacked by the Kangaroos over the summer after being found by the AFL Integrity Unit to have engaged in multiple acts of misconduct including threatening a woman via direct messages multiple times.

It came after the former first-round draft pick had already been banished from the club and placed in rehabilitation programs after earlier issues.

Bartel said at some stage the privilege has got to run out.

“I feel very uncomfortable with it. I get the whole premise of forgiveness and chances, he’s had a number of chances with his alleged behaviour,” he said on Footy Classified.

“But at some stage there’s got to be a fork in the road, because the forgiveness angle hasn’t worked.”

Bartel got it spot on. And what made his stance brave was that he went against the grain.

Soon enough there were senior coaches calling for Thomas to be allowed another chance. Brad Scott called him a “good person” who had made some “terrible mistakes”, while Ross Lyon said the league was already losing Indigenous players and noted “life sentences don’t even get imposed at a custodial level”.

Zero tolerance has to be the way forward when it comes to any professional sportsman in these scenarios. And it’s up to the AFL and the likes to be on the front foot with it.

The silent tribute to women who have lost their lives to gender-based violence is a good idea. But the AFL and its clubs let themselves down when players whose behaviour has been deemed sackable by one club then find themselves recycled to restart their career at another.

We repeatedly see players who run out of chances at their original clubs for all sorts of bad behaviour, only to be kicked out and picked up by another club.

And the second club tends to get them either for nothing or in a cheap trade because of the off-field risk associated with the player.

Why does it happen? Is it because clubs only see the on-field skill of the player and that’s all they care about?

All sporting codes need to be better when it comes to setting standards. Recruiting any player has to be about the full package.

All athletes must be aware it is a privilege to play professional sport. We are no bigger or better than the person we stand in line next to at the coffee shop.

Violence against women is unsettling and uncomfortable to speak about but I believe it is very important we do talk about it. Most important of all is that men talk about it openly.

While the AFL tends to preach about plenty of social and political issues that shouldn’t be forced down our throats, what they are doing to grow a voice for domestic and gender-based violence this weekend is a positive and something that is sadly completely necessary.

If they can continue to support the cause by backing it up, not just with some words here and there, but actually with action when it comes to cases that are put in front of them, then that will hopefully encourage other sports to do the same.

In my view, they should already be doing it.

 

[The Butcher]

Ferball I know you didnt take the conversation into some weird cerebral BS, but what do you reckon he'd have said if you'd asked, right for what? any chance he'd weighed up the wrongs against the rights before concluding that? Do you sense it's the loss of sponsors he's most worried about? does he reckon CEO's are the safety net our society needs. Maybe he somehow has soo strong a link with nmfc and thinks of it like a person who he just doesnt want to be connected with anyone or anything "negative", for it's own good. maybe its wasn't soo much a nmfc thing but a good for TT thing, he kinda feels like making TT unemployed and shunned has a high probability to kick start TT's journey to becoming a decent human and thats worth the price to play for nmfc. could be he also has inside goss on all our other players and has high confidence that taking that stance and applying it equally wont also mean ****ing off half the list. If your chatting with him I can at least feel confident he didn't appeal to contracts as a sign post.

I'll stop, sry. May this thread die in peace :signofthecross:

 

[DocSholl]

Maybe have a spell mate

 

[amaz199]

He'll get back in with a redemption story that will be made into a documentary. They'll get Channel 7 to take footage of him at the MCG to make everything look inspiring and motivational with a bombers jumper on.

For me personally, he shouldn't be allowed back in because it sends a terrible message that men can hurt women without severe permanent repercussions. Tarryn Thomas

26

Tarryn Thomas

Age

24

Ht

190cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.0

3star

K

5.3

2star

HB

5.7

4star

M

2.1

2star

T

3.3

5star

CL

0.9

3star

D

7.8

2star

K

4.0

1star

HB

3.8

3star

M

1.3

1star

T

3.2

4star

CL

0.2

2star

D

12.8

4star

K

6.2

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

0.4

3star

should come out and say he won't be doing anything until he can show he is done with the out of control behaviours.

As a society, we are still too soft on these matters. It's embarrassing.

 

[ferball]

Ferball I know you didnt take the conversation into some weird cerebral BS, but what do you reckon he'd have said if you'd asked, right for what? any chance he'd weighed up the wrongs against the rights before concluding that? Do you sense it's the loss of sponsors he's most worried about? does he reckon CEO's are the safety net our society needs. Maybe he somehow has soo strong a link with nmfc and thinks of it like a person who he just doesnt want to be connected with anyone or anything "negative", for it's own good. maybe its wasn't soo much a nmfc thing but a good for TT thing, he kinda feels like making TT unemployed and shunned has a high probability to kick start TT's journey to becoming a decent human and thats worth the price to play for nmfc. could be he also has inside goss on all our other players and has high confidence that taking that stance and applying it equally wont also mean ******* off half the list. If your chatting with him I can at least feel confident he didn't appeal to contracts as a sign post.

I'll stop, sry. May this thread die in peace :signofthecross:

I didn't speak to TTs dad, a mate did and he's pretty gutted that we lost him but puts the blame squarely on him for being physically violent with a woman. I hadn't heard that story, except vague references to it. My mate is no angel either, he'd been in a fight at a pub the night before.

TT should have listened to this song that's over 30 years old.

 

[blackshadow]

Ferball I know you didnt take the conversation into some weird cerebral BS, but what do you reckon he'd have said if you'd asked, right for what? any chance he'd weighed up the wrongs against the rights before concluding that? Do you sense it's the loss of sponsors he's most worried about? does he reckon CEO's are the safety net our society needs. Maybe he somehow has soo strong a link with nmfc and thinks of it like a person who he just doesnt want to be connected with anyone or anything "negative", for it's own good. maybe its wasn't soo much a nmfc thing but a good for TT thing, he kinda feels like making TT unemployed and shunned has a high probability to kick start TT's journey to becoming a decent human and thats worth the price to play for nmfc. could be he also has inside goss on all our other players and has high confidence that taking that stance and applying it equally wont also mean ******* off half the list. If your chatting with him I can at least feel confident he didn't appeal to contracts as a sign post.

I'll stop, sry. May this thread die in peace :signofthecross:

No more word salad please.

 

[blackshadow]

I didn't speak to TTs dad, a mate did and he's pretty gutted that we lost him but puts the blame squarely on him for being physically violent with a woman. I hadn't heard that story, except vague references to it. My mate is no angel either, he'd been in a fight at a pub the night before.

TT should have listened to this song that's over 30 years old.

I don’t think Archie is gangsta enough for TT.

 

[ferball]

I don’t think Archie is gangsta enough for TT.

He was in the early 90s on the street in Melbourne.

 

[Jazny]

let’s dumb it down.

If you ran a business and employed someone and they stole from you and you decide to give them a second chance because you have the best intention to reform them but they decide to do it again, would you employ them again?

NO YOU WOULDNT. I shouldn’t even waste my time on this.

Yes if a top talent in your field that very few people in the country can do, and he was available for nothing and you could underpay him, and he was showing signs of remorse and working on his faults, you would take him.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

Yes if a top talent in your field that very few people in the country can do, and he was available for nothing and you could underpay him, and he was showing signs of remorse and working on his faults, you would take him.

What about if you gave him more than a year to show "signs of remorse" and work on "his faults" and he pretended he was but then it was proven he wasn't? Are you saying he should keep getting opportunities so there is no negative outcome for him for "his faults" (nice euphemism, by the way. I'm male but I'm pretty sure most females would wince at this)? Or should there a line be drawn if he kept doing this stuff while "working on it"?

 

[Jazny]

What about if you gave him more than a year to show "signs of remorse" and work on "his faults" and he pretended he was but then it was proven he wasn't? Are you saying he should keep getting opportunities so there is no negative outcome for him for "his faults" (nice euphemism, by the way. I'm male but I'm pretty sure most females would wince at this)? Or should there a line be drawn if he kept doing this stuff while "working on it"?

That's not the scenario we are talking about, that's the scenario North Melbourne were faced when they fired him. I am talking about if he is a player of his calibre is available, you can get him for nothing, and IF he is showing the appropriate signs of rehabilitation and remorse, then you would almost be crazy not to take him.

Considering there have been domestic violence advocates who have argued that Tarryn shouldn't necessarily be banned from AFL for life, I am pretty comfortable with where I sit with it. It really depends on Thomas now and how serious he is about becoming a better person.

Anti-domestic violence boss says Tarryn Thomas shouldn't face AFL ban

Sacked AFL star Tarryn Thomas doesn't need to be banned from returning to the league if he can display 'radical change', according to the head of the national peak body for male family violence.

www.dailymail.co.uk

‘Really hard question’: Coaches torn on ex-Roo’s return from ban as Dee praised for DV message

‘Really hard question’: Coaches torn on ex-Roo’s return from ban as Dee praised for DV message

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[The Butcher]

I didn't speak to TTs dad, a mate did and he's pretty gutted that we lost him but puts the blame squarely on him for being physically violent with a woman. I hadn't heard that story, except vague references to it. My mate is no angel either, he'd been in a fight at a pub the night before.

TT should have listened to this song that's over 30 years old.

Thankyou for sharing that vid. I hadn't ever experienced it before and maybe it's just the mood I'm in I dunno but that was.. really great. The pauses in lyric and the strings sheez (sick and tired of walking into doors is a tear inducing line, even if used as a catch em all by do gooders sometimes). Made me picture my mum listening to it in her darker hours. Can imagine a great singer moving a room delivering that today.

At the same time I have no idea how applicable it is to TT, and don't want to. Everything has context, if I can't apply it everywhere then I wont apply it willy nilly. Corporations have no scruple. **** the spotlight. Just My Opinion.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

That's not the scenario we are talking about, that's the scenario North Melbourne were faced when they fired him. I am talking about if he is a player of his calibre is available, you can get him for nothing, and IF he is showing the appropriate signs of rehabilitation and remorse, then you would almost be crazy not to take him.

So, in a thread about Tarryn Thomas, discussing the issues around Tarryn Thomas returning to the AFL, you - a known Tarryn Thomas supporter - were not talking about Tarryn Thomas, but rather some hypothetical player whose circumstances line up very closely to those of Tarryn Thomas.

How silly of me to not realise you weren't talking about Tarryn Thomas.

 

[Jazny]

So, in a thread about Tarryn Thomas, discussing the issues around Tarryn Thomas returning to the AFL, you - a known Tarryn Thomas supporter - were not talking about Tarryn Thomas, but rather some hypothetical player whose circumstances line up very closely to those of Tarryn Thomas.

How silly of me to not realise you weren't talking about Tarryn Thomas.

No, I'm talking about Tarryn Thomas. I just wrote a horrifically spelled sentence somehow. It should have read: "I am talking about if there is a player of his calibre available..."

The scenario I responded to was not about North Melbourne's decision to fire him, but about the next team's decision to redraft him. So North's decision was fine, I have no problem with it. He had multiple chances at North Melbourne, they had enough. I just think if you are a team looking at Tarryn now, and he is showing all the right steps to become a better person, you would be crazy not to consider him.

 

[Ligma]

People need to take their rose coloured glasses off

 

[Mute Point]

I hear some in the media & football circles saying maybe he deserves a second chance.

Does that include the 5+ chances we already gave him?

Or the respect & responsibility course he couldn't even complete even though he knew his career depended on it?

 

[utility]

I haven't followed any of this saga, but the club is a woke joke that has won only 10 of its last 90 games. That's the footy version of go woke, go broke!

 

[DrZaius]

I haven't followed any of this saga, but the club is a woke joke that has won only 10 of its last 90 games. That's the footy version of go woke, go broke!

That's very clever rhyming woke with both joke and broke, and I'm sure there is sound reasoning behind the correlation.

 

[utility]

That's very clever rhyming woke with both joke and broke, and I'm sure there is sound reasoning behind the correlation.

It correlates with the joke of a football club it has become.

 

[DrZaius]

It correlates with the joke of a football club it has become.

Does it?

 

[hotchilli]

I haven't followed any of this saga, but the club is a woke joke that has won only 10 of its last 90 games. That's the footy version of go woke, go broke!

Aren't we all lucky that you shared your educated opinion on the matter.

 

[giantroo]