Not sure how simply I can't put this for you...

Other sports are littered with people who've said worse and done worse things than call a ref. Some of said people/stars are the very definition of box office attractions i.e. people pay money to just watch them on TV. Those sports seem to be bucking the trend and growing too...

If you think having the games best players sat in the stand is a good thing, all because we're aligned with x, y or z charity then you're a fool.

How do you know what was said?

If players break the rules they should be sat in the stands.

Don’t make excuses for the players. Make the players take accountability for their actions.

Blaming the game because a player cannot control their actions or words is simply the height of stupidity, the individual is accountable, not the game.

Are you just going to ignore what I'd posted, or are you just going to keep trotting out more BS?

1. I don't know, or care what he said and it doesn't matter to me or a hell of a lot of others too. You want proof on that? Check out the revenue for Fury when he fights. Boxing again in know, but 1.6m people bought Tyson's exhibition bout in 2020 & he's a convicted rapist, who also said he wanted to eat someone's kids.

2. I'm not making excuses for them. I just don't care one iota what they say, think or do outside of 80mins on a rugby pitch. Simple as that really. Not sure why you, as a grown man do either?

Once again however, as you don't seem to grasp this - Having the big names, actually playing the game is the BIGGEST benefit to the sport. Not charity work, not outreach in the community or schools, not taking a knee or even helping old ladies cross the road. Delivering an exciting product on the field should be the #1 goal for RL. Having players sat in the stand is detrimental to that.

Now if you want to talk about fines instead of bans, I'm all for it. Just don't f your product up by limiting your biggest assets.

You are correct on this in my opinion. Apparently it wasn’t racist or homophobic, but very dumb things to be saying. Slap on the wrist and fine would have sufficed, there are very few big name players over here from Oz and we want to watch them play….

Ok so let’s start at the natural place…

1. It matters to a lot of people, the fans who find certain words abhorrent, it matters to the players who chose to observe the 13 second equality stance prior to the game…and it matters to sponsors.

Picking out 2 global stars in 1 sport doesn’t prove you right. That is marketing.

Some sponsors will not touch either Tyson….boxing at the highest level can work with that, it isn’t an issue…huge money is involved in that sport at elite level, drop down only a few levels and see pro boxers struggling to make ends meat and see if they appreciate sponsors walking away.

2. You don’t cross certain lines. Simple as.

You definitely have never played the game if you do not get that.

You may not care, but others will.

Also it is against the rules hence why it is sanctioned.

Basically you are attempting to say it’s ok to go against the rules of the sport…just let them play regardless.

I care about it because of the effect it has on the sport, participation and sponsorship.

3. Fines instead of bans…so a player at a club with money and who is on a big wage can afford to break the rules….but others cannot.

Being relevant Israel Falou lost $14million in sponsorship over his comments.

Mason Greenwood?


Justin Thomas?


You are attempting to set a president that illegal play should be dealt with financially which will effect 0 change rather than an actual punishment.

All this is without considering the fact the sport has just tried to promote itself over the most inclusive World Cup in any sport.

Performance enhancing drugs are against the rules should we just issue fines for that?

You are an absolute clown.

I don’t disagree with a lot you have said Jon, but one thing that I fundamentally disagree with is that any person can be deemed to be guilty of an offence in the public domain, when having not been found guilty in a court of law is abhorrent. Kangaroo courts and cancelling people on a whim should not be acceptable to a democratic society.

I’m not sure where I said that.

It’s always innocent until proven guilty.

Non of us know what was said.

Let’s see how it plays out.

I was told it was allegedly a word beginning with an ‘s’ that idiots (more so 20 years back) would call a person with disabilities. I’m not getting in to the gradings of it being worse or better than some other types of slurs but it’s just so easily avoided. Bans were getting handed out like confetti for all manner of accidental offences last season, some were absolutely baffling, especially a couple of ones for contact with the ref, so to get a ban for something like this is madness on the players part. It’s not like it’s hard to stick to the F’s and C’s if he wants to start the verbals with another player.

My mistake, I apologise. I thought because you had listed Greenwood you were hinting that a player could be guilty even though it had not been proven in a court of law.

Wire play the Rhinos first up, how would the alleged comments be taken by Rhinos players and RL in general given the struggles that RL great R Burrow is going through. I think it says a lot about the respective character of a person if they have to resort to discriminatory comments when under duress. A prime example being T Clubb who deserved the ban he got.

As a gay, disabled "grown man" I personally do care what is said both on and off the pitch, be it by players, fans or the mascot.

Society has moved on from the 80's where the "N" word was regularly thrown about, and whilst I'm not suggesting that word was said, other words can be just as harmful to minorities such as myself.

I know from personal experience how damaging inappropriate use of language can be.

"Grown men" should be grown up enough to understand that.

You included.

Absolutely true. And you, me, anyone else should not be made to feel uncomfortable at a rugby game. Do you not think a large fine and some educational work we around language would be more productive all round though? I’m sure that would have resulted in an honest apology after realising what’s been said too?

100% agree about the education point, however the current disciplinary rules don't appear to factor in rehabilitation and remorse. I wish they did.

I wasn't going to reply as it's a pointless argument, but...

Kudos to you.

I'll stick to being a realist and take emotion, or personal preferences out of the argument.

The quickest, easiest and most common sense way to stop the decline of the game is by having the very best product on the pitch. The only way to do that is by having the best players playing the game. Big players + big games = big crowds and big revenue.

Add another level to it - by your own definition you used the word minority. I have zero ways of proving it, but I doubt the top reason for why the majority of people (who aren't already fans) start to watch a sport isn't because of inclusive it is. They are more likely to see a good game and want to watch more.

Being a lovely sport is great (it really is), but when said sport is literally dying and starved of money, the very last thing it needs is to sabotage itself.

I'm sure there will be some great replies and finger wagging responses. I'm not trying to be harsh (although I recognise I am being) and I'm not saying it's how it should be. Beggars can't be choosers tho imo.

End of the day it’s rugby league, it’s a hard sport played by hard competitive people who will try their best to be their opposite number and if it means saying some nasty words to them then it happens. What are we going to have 26 priests playing against each other every week? Get a grip.

Players have to adopt that killer mindset especially if you are playing in the middle and become a mean nasty person otherwise you’re coming off second best. But I’ll guarantee once they’re off the pitch they won’t use those nasty words.

It you’ve played the game you’ll understand, or if you’ve played the game and don’t understand you probably played in the backs.

Chances are no fan would have heard McGuire say anything just the ref, so like a previous poster has said you’ve got a star player sat in the stands for 8 games Jesus wept.