When the club next begin to wonder why attendances are down, perhaps they should ask themselves why the Wigan public would want to watch a team of incompetent liars, cheats and criminals play bad rugby league?

Wtf is he doing out at 4.10 in the morning ?!?! Off to get some more alcohol maybe? The club's culture is in the gutter at the moment and needs sorting asap!

It's a fair point, but there seems to be a difference between most businesses and a professional sports club. And any business can have a bad culture, but it's unlikely that anyone outside that company will become aware of it. Not so in professional sport.

I can't claim to know the ins and outs, but my assumption is Rugby league provides a unique set of circumstances. Players have to live quite different lives from many who work 9 to 5 jobs or what might be considered 'regular' jobs. Rugby league seems to encourage a binge drinking culture which is an issue that's been raised many times by former professionals. The nature of the sport - the training schedules, playing on weekends etc. means players are going to have time to unwind at irregular times and hours compared to most - so there's a good chance they'll spend a lot of time with team mates away from rugby. If there's a culture where players go out and get hammered whenever they have time off then other players are going to follow suit, whether they socialise together or not.

Young players get thrown into this world of professional sport and they are going to look for role models - the players say it themselves - whereas in most jobs you probably wouldn't look at colleagues as role models as such. At least not to the extent that young sports stars seem to. Most jobs you'll have mates outside work who work the same hours and can socialise with at the same time and there's a very distinct difference between work and socialising.

For me that's why it's so important to have good role models in rugby league. It's not so much about young fans, but young players who are probably going to follow the same patterns as those they play alongside. So in these unique circumstances the club should have a certain degree of responsibility towards players to ensure they can cope with this irregular lifestyle. That would include making sure there is the right kind of working environment and the right kind of education for players.

The club might not be able to stop a player drink driving if they choose to, but they can certainly make it so there are serious consequences for those who do it. Take the Hardaker situation. The club offered him help which was commendable, but in terms of punishment for the offence they did little. There seems to be a mentality of 'well I've only had a few so I can risk it'. If they get caught they'll lose their licence but still have a decent job and can keep playing as if nothing happens. And if players keep going out with that attitude others will follow. Actually giving players suitable punishments for drink driving might make others think twice about 'risking it'.

If it's seen as normal for players to go out and get absolutely hammered when they have down time then it's always going to continue and the club and the sport as a whole will always have to contend with numerous drink related incidents.

I have not received any offers to buy my house. That is because it is not for sale. If I put it on the market I'd probably get some. If IL decided to sell the club, you never know, someone might be interested.

Fair point, I’m struggling to come up with an argument to counter it.

Wow

Quote: [Gareth] ""Can we get rid now please'" https://www.wigantoday.net/news/crime/w ... -1-9818478

Quote: [Gareth] ""Can we get rid now please'" https://www.wigantoday.net/news/crime/w ... -1-9818478

Something you've been dying to see for a long, long time, but haven't been able to say openly because of how ridiculous it would have made you look.

You're entirely correct in everything you say, especially on the culture of drinking for athletes, especially prevalent in Rugby players. The amount of ex-players you see getting absolutely smashed is incredible, but they've been doing it since they were in their 20s. You can go out in Wigan, Warrington, St Helens, Leeds and you will see players of clubs doing or snorting god knows what.

This isn't a club issue though, it is personal/social. Clubs can go to extensive lengths of education, discipline, scheduling etc. and players will still f'up.

Look at the NRL - it's one of the best sports leagues in the world. Massive amount of funding, the clubs do everything to look after their players (especially the stars), incredibly professional with all sorts of training and education at their disposal and there were 66 high-profile scandals in just over 3 years.

Ben Barba beat up his wife. Was that NQ Cowboys fault for not teaching him to not beat up his wife or was it Barba's responsibility to behave like a human being?

When Michael Maguire was at the club (most fans would agree the toughest culture we've had in a long time?), was it the clubs' fault that Martin Gleeson turned up for training ed?

Taulima Tautai is a 31 year old man who has played professional RL since he was 20 years old, i.e. old enough to know better and experienced enough to know that getting caught drink driving could ruin his career or life.

And what happened when he did that?

If I turned up to work ed I would expect to be fired as well.

You couldn’t make it up could you.

Looking like he will be sacked and also deported.

Wonder if we wanted him next year he would be sacked? I doubt it.

I feel for the lad as he is a lovely bloke and it looks like he will pay a massive price for his stupidity.

Only positive is that if he is sacked the club has set a pressident and that anyone convicted of the same offence will also receive the same threatment.

It does make me wonder though, could there be grounds for him to sue the club given they have stood by others in the same position recently.

It's the clubs responsibility to promote a culture whereby such behaviour is not tolerated because as a professional sporting club it requires its athletes to be fit and look after themselves as regards their diet. To borrow a phrase off a poster on the other forum, you can't out train a bad diet. A club that tolerates this even if none of the players break the law is just not professional. There are plenty of jobs where what you do restricts how much alcohol (if any) you can drink when you are not at your place of employment from taxi driving to being a Doctor. The fact our club seems to tolerate its players behaving as if they are a pub team on tour is not good.

Due to the high publicity surrounding professional players even though they are the ones who were stupid, it does reflect badly on the club especially when this is the third instance in a short space of time of actual drink driving and there have been other drink related issues. It makes it look as if it tolerates such behaviour. Not good. It needs to do more than just say it has awareness programs or whatever. If it has and they are ignored like this then they are not working and it needs to make it plain in contracts such behaviour is not acceptable specifying what sanctions it will take.

As to Radlinski getting the blame for this as others have posted, both he and IL are equally at fault. Delegation has never been a defence allowing the senior person to abdicate responsibility for the failure of others.

The only ones looking ridiculous are those who suggest IL can't sell because no one has made an offer when the club is not for sale.

At least be honest enough to admit that any amount of disruption caused by the club being put up for sale will be worth it for you.