Callum Jennings Earns Five-Year Ban
Whitehaven player Callum Jennings has been banned from playing rugby for five years. Jennings, who played for Whitehaven, was banned by the Rugby Union earlier today after they determined he intended to injure Alan Hedworth in a game against Aspatria on October 24, 2009. Jennings, who claimed that he was trying to complete a hand-off, left Hedworth blind in one eye after what he describes was an ‘accidental gouge.'
Jennings committed a hand-off, while being talked by Hedworth during a match. The hand-off was thought originally to be overly aggressive, and since there is no defined hand-off motion, it was difficult to determine whether or not it was something more than aggressive play. Judge Jeff Blackett was called in as the Rugby Unions chief disciplinary officer to interpret whether or not foul play took place.
The incident was originally dealt with in March as the Rugby Union passed down a decision that saw Jennings suspended for 78 weeks. Jennings appealed the decision however, and after three months the Union decided their first decision was not strict enough and laid down the five year ban. The Union met with several medical works to determine what would have to of happened to leave Hedworth in such a severe state. After meeting with doctors, they turned their attention to the lawyers as they deliberated over the length of the suspension. The original charge was for ‘reckless play’ but was changed to ‘striking’ saying that it was 'an intentional act of foul' after the appeals process.The maximum suspension time for a ‘striking’ in fraction is 52 weeks, but the board is permitted to extend the maximum length if it sees fit.
The suspension to Jennings comes in a long line of gouges that have recently taken place in Union Rugby. One year earlier, Schalk Burger of South Africa and Sergio Parisse were handed eight week bans, after gouging incidents of their own. These suspensions were thought to be too lenient. Furthermore, David Attoub was suspended 70-weeks, while Julien Dupuy met with a 24-week ban, both after similar incidents of gouging.
It is clear that the litany of gouging offenses was leading up to a major suspension, something Jennings unfortunately found himself at the end of.
A spokesperson for Jennings had this to say of his clients feelings in relations to the ban: “Callum is devastated by the decision to ban him from the game he loves and for what was a legitimate attempt at a hand off…He will always maintain that it was a freak accident.”
This is likely to be the end of Jennings career. With a five-year ban from the sport it is unlikely he will be able to return to competitive rugby at the end of his suspension.
Jennings found himself on the end of a series of eye gouging offenses. Although what happened in the game against Whitehaven and Aspartria was sad, and the fact that Hedworth lost sight out of his left eye is tragic, it is unlikely that Jennings actually intended to blind him. The board however, claim they are more concerned with the action and not the result of the action. Nevertheless, the severity of the injury must have played a role in their decision to suspend Jennings for five years. The last suspension handed down for eye gouging resulted in a 24-week ban, and the one previous was more serious at 70-weeks. The key difference in these infractions being that no one went blind in the process.
It will be interesting to see what the Rugby Union does the next time there is an eye gouge, and whether or not they will return to their more relaxed suspensions or maintain their hard line, which has resulted in Jennings inability to play until 2015.
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