Do you think Collingwood suspended Didak/Shaw because.....?

Question

of media pressure or to genuinely punish them for their supid behaviour?

Had the media and public NOT kicked up such a media frenzy I think Eddie would have just fined them both!

Thoughts?

Answer 1

yeah i agree. i was thinking this same thing before i opened this Q up. if the media didn't find out about this and tell Australia about it, then they would just got a fine and be allowed to play. then no-one would know what happened except the people at collingwood.

i hate the media sometimes. so many things wouldn't be controversial if it wasn't brought up by the media

Answer 2

Eddie and Mick M may have a disadvantage because in their 23 year old days, boys didn't go out all night, and most didn't drink nearly as much as guys do now. Perhaps they don't understand, and would have fined the lads because money is what matters to them, as older guys?

What they need QUICK SMART is a leadership group of players to advise E and M on what to do when players muck up.

Or else a complete change of administration, bring in people who do understand Gen Y and can communicate with them.

Answer 3

I think it was media pressure and lets face it the best known players are in the media spotlight and should behave accordingly but I can't understand why clubs that pay these guys so much money don't inforce a ban on them for the duration of the season from nightclubs and drinking if they stuff up its the clubs that pay the price in the long run.

Answer 4

Media for sure, Didak did not even do anything to bad, i actually thought he had been behaving pretty good of late.  

Answer 5

Agree with you Rouge, had the media and public NOT kicked up such a media frenzy, Big Eddie would have just fined them both.

Because they made Big Eddie look silly, and because they lies, they get punished.

But is "the rest of the season" enough of a punishment?

I mean its only 4 rounds.

Could be more if the pies make the Finals ( a-hem)

i think they should be rubbed out for the first 2 or 3 games next season too, thats if they are still at woodland

Answer 6

i think its a mixture of both. the media kicked up a huge stink and this would have pressured the club A LOT to suspend them but i think it is what they should have done in the first place. it was extremely stupid behaviour though. shaw should never have got behind the wheel after he was drinking, not even mentioning that he was talking on the phone. he put people's lives at risk, including his and his teammate didak's. didak would have been fine legally if he hadn't lied about what had happened. it was extremely stupid for him to lie, he wouldn't have been in any trouble at all if he didn't lie.

just my insight.

Answer 7

Who cares whether they are suspended or not. Collingwood weren't going to take any serious part in the finals this year, with or without this pair.

Answer 8

I think Didak should of been sacked because he made the Collingwood footy club look like idiots. Shaw should of just been suspended, like he was.  

Answer 9

I couldn't believe they suspended them for the rest of the season, I thought maybe 2 weeks. This could be the difference between Collingwood making the 8 at the end of the season.

I think the suspension they recieved wasn't so much because of what they did (accident) but mor that they lied to the club and the club found out.

Rogue - I think this will hurt the pies chances of playing finals this year.

Answer 10

They fronted the team, the coaches, the management, friends and family and told blatant porkies.  Some of these people choose to accept their version and said so.  Subsequently it has been found that they have been a little economical with the truth.  No wonder they have been X'd until the end of the season.

Answer 11

Before I start, I am a Pies fan. I truly think Didak should have been moved on.When do people grow up and stop putting themselves in precarious situations?The media aside, when you are a professional athlete you have a responsibility to the public, teammates, the club and yourself. If anyone behaved repeatedly in their workplace like this, they would have been terminated immediately. Maybe one indiscretion can be overlooked but how many times does Alan's name need to surface to realise that something is not quite right? At his age, I would prefer that Collingwood invested time, effort and money into a newcomer that at least would provide future for the club.If we are going to buy into the "Isn't that aussie footy culture?" argument, then we have learned nothing from the Wayne Careys of this world! Maybe Alan needs to be playing for a regional club where his actions are not so influential? Signing on to be a professional athlete should not give anyone free rein to repeatedly behave badly, hurt others and be paid ridiculously for the privilege.

Answer 12

No way..I rekon they did it because they are totally pi**ed off at the 2 of them for lying..For Shaw to sit at that media confrence and answer that bull*hit story about how he rang Didak,but then to also listen to his Captain absolutly Fry the mdeia for it's comment about Didak being in the car was un bloody believable.A blind man could have seen Shaw was lying through his teeth..

They have done the right thing..No need to bag them,they have had to face this sort of humiliation before..Ediie should be used to it by now...

I rekon Didak can kiss his Footy career good-bye.This is the final straw for the Pie's,you could tell that by the reports on the news tonight.

They really have kicked not only the club,but You fans in the teeth..

Answer 13

yes everybody is jealous of collingwood

even me

Answer 14

its just something kids do every fri and sat night in my neighbour hood

because they are superstars the media puts pressure on the club to act

  

Answer 15

I think it's because they lied, and humiliated Eddie and Scott Burns in front of the media. Had they been upfront and told the truth from the start, they would have only been fined. The punishment is more for lying than the actual incident. I'm really disappointed in Shaw and Dids, and I feel sorry for Eddie who has to handle all of this mess.

This will affect the whole team now, and they won't play well this weekend. I am so frustrated!

Answer 16

If this had happened at West Coast, the club would currently be looking at losing draft picks and premiership points.  What these two idiots did is as bad as what Cousins did - the only difference is that in one case the substance abused was a legal one rather than an illegal one.  

Eddie is a fool and surprisingly for someone with his background rather media naive.  I pissed myself when he was talking that the media would be saying Didak had killed Kennedy next!  Turns out the media knew more about events than big boss Eddie did.  Why he didn't investigate first before shooting his mouth off with such ridiculous comments is beyond me.  And we have it on record that he thinks that the "friend with Shaw" was a low-life scumbag, so we know that's what he must think of Didak then.  

So what will happen next?  Well if there was any equality in the footy world, Collingwood should be getting audited by an ex-high court judge for the pervasive culture of substance abuse, hanging out with undesirables, and driving under the influence just like West Coast had to endure.  And then they should be make to sack Didak who needs to get treatment for his substance abuse problem, and he should be banned from AFL for a year for bringing the game into disrepute.

But all that will happen?  They'll both get a fine and be kept off the park for a few weeks until the media storm has blown over.  

But hey, I'm just a cynic.  

PS For the Pies fans here.  I know how you feel.  There is nothing worse than when a player transgresses, apologises, and you forgive them.  And then they spit it back in your face by doing it again.  You deserve better.  

Answer 17

maybe they are both lucky not to have killed somebody,that punishment is soft,really soft.Just because your a football player for the most popular team in the AFL(any team for that matter) does not mean you cannot be held accountable for your actions,if you choose to play a high profile sport then you must be aware that everything you do is watched,if you stuff up then you should loose your job like the rest of the community,yep they are only human thats why its annoying watching them get a free ride

Answer 18

GO PIESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Had the media and public NOT kicked up such a media frenzy I think Eddie would have just fined them both!

I agreeee (:

DALE + BRODIE (L)

Answer 19

Jacko, I choose to disagree with "when you are a professional athlete you have a responsibility to the public, teammates, the club and yourself." slightly. In fact you are responsible to yourself first and foremost. The rest falls into place if you respect yourself and are accountable to yourself in how you train, play, and otherwise behave on and off the field of play.

Such is the exposure to the after hours activities of players in the most prestigious sport played in Australia, I wonder if we have a paparazzi here, chasing players around. Where do players go to have a quiet drink in private and relax after the game? OK, the club rooms, and then there's getting home afterwards. There's where the club can be a help. Watching the players and offering guidance and assistance to get home without mishap. And maybe a quiet reminder of their responsibility to the club  

Answer 20

NO not Media pressure

They told Eddie a crock of BS

and got busted

Answer 21

im very dissapointed in wats happened,but i think they do deserve there punishments,i think dids,altho myfav player and in our top 3 players at the club,must go at the end of the season.if jono brown is available i would be hoping that collingwood would b doing everythin 2 get him and i would b willing 2 let dids go 4 him

Answer 22

Yeah the media Rules not Aussie Rules.  I mean the poor blokes were only having a bit of a drink and that is our Aussie ethos is it not?

Hey re Lozz....Magpie Girl's answer.  Seeing as I am Psychic I am going to go out on a limb and say the Pies will beat the Saints as some of those Magpie teammates would have been p....d off with Didak and Shaw and just might play better as a team.  Some of that footage I saw on On the Couch indicated that Medhurst and Didak were having a big disagreement during that game at the weekend.  Yep the Pies will win and I hope they do and Milne will play like s....t!!!!!!!

Answer 23

I would suggest that if the full story had come out originally, the fines would have been the only punishment. Rightly or Wrongly, as far as Collingwood would have been concerned, that would have been it and the media/public would still have caused a frenzy.

NB: As Sam did on his first show back, I am waving a white flag to show that this is MY opinion......

EDIT: Laurie N: Players in Perth basically have ot stay home and have a drink due to constant scrutiny they are placed under which is a shame because I can recall back in the early nineties sharing a quiet beer in a country pub with a couple of high profile footy stars of that time (When I say share, I mean I was in a room of 100 people or more). These guys were looked at with such respect and awe bye those in the room but these days they would be watched in the hope that they did something newsworthy.

Answer 24

both are idiots and should have been sacked................when will people realise how stupid this is and anyone who tries to justify the behaviour of Shaw and Didak is a knucklehead.........stupid idiots as well as liars........

Answer 25

It's Todd Carney & Steve Irwin all over again

Answer 26

When you consider that these two players are in the top 5 players in the side, this is a huge punishment for the Collingwood Football Club. It could cost Collingwood a place in the finals and that will in turn cost the club money. As has been said by others, if they had come clean in the beginning, then both players would have been fined end of story.

Sorry if this seems to be hijacking your post, but why should sportspeople be suspended for off field incidents. If you or I had been caught drink driving we would be booked end of story. We wouldn't have to front up to work and be suspended from work without pay for doing it. All these people who say they have got off lightly are kidding themselves. Not only will they get fined by both club and the justice system (in Heath Shaw's case), but they have also been publicly humiliated and will have to deal with that for a long time to come. Yes it was lucky that no one was injured or killed, but at the end of the day, not only are they being punished, but the club and their supporters are also punished.

Answer 27

I think it was because of both reasons . The media pressure was more to do with the embarrassment that it caused to the club when they found out the players were lying . Especially to Eddie who had angrily denied to the media that Didak had anything to do with it. I can just imagine how angry he must of been when he found out the truth. I think if they had of told the truth in the first place then Shaw wouldn't of been suspended but I think Didak would have because of his bad record. Maybe this whole thing will work out for the best for Collingwood in the long run because looking at the team on paper it should have been performing better and they showed they can be a super team earlier in the year when they beat Geelong. Maybe by being tougher on their players ( as Geelong was with Steve Johnson) it will improve the discipline in the team and therefore their overall performance. If Didak is traded at the end of the year maybe it will be a good thing for the team because maybe he has been a bad influence on other players i.e Shaw . Who knows . Time will tell. Don't worry about it , theres always next year.  

Answer 28

Every time the news comes on i have to turn off the tv coz they bag out Shaw and Didak. When i found out about the accident i burst into tears. Why did they have to do that for? I think they should have suspended H Shaw but for only one match, Didak coz hes a repeat offender for 2 matches and R Shaw should have just been fined for drinking. the boys are still only young, of course they are guna go out and get drunk let them live a little. everyones making this big whoo haa about it, i think everyone (the media i mean) should leave the boys alone and let Collingwood deal with it. hope we win on saturday! Go Pies!

Answer 29

didak has had a lot of media attention ova last 3 yrs so yea