Matthew Johns is out
Posted on May 13, 2009 by by scoop
Former NRL Rugby Player Matthew Johns has been sacked by Channel Nine from the Footy Show and also from the NRL club Melbourne Storm.
Johns was involved in a group sex incident back in 2002 when he was playing for Cronulla.
Johns appeared tonight on the Channel 9 show “A Current Affair” where he said “the woman was a willing participant on what went on”.
“Any trauma, embarrassment that she’s gone through as a result of this incident I’m extremely sorry for,” he said.
One question I do have is, what happened to the other five players who were part of this horrible incident? who are they and why no one is talking about them?
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10 Comments to “Matthew Johns is out”
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the other players must have alot more to lose than Johns??…too scared to admit their stupidity? or the media isnt good enough to hunt them down???
but wasnt he incident investigated by the police?
and no charges were laid?
I dont understand why she has come out after 7 years, to an event she was part of where police found nothing wrong??
Im not saying she wasnt raped, since I dont know all the details and wasnt there. But it still makes you wonder what actually happened..
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Hey Scoop, this is an article from the CanberraTimes today about this incident and what you were saying about the other players.
Matthew Johns must name the other footballers involved in a group sex incident in Christchurch seven years ago – CanberraTimes
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/johns-urged-to-name-other-players/1513240.aspx
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Why should Johns name anyone?
Why should Johns do anything to further this silly witch-hunt?
If we think it’s right for the media and the law to involve itself in what consenting adults do in a motel room, we’ve gone decades back in our maturity as a community.
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While the whole point of this particular scenario is pretty silly (no one, including the victim, seems to be able to work out if anything illegal actually went on), the over-arching effects are for the good. The football culture has had a long history of degradation of women, overt sex acts (especially group sex, and countless rape charges), and other lewd behaviour. It was considered an informal right of passage. If we start calling out the behaviour, and ostracising those who engage in it, hopefully the attitude will change. It’s a shame that one particular person had to take such a hard fall over it (I still don’t understand why Channel 9 sacked him, unless it was just peer pressure), but if this is the beginnings of a culture-shift, then I’m all for it.
L
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As for Johns, I saw an article yesterday where he was quoted along the lines of “just go away and let me and my wife deal with this in private”. He’s in a world of hurt right now, I imagine, but withdrawing from the media circus is probably the smartest thing he could do.
As for the victim, well, I think she would be better off keeping her face off television too. She needs good quality care to deal with the trauma she has experienced, and dragging this seven-year old hobby horse up out of the mud isn’t going to help her do that.
L
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Let’s be clear on one thing – the NRL, Channel 9, the Cronulla Sharks, Melbourne Storm, if they act, they will only act from selfish motives. They’re worried about their own reputations being tarnished. Their actions have nothing to do with any girl in Christchurch.
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The reason why NRL, Channel 9, Cronulla Sharks and Melbourne Storm sacked him was because of peer pressure.
This comes from news.com.au
“former work colleague of the woman at the centre of the Cronulla Sharks sex scandal involving Matthew Johns claims her co-worker bragged about the incident”
Anyone watched the footy show last night?
I think educating players is a great thing but what about the girls who go out looking for these guys? don’t they need educating as well? just a thought
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The fact that the media have swooped on this now, and are running for the try line with lots of book deals, private discussions with the parties involved, etc , etc, means that the BUDGET – the more important news of the time gets forgotten, except from wowsers (thanks typeboard) who bleat that it is too harsh.
Lets look at a particular event from years ago that had the potential disaster avoided.
I refer to Y2K.
How many companies could have been ruined if the world hadn’t reacted, and rectified the issues presented?
and yet, for the “wowsers” it was a bit of a non event. because of the hard work in the background….
OT, if johns was involved in a episode that was traumatic to another person, I don’t want him on the TV, he will present the wrong message to the kids about the treatment of women. the others involved should come forward and join him in disgrace.
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I think educating players is a great thing but what about the girls who go out looking for these guys? don’t they need educating as well? just a thought
No. The men who commit these acts need to learn to keep it legal, or keep it in their pants.
They’re not exempt from human standards just because they’re footballers, and that’s just the way footballers are.
L
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OT, if johns was involved in a episode that was traumatic to another person, I don’t want him on the TV, he will present the wrong message to the kids about the treatment of women. the others involved should come forward and join him in disgrace.
Mixed message here. You want these people off the TV, but dragging every little detail up is just going to cause the media circus to continue.
The incident needs to be forgotten, so that the parties involved can start repairing their lives. By that I mean “Clare” as well as (if not more so than) Johns.
L
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