Criticising your own... or not

Shane Webcke's written a book about his career in League. I know little about him other than he was a forward, a hard-bastard in fact, and that he played for Brisbane and the Kangaroos. There's news coverage this morning that suggests his book was going to include critical comments about fellow players regarding an allegation of sexual assault made against them a few years back. Now, it appears the books been pulped. A few quotes have however, been mysteriously made available... go figure.

I want to put on the record my strong belief that, whether or not any criminal charges were to be pressed over the Alhambra incident, the three players involved should not have been allowed to play in that match against the Storm," Webcke wrote. "I believe that the majority of ordinary decent people who make up our community would have supported such a stance and would have admired the Broncos for taking it.

The fact we have three players in a public toilet with a woman, and drunken players kicked out of hotels, should have been enough for us to say: 'you're not going to play.'

Yeah, well, what to say?

The news of the pulping of the book may be a stunt? Who knows? I hope Webcke doesn't recant his criticism, it's justified (and mild). The attitudes of some sportsmen towards women are appalling as evidenced by the regular and predictable stories of sexual assault that coincide with seasons' start and finish. This season's no different as I've previously noted.