Rumour Multiple GWS players are set to be suspended to start the 2025 season after distasteful costumes and skits from their post-season function

[Bagger72]

News on the grapevine is the AFL is going to ban Bux parties for players as some actions might offend some people.

 

[Chief]

It was intended to be private i:e the event wouldn't be public at all, that's the point.

Intentions are all well and good. But if you hold it at a venue, there's a chance it won't be.

But people can hardly complain if they sign an agreement then face consequences for breaching that agreement.

Whether the agreement is fair is another matter. Something they need to take collective action to change.

 

[Chief]

News on the grapevine is the AFL is going to ban Bux parties for players as some actions might offend some people.

I wouldn't think they have the power to do that, so I'm skeptical that this is an actual plan.

 

[Bagger72]

I wouldn't think they have the power to do that, so I'm skeptical that this is an actual plan.

Why not? Conduct unbecoming is a pandoras box that cant be argued in the courts.

 

[Muddiemoose]

The skits were aimed at their fellow players. Did one of them complain?

Why are you asking questions you know the answer of?

We all know it wasn’t a player that complained and it doesn’t make a difference

Just because you don’t agree with it specifically makes no difference if it’s clearly defined in the contracts the players have signed

If the players don’t like it they can argue about it at the next eba and try to get it changed

 

[Chief]

Or maybe the footballers could have a bit of fun without being offensive. How hard is that?
The other clubs seemed to manage it. Most workplaces seem to succeed at that.

But the worst thing that could happen to a person, it seems, is that they have to attend a boring work do.

 

[Chief]

Why not? Conduct unbecoming is a pandoras box that cant be argued in the courts.

Pretty sure it could be.

 

[Bagger72]

Pretty sure it could be.

Without a law being broken - flat out impossible

 

[Chief]

Without a law being broken - flat out impossible

You mean criminal trial? I doubt it would get a mention.

In a proceeding about a workplace contract? Yes it could and probably has been.

 

[Bagger72]

You mean criminal trial? I doubt it would get a mention.

In a proceeding about a workplace contract? Yes it could and probably has been.

Exactly - punishing players without breaking the law and "conduct unbecoming" cant be argued in the courts as the interpretation is impossible and impossible for players to understand what that means. Thats my point.

 

[Chief]

Exactly - punishing players without breaking the law and "conduct unbecoming" cant be argued in the courts as the interpretation is impossible and impossible for players to understand what that means. Thats my point.

I don't think it's impossible for a player to understand what it means. I think there might be edge cases where it is debatable either way, but lots that falls squarely either side.

"Bringing the game into disrepute " might mean just getting caught doing something, not doing or thinking doing something.

 

[Romeoh1]

They weren't offensive though. That's opinion of many people.

Subjectivity hey.

And yet, the potential to be offensive to many- so why wouldn’t you seek a skit/outfit/concept that doesn’t offend plenty? You know - like the vast majority of work break ups. Pretty sure lots of fun options are available. It’s not really about subjectivity- it’s not that hard to be a reasonable person.

 

[Carringbush2010]

Intentions are all well and good. But if you hold it at a venue, there's a chance it won't be.

Correct, so in the off chance one person will take offence you can't hire a public venue for an intended private event. So if any football team want to have an event intended to be private, what lengths do they need to go to now? Why bother hiring the venue in the first place?

As I've said earlier, because society is so averse to offending anyone for fear of retribution / consequences this is what we've come to. Private events at hired public places, forget about it.

Whatever term you wanna use, it's an indirect and probably unintended form of cancel culture, likely only to appease a minuscule noisy minority.

Watch this space, Mad Mondays will likely die off for fear of consequences.

But people can hardly complain if they sign an agreement then face consequences for breaching that agreement.

They don't, if you've read the thread there's lots of angst about the over reaction, the fact the event >should< have been private (this is NOT to be public), and the hypocrisy of the AFL. No one's complaining that consequences shouldn't exist

Whether the agreement is fair is another matter.

And that's subject to opinion, fair assumption, the fair bit is only applied to noisy minorities. Hence the push back.

Something they need to take collective action to change.

Yeah they need to find a place where they can do whatever skits they want, problem is that 'place' would be very difficult to find.

May as well not bother, and this is what's going to happen going forward.

What should've happened is

-footy players hire a public venue for private event
-staff at the event should've been informed of what is going to take place
-if staff are uncomfortable, they make a request for it not to go ahead
-being the society that we are now, those costumes and skits don't happen

Or if you value liberal principles

-if staff are uncomfortable, they make a request for it not to go ahead
-being that this venue is being hired by a customer the staff members are given the choice to work the shift or not
-this doesn't go public, the AFL save face and don't have to be hypocritical, no damage done.

 

[iameviljez]

Exactly - punishing players without breaking the law and "conduct unbecoming" cant be argued in the courts as the interpretation is impossible and impossible for players to understand what that means. Thats my point.

You don’t need to break the law to be disciplined at work.

If colleague A tells a racist joke about Muslims to colleague B, and Muslim colleague C overhears it - even if it’s outside of work - colleague A will be in seriously hot water, even though the joke broke no laws.

 

[Carringbush2010]

We all know it wasn’t a player that complained and it doesn’t make a difference

Huge difference if it doesn't get to the public eye, which it wasn't intended to.

I'll point you to post 2028.

 

[Romeoh1]

Correct, so in the off chance one person will take offence you can't hire a public venue for an intended private event. So if any football team want to have an event intended to be private, what lengths do they need to go to now? Why bother hiring the venue in the first place?

As I've said earlier, because society is so averse to offending anyone for fear of retribution / consequences this is what we've come to. Private events at hired public places, forget about it.

Whatever term you wanna use, it's an indirect and probably unintended form of cancel culture, likely only to appease a minuscule noisy minority.

Watch this space, Mad Mondays will likely die off for fear of consequences.

They don't, if you've read the thread there's lots of angst about the over reaction, the fact the event >should< have been private (this is NOT to be public), and the hypocrisy of the AFL. No one's complaining that consequences shouldn't exist

And that's subject to opinion, fair assumption, the fair bit is only applied to noisy minorities. Hence the push back.

Yeah they need to find a place where they can do whatever skits they want, problem is that 'place' would be very difficult to find.

May as well not bother, and this is what's going to happen going forward.

What should've happened is

-footy players hire a public venue for private event
-staff at the event should've been informed of what is going to take place
-if staff are uncomfortable, they make a request for it not to go ahead
-being the society that we are now, those costumes and skits don't happen

Or if you value liberal principles

-if staff are uncomfortable, they make a request for it not to go ahead
-being that this venue is being hired by a customer the staff members are given the choice to work the shift or not
-this doesn't go public, the AFL save face and don't have to be hypocritical, no damage done.

Why would ‘mad Mondays die off’ when the vast majority of them are conducted by all levels of clubs every year, year in, year out and we pretty well never have anything but a pleasant read about some of them?

 

[Muddiemoose]

Huge difference if it doesn't get to the public eye, which it wasn't intended to.

I'll point you to post 2028.

Staff members of the venue fall under the category of public and are well within rights to complain unless they have signed a legally binding NDA

 

[iameviljez]

Staff members of the venue fall under the category of public and are well within rights to complain unless they have signed a legally binding NDA

Not a single beer-puller will be paid NDA level money, I'll give you that much.

Why are people (not you) coming up with such elaborate ways to facilitate rape joke skits in pubs in this thread instead of just saying the obvious: don't be a complete trashbag on a day/night out? **** me dead, it's not that hard, every other organisation (with the exception of Merivale and television channels, seemingly) seems to manage it.

 

[Muddiemoose]

Not a single beer-puller will be paid NDA level money, I'll give you that much.

Why are people (not you) coming up with such elaborate ways to facilitate rape joke skits in pubs in this thread instead of just saying the obvious: don't be a complete trashbag on a day/night out? **** me dead, it's not that hard, every other organisation (with the exception of Merivale and television channels, seemingly) seems to manage it.

Agree 100%

I can’t say I agree with all of the sanctions especially towards the leadership group but it’s really not that difficult to comprehend even if you don’t agree with any of it

The players have signed contracts with behaviour clause’s knowing that they could get fines if they break the clause’s and have done so hence the fines

 

[iameviljez]

News on the grapevine is the AFL is going to ban Bux parties for players as some actions might offend some people.

You need a better grapevine

 

[Checkered]

Imagine unironically using the word "wokeification" hahahah incredible

Few boomers boomering in here hey

 

[Carringbush2010]

Why would ‘mad Mondays die off’ when the vast majority of them are conducted by all levels of clubs every year, year in, year out and we pretty well never have anything but a pleasant read about some of them?

Because they're out in public, at pubs, different to a hired venue yes I know, not the point, now we have a precedent set in what was supposed to be not public at all.

Certain costumes and behaviour someone somewhere will find offence to, so clubs and players will be averse to any publicity involving the 'boys letting their hair down'

 

[Carringbush2010]

Staff members of the venue fall under the category of public and are well within rights to complain unless they have signed a legally binding NDA

Exactly, so what's the point of hiring the venue to be private? May as well not have hired it in the first place.

Like I said in post 2028..........

What should've happened is

-footy players hire a public venue for private event
-staff at the event should've been informed of what is going to take place
-if staff are uncomfortable, they make a request for it not to go ahead
-being the society that we are now, those costumes and skits don't happen

Or if you value liberal principles

-if staff are uncomfortable, they make a request for it not to go ahead
-being that this venue is being hired by a customer the staff members are given the choice to work the shift or not
-this doesn't go public, the AFL save face and don't have to be hypocritical, no damage done.

Do you have an issue with the liberal principles?

Or do you view that the staff members have overriding right to the liberal principles over the paying customer?

 

[Carringbush2010]

You need a better grapevine

The AFL could use this as an example though for bucks parties that players have.

If they don't hand down sanctions for similar incidents at bucks parties then that'd be hypocritical.

I guess that doesn't matter coz the AFL are already hypocritical.

 

[NaturalDisaster]

Exactly, so what's the point of hiring the venue to be private? May as well not have hired it in the first place.

Like I said in post 2028..........

What should've happened is

-footy players hire a public venue for private event
-staff at the event should've been informed of what is going to take place
-if staff are uncomfortable, they make a request for it not to go ahead
-being the society that we are now, those costumes and skits don't happen

Or if you value liberal principles

-if staff are uncomfortable, they make a request for it not to go ahead
-being that this venue is being hired by a customer the staff members are given the choice to work the shift or not
-this doesn't go public, the AFL save face and don't have to be hypocritical, no damage done.

Do you have an issue with the liberal principles?

Or do you view that the staff members have overriding right to the liberal principles over the paying customer?

"Hi, I'm Toby Greene, captain of the GWS Giants and I would like to book this venu for the 16th September for our Mad Monday. Just so you know, we are planning on playing dress ups and simulating acts of rape and slavery scenes from movies, is that ok with you?"

Yeah, sure they would have been totally cool with it...