Should Clubs dictate what players do off field

[bornadog]

Jake King was caught on camera mixing with bikies. Richmond has said they won't be taking any action and he is free to talk to who he likes outside the club.

How would you feel if it was a Bulldog player? Should clubs say something to players as they are representing the club?

[Ghost Dog]

It's cool. Toby just needed a little hug. Bikies have feelings too you know!
http://l.yimg.com/ao/sp/jaek-king-clean_bandidos_jan14_600x400.jpg

Ok, so just to put this in perspective, this is from a 2013 Article in TheAge


During police raids to find the guns last month, an Echo detective told a Hells Angels member that if the gang's AK-47 and M1 Carbine were handed in, "the heat would come off".

"The Hells Angel responded, 'Do your job and you'll find them, and if you find them we'll just get more,"' Senior Sergeant Cheesman said. "That's the attitude of the Hells Angels at the moment."

Toby Mitchell has quit the Bandidos because of ill-health caused by two murder attempts. A Hells Angels member also posed with one of the weapons and handguns on his Facebook page, but the guns were not found when his house was raided. Police had said last month they knew who had the weapons.

The Hells Angels are also engaged in a tit-for-tat with the Comanchero bikie gang in Melbourne's south-east. It was revealed on Wednesday that a heated discussion between a member of the Hells Angels' Darkside chapter in Seaford and the Comancheros' Hallam chapter had sparked the feud, which had led to a series of drive-by shootings, bombings and attempted bombings of businesses and clubhouses.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/bikies-and-killer-unite-in-prison-20131106-2x21h.html#ixzz2rhal52uH

These bikies cause enourmous headaches for our law enforcement men and women. They threaten the lives of people in the community. I don't see how they are different from terrorists.

[FrediKanoute]

To a degree, just as your employer can dictate.

Lets deal with the absolutes - if its illegal then yes, the club can dictate that you don't do it. If its imoral then again I think the club has a fair case to dictate a player not engage in that sort of behaviour.

The hanging out with bad company is a little more difficult and in many ways needs to be determined on a case by case basis. Lets put it this way, Libba being photographed chatting to a group of bikies......(given the general association of such with illicit materials) would probably be grounds for the club to take action. However, if the individual has no priors then maybe a little latitude is the right approach.

[Ghost Dog]

To a degree, just as your employer can dictate.

Lets deal with the absolutes - if its illegal then yes, the club can dictate that you don't do it. If its imoral then again I think the club has a fair case to dictate a player not engage in that sort of behaviour.

The hanging out with bad company is a little more difficult and in many ways needs to be determined on a case by case basis. Lets put it this way, Libba being photographed chatting to a group of bikies......(given the general association of such with illicit materials) would probably be grounds for the club to take action. However, if the individual has no priors then maybe a little latitude is the right approach.

Not sure I see it that way. If players were cosy with members of a terrorist organisation, I'd be very unhappy with that. Groups that bomb, do drive-by shootings and import automatic weapons are exactly that. Any member is guilty by association, because they join these groups very mindful of a gang's nature. We invest huge amounts in community programs against drugs, violence and the sorts of things these gangs promote.