One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => View from the Outer => Topic started by: julzqld on April 17, 2007, 11:15:27 AM
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Daughter in new Eagles row
17 April 2007 Herald-Sun
Bruce Matthews and Mark Robinson
EXPLOSIVE allegations of sledging by a West Coast star against the six-year-old daughter of his Fremantle rival will be dealt with by the AFL tribunal.
The Eagles' Adam Selwood allegedly called Des Headland's daughter a slut, sparking a heated clash on Saturday night.
The AFL last night charged Selwood with insulting language after its review.
It is alleged that Selwood made explicit sexual references about Headland's daughter, Madisan, whose likeness is tattooed on the Docker's left shoulder.
In papers filed by Fremantle with the AFL, the following exchange is alleged:
Selwood: "I f----- her last night."
Headland: "What the hell are you talking about? It's my six-year-old daughter."
Selwood: "Yeah, she's a slut."
The Australian Family Association last night said if the comments were proven Selwood should be sacked and also urged police to investigate whether criminal charges could be laid.
West Coast earlier had threatened legal action to clear the name of its 22-year-old star, formerly from Bendigo, before he was cited.
Selwood's father, Bryce, last night defended his son.
"I think there's two different stories to what was said and it will come out," he said.
However Headland's father, Des Sr, blasted Selwood.
"What Selwood (allegedly) said about my granddaughter is nothing short of a pedophile," he told Perth radio station 6PR last night.
"He should be hung and quartered for what he (allegedly) said about my granddaughter.
"We're talking about a six-year-old girl – you don't talk like that in normal life."
Headland Sr said he had been racially abused in his football days – and this was worse.
"Anyone would've lost their cool," he said.
"John Worsfold and the Eagles have got to get their players and educate them.
"I don't think the Dockers players would ever say that."
Immediately after Selwood's alleged comments, the pair clashed heatedly and the match review panel charged Headland with two striking offences.
He faces a total of six weeks' suspension and the panel has fined him $1200 for wrestling.
The Docker was furious for the rest of the game and lunged at Selwood again after the final siren.
It has also been alleged Headland told former West Coast player Drew Banfield, now a boundary rider for pay-TV network Foxtel, to inform Selwood he would "kill him" if he repeated the insult.
Headland is likely to take his two striking charges to the tribunal.
He faces a three-match ban for each incident, owing to his poor tribunal record.
The tit-for-tat confrontation continued yesterday when Fremantle onballer Josh Carr was hit with a two-game penalty for striking the Eagles' Daniel Chick.
The match review panel charged Carr after Chick complained to a field umpire in the first quarter.
The AFL will decide this morning whether the tribunal sits tonight or tomorrow night.
It will depend on whether Headland decides to fight the striking charges.
He is expected to use a defence of extreme provocation if he flies to Melbourne to challenge the penalties at the tribunal.
Dockers football manager Robert Shaw will consult with leading Perth lawyer John Prior, who acts as the club's player defence counsel, to make a decision before today's 11am Melbourne-time deadline.
Australian Family Association state president Angela Conway urged police to investigate whether criminal charges could be laid against Selwood over the allegations.
"This makes my stomach turn," Ms Conway said, adding children were not fair game for sledging.
"These people are paid to be in the public domain. It's extremely disturbing (if it is true) this guy thinks a six year-old girl is an appropriate target for this type of thing."
The showdown came as the AFL fined West Coast midfielder Michael Braun $5000 for his post-match comments on Saturday.
Braun urged his teammates to have a "f------ good year" in his acceptance speech to the crowd at Subiaco Oval after he was awarded the Ross Glendinning Medal for best afield.
His comments were heard live on television.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21570391%255E20322,00.html
What's going on with West Coast? Adam Selwood's comments are just not acceptable. As a mother, I'd want to kill him if he made such comments about my daughter.
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The Eagles players obviously think they can get away with anything although Selwood's denied he said it.
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What's going on with West Coast? Adam Selwood's comments are just not acceptable. As a mother, I'd want to kill him if he made such comments about my daughter.
I too have been wondering how I would react if that happened, (if indeed the allegations are true) I think I probably would've snapped ala Dessy Headland, but not just that I would've paid him a visit in the clubrooms and issued a bit of an invitation to the carpark, an rsvp wouldn't have been necessary, as attendance would have been compulsory.
Every commentator that has said that Headland was sucked in and failed to control himself must not be a parent!
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Selwood: "I f----- her last night."
Headland: "What the hell are you talking about? It's my six-year-old daughter."
Selwood: "Yeah, she's a slut."
Selwood's father, Bryce, last night defended his son.
They say that paedophilia is nurtured by the father,even defended.
This guy should be made an example of.
This is just pathetic.
They believe anything regarding racial vilification but this remains a clouded area ?????????FFS!
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If Selwoods actually said these things. He should be rubbed out for at least 12 week. And If he said them then Des Headland's should have the charges dropped as if this happened Des has done the right thing. I would have done it ans so would others. But if proven wrong and Selwood didn't say a thing (not that I believe that for one moment). Then Des should keep the ban on him. I really hope that justice is served on this one. As I have never seen someone fire up like that over a trivial comment on the field. But I hope that everyone doesn't think that the other 2 brothers are the same. I'm on the Headland side on this one.
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Just on SEN. Selwood found not guilty. Charge couldn't be sustained. Headland will still plead provocation though.
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Selwood's version of what was said.....
A remorseful Selwood made a statement after the hearing.
“I’m relieved that it’s over and pleased with the decision. I’ve been deeply hurt, offended and defamed by some of the accusations,” he said, reading from a prepared statement.
“It’s been a harrowing week, when my reputation has been smeared. This is the first opportunity I’ve had to outline my side of events.
“I want to reiterate that I’ve never said the words that have been attributed to me and I never meant to offend Des or his family.”
Selwood, who was in attendance at the tribunal hearing in Melbourne, denied swearing at Headland and said he didn’t know the tattoo was of his daughter Madisan.
He also said the comments he made were: “What’s that poo on your arm? I was with a girl like that the other night.”
To which Headland replied, “No one talks about my family like that”.
http://afl.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=41468
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dirty rock spider
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Headland was found guilty of one of the striking charges and for wrestling but the tribunal has let him off due to exceptional circumstances.
:gobdrop
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Correction: he was cleared of the wrestling charge as well.
So the tribunal has believed both of them ........ che ???. SEN are saying the tribunal believed Headland believed what he heard and so he walks free ???.
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Correction: he was cleared of the wrestling charge as well.
So the tribunal has believed both of them ........ che ???. SEN are saying the tribunal believed Headland believed what he heard and so he walks free ???.
Excellent decisions by the tribunal tonight. :clapping Yes the tribunal is having a bob each way, but both decisions are correct. Not enough evidence to sustain anything against Selwood. And the Headland strike IS in exceptional circumstances.
I would hate to think though that some clubs would look at this as a legal 'landmark' and try and abuse it.
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Headland was found guilty of one of the striking charges and for wrestling but the tribunal has let him off due to exceptional circumstances.
:gobdrop
so they know he said it but just couldn't prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt ??
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I would hate to think though that some clubs would look at this as a legal 'landmark' and try and abuse it.
I was thinking the same thing DC. Next time a player whacks someone just plead extreme provocation :-\.
They are saying Selwood and the Eagles are now looking into taking legal action for defamation.
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If Selwood didn't say it, how is he supposed to prove it?
I hope he didn't but it's all pretty horrible for him if that's the case.
Headland can't prove Selwood did say it but has at least gained some compensation, in case he did.
Tough one for the tribunal, and in general.
Isn't there is a similar precedent? Didn't Syd Jackson belt a Collingwood player (Graeme Jenkin?) and get off by saying he reacted to a racial taunt, which the Collingwood player denied?
Jackson then came out 20 or 30 years later and said the racial taunt never happened.
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I for one am very very confused. You can now whack someone not once but twice and get away with it because you were "provoked".
As for the sledging part of it - what has been found is that Selwood did not say what he was accused of (wonder if he will sue?) well that's what the decision means - if he had of been then suspend him.
I have a real fear that clubs will now use this precedent to try and get people off - "I was provoked, he sledged me so I clocked him, sorry his got a broker nose" ::)
IMHO
I think the tribunal got the Selwood one right - because it was one blokes word against another - no concrete evidence.
And they got the Headland one very wrong and they have now set a very nasty precedent. Throw in the fact that Headland is known a hot-head - he has brain explosions all the time. Flashback folks to when the Tigers played Freo at Subi - Pettifer tackles him near the boundary and Headland gets up throw his arms and fists about - not making any contact mind - he's done it before he got off that because he argued he didn't make contact :-\ ::).
The absolute worst thing to come out of this is the shocking way it has been handled by the AFL - it should never have gone to the tribunal. It should have gone to mediation first, like they do in racial vilification situations and then if that didn't work it should have gone to the tribunal.
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If Selwood didn't say it, how is he supposed to prove it?
Good point, fish.
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Well said WP.
The problem is Perth is everything comes out because each club hates the other. Some reporter over there who sat behind the Eagles bench claims a couple Eagles players allegedly responded to crowd taunts (giving them the bird and one Eagle asking a Freo fan to come out onto the ground). If a Victorian club player did those things they'll be copping a $5,000 fine ::).