Victim's account will shape Richmond Tigers star Dustin Martin's punishment Caroline Wilson
The Age
December 9, 2015 Richmond's perceived failure to read the room on the day Dustin Martin's violent threat to a woman became public has emerged as one of many complexities in the troubled world in which the explosive young footballer has been known to live.
The woman, a Channel Seven producer who does not want to be named, was interviewed late on Tuesday by the Tigers' integrity officer Steve Wyatt, in a meeting held in conjunction with AFL investigators.
It will be her version of events that holds the key to Martin's ultimate penalty.
Martin will not escape punishment but the strong view of the club, backed by the AFL, is that whether the woman felt in physical danger or was the victim of an obnoxious and verbally vicious drunk will shape the severity of his punishment.
Neither alternative is palatable, but if she felt at risk of physical harm this should be a matter for the police, and Martin should be charged.
If not, the Tigers face a difficult call on how best to penalise their problem child, who they insist has not previously shown signs of violence and who the club has managed to steer through some difficult times with notable success.
In an ideal world Richmond would come down heavily on Martin this week, issuing a long-term suspension of four to six weeks, similar to what Geelong and its leadership group inflicted in 2007 upon Steve Johnson.
In the same year Stevie J emerged with a Norm Smith Medal around his neck.
But this is not an ideal world. In fact, Martin's world is far from ideal, and for the Tigers he remains a week-to-week proposition. Or in the case of summer seasons past, at times a day-to-day proposition.
The entanglements of Martin's lifestyle, upbringing, emotional wellbeing and sometimes dreadful social habits have always combined to see Richmond steer away from punishment.
The focus has been on keeping the player on an even keel. The key, according to the club, has been to maintain routine and regularity in his life. Never mind that Martin still struggles sometimes to behave; that his end-of-season trips with the likes of Dane Swan become journeys other players are told to stay away from (when it became known that Collingwood's Marley Williams planned to join the pair this year on a leg of their US holiday, concerned Magpie people contacted the club); that some of the company he keeps is genuinely troubling.
While there has been no suggestion other substances were involved in Saturday night's incident, Martin certainly faces scrutiny from the AFL's new, tougher drug-testing regime.
The criticism surrounding the Tigers' initial response was overstated and in some cases unfair.
It was Martin's connections that reportedly saw the Channel Seven producer initially back away from telling her story in public. That she feared for her safety. The club's view was she had accepted Martin's apology and spoke publicly only after some pressure from network bosses.
The network's view was the Tigers attempted to downplay the situation through the original wording of their press statement – a move that saw the victim change her mind. Both sides deny the other's version of events.
So the responses of Richmond's executives, from Brendon Gale down, have been queried. Gale, a male sporting champion of change, spoke on Tuesday of his abhorrence of violence towards women, but there has been a view he should have spoken immediately after the story became public.
Football boss Daniel Richardson's use of the word hiccup was attacked when referring to this latest Martin transgression.
So Martin has challenged his club all over again. The Richmond view is club bosses can do or say nothing truly of substance until they have all the facts. In the end, though, however deep his troubles and however low his tolerance for alcohol, Martin must be held accountable.
There can be specialised treatment of different souls at football clubs, but not leniency in a case such as this. And if Martin is found to have intimidated the woman to the point she felt at risk of a violent attack, then this is a matter for the police and not simply the AFL.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/victims-account-will-shape-richmond-tigers-star-dustin-martins-punishment-20151208-glipay.html
