Damaging leak gets Tiger skipper banned
March 23, 2008 - 9:43PM
Richmond captain Kane Johnson will be suspended from the club's upcoming match against North Melbourne after being the second AFL player in days caught urinating in public.
In a stunning display of poor judgment, after Carlton star Brendan Fevola was sanctioned for a similar offence last week, Johnson was caught urinating outside a police complex in Melbourne's St Kilda Road.
The incident occurred about 2am (AEDT) Sunday, with Johnson arrested and charged with being drunk in a public place and scheduled to face court on April 22.
Johnson admitted to his own "stupidity" and volunteered to sit out next Sunday's match against the Kangaroos at Telstra Dome as his penalty.
The club accepted that decision and will also fine him $5,000.
Johnson had been celebrating his 30th birthday with family and friends at his own home, which is next to the police complex, before the incident.
"I deeply regret my actions, I'm disappointed that I've let the club, our supporters and my teammates down," Johnson said in a statement.
"As captain, I have preached a message that I've failed to uphold.
"Fronting my teammates at the next training session will be the most difficult time I face in football.
"I take full responsibility for my behaviour and accept the penalty that the club has imposed."
Johnson also volunteered to take up an educational role in the community.
"I have reflected on the stupidity of my actions and plan to educate the community and in particular young kids about the dangers of binge drinking," he said.
Richmond director of football Greg Miller said while Johnson's action was disappointing, it was completely out of character.
Johnson's behaviour is particularly embarrassing for the club given comments made by coach Terry Wallace in the wake of the Fevola episode.
While declining to comment on Fevola last week, Wallace paid tribute to his own leadership group and said his players' behaviour over the off-season had been "exemplary".
Johnson's suspension is at odds with the stance taken by Carlton, with the Blues clearing their star to play in last Thursday night's season-opener against Richmond, after he was caught on camera urinating outside a nightclub last weekend.
But Fevola was fined $10,000, stood down from the club's leadership group, ordered to undergo counselling and warned that another similar incident in the future would result in his sacking.
Melbourne's Brock McLean is another player to have been stood down from his club's leadership group in the pre-season, after several driving misdemeanours.
By his own admission, Johnson was coming off a personally disappointing season in 2007, in which his club finished with the wooden spoon.
His performance against Carlton was a vast improvement on his form for most of last year, with the Tigers' win also a much brighter start, after they failed to win any of their first 11 games in 2007.
But this incident will take some of the gloss off that positive start.
Johnson is a two-time premiership player with Adelaide in 1997-98 and the only player on Richmond's list with premiership experience.
He had been due to play his 100th match for the Tigers on Sunday, after notching 104 games with the Crows, but that milestone will now come against Collingwood the following Sunday.
http://news.realfooty.com.au/damaging-leak-gets-tiger-skipper-banned/20080323-213k.html
