I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there has been a fair bit written and discussed when it comes to Clayton Oliver and all aspects of his life recently.
What, you missed it?
How could that be possible? We’ve heard that he bends windscreen wipers for fun on the way home from training, kicks walls at parties, and let’s not forget all the hustle and bustle and will he/won’t he about his potential trade away from Melbourne.
Far out, I was expecting Tom Morris to give us an exclusive about how Oliver sleeps in a a special oxygen tent that gives him sexual powers, the way things were going.
As an aside, if anyone has one of those tents, let me know. It’s for… a friend.
For the most part, it has been open season on Clayton Oliver over the past month, with journalists seeming to tip-toe around an issue without ever coming out and stating it, as though this is where their moral line is drawn. Do they not realise that hinting at things is likely WORSE? That’s because it allows people to draw their own conclusions and in a way, it is like allowing a kid to choose their own punishment – it’s always worse than you were going to give them.
BREAKING – Joel Smith was with Clayton Oliver the night he was rushed to hospital.
Front page story, apparently
Whilst I wouldn’t wipe my arse with anything printed in the Herald Sun (or Zero Hangar if they actually ever printed anything), what do you think they are trying to say with these stories? What is their angle? Where are they leading you?
Two more likes in 11 hours than this sort crap deserves, really
You know damn well where they’re leading you. Sadly, quite a few are happy to be led there.
I have a question, though – if there is such a push to look after players and their mental health, as the league likes to ram down our throats, where do these organisations get off making these connections that leave little to the imagination? And why is it okay to do this to Oliver, but everyone has just shut up and not said anything about the fact Tim Membrey was pulled from the Elimination Final after suffering a “personal health matter” the night before?
I should make this clear – I am not advocating that they should be reporting on Membrey – not at all. I am saying that Membrey’s situation should be the standard to which the media hold themselves, allowing the player and his family the time, space, and support required to get things right.
Think about it – how many stories have you seen on Membrey over the past month?
A quick google search turns up… nothing since the 12th of September. On that account, the media have done the right thing. But in Oliver’s case, they’re lining up to knock the bloke down, salivating over the next detail they can “break”.
My hope is that all this “breaking” doesn’t leave the player broken.
I seem to remember a former Essendon coach and a great of the game admitting that he thought about taking his own life in the wake of his dismissal from Essendon. He also spent five weeks in a psychiatric facility following an overdose of sleeping pills.
Have we learnt nothing?
Have they learnt nothing?
Being first with the news for a few clicks is, in this case, just bloody wrong. However, as AFL fans consume this type of tabloid rubbish, share it, and comment on it, it will continue. It is a sad state that we find footy journalism in, as a result.
In both Oliver’s and Membrey’s cases, privacy was requested. And it’s about time it was granted.
I wish the players mentioned in this article, and their families, all the absolute best as they deal with whatever it is they’re dealing with.
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