'Any abusive comments are plainly unacceptable': The worrying social media warning contained in the Mike Brown red card written judgment
Harlequins have issued a statement confirming they have now received the full written judgement into the disciplinary hearing that resulted in Mike Brown receiving a six-match ban, a suspension that means he will not play for the club again prior to his move to Newcastle on a two-year deal.
Brown was banned for stamping on Wasps’ Tommy Taylor last weekend, foul play that led to his sending off for Harlequins by referee Wayne Barnes at The Stoop. “The club can confirm it is now in receipt of the full written judgment following full-back Mike Brown’s sending off vs Wasps on May 9 and subsequent suspension,” read the statement.
“The club and player will now carefully consider their position. Harlequins continue to support Mike, who has been part of our family for 17 years, as a player and person. The club will make no further comment at this time.”
An eleven-page judgment posted on the disciplinary section of the RFU website has now outlined what actually happened at the hearing, including how Brown presented character reference letters from the likes of Harlequins assistant Nick Evans, his former club boss John Kingston and his old England coach Stuart Lancaster.
A postscript at the end of the document from panel chairman Matthew Weaver also hit out at the social media commentary that surrounded last weekend’s incident. Weaver wrote: “As is clear from the decision above, the panel were unanimous that this was not a deliberate stamp by the player.
"There were a lot of bum taps and hugs but it was more about celebrating the emotion of the win"
– What unfolded in Harlequins' dressing room last Sunday after Brown's red card was followed by a dramatic Premiership victory https://t.co/pNixDnUYFD
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 13, 2021
“This decision was reached after a detailed review of video footage (from a number of angles and at various speeds, including frame by frame) and hearing from the player directly at length. The player was clearly remorseful and conducted himself throughout the process in a manner that does him much credit.
“Whilst the panel understands that every rugby supporter is entitled to voice their own views on incidents within matches via social media, it is hoped that this decision provides sufficient information for any views expressed on this incident (and indeed on the player) to be informed and based primarily on the facts of the incident.
“Any abusive comments aimed at the player (whether generally or as a result of this incident) are plainly unacceptable, inconsistent with the values and core principles of rugby and condemned by the panel.”
Earlier in the written judgment, the evidence presented by Brown at the hearing outlined what in his opinion had happened when he tangled with Taylor when Harlequins were defending their line. “The player talked the panel through the incident by reference to the video footage, taken frame by frame. He explained that he was 35 years old and had been a professional rugby player since he was 18, spending his entire career to date at Harlequins.
“He has played 351 games for Harlequins and won 72 caps for England. He described his approach to the game as hard, tough and physical but never overstepping the mark and always being respectful to opponents.
“He was clear that this was not a deliberate act and that the thought of stamping on another player’s head had never entered his mind, whether on this occasion or throughout his career. The player explained that he knew Taylor from England camps and got on well with him. There was absolutely no bad feeling between the two men.
“The player described what he was trying to do during the incident. He explained that he was trying to return to the game as quickly as possible, something that his club constantly encourages and expects, particularly given that his team were defending their own try line at the time. He attempted to avoid falling to the ground to maximise the chances of him returning to the game as quickly as possible.
“He was being held by Taylor on his upper body and on his left leg. As he tried to go back into the game, he became unbalanced and when he placed his right leg on the ground, he felt immediately that he had made contact with something other than the ground (namely, Taylor’s head/face) and attempted to remove all weight and force from his right leg by hopping.
“This action caused him to fall onto the ground but was intended to avoid putting any force through his right leg. The player denied that Taylor’s actions had caused him to become frustrated and to lash out in any way.
“When asked about the unnatural looking placement to his right leg (i.e. towards Taylor rather than to the player’s right) the player explained that as he was unbalanced, he was simply attempting to correct his balance and stop himself leaning (and possibly falling) to the left. He maintained that he was focused on the game and not on Taylor and that as soon as he was aware of making contact with Taylor, he attempted to take all weight or force out of his right leg.
“The player confirmed that when he got to his feet, he turned around to check how Taylor was and did not return to the game until a physio attended Taylor on the pitch. After receiving the red card, the player felt that it was important to speak to Taylor and apologise for what was an accident in his view.”
- To read the eleven-page judgment, click here
"There was no shortage of interest"
– It has taken a while for Harlequins to get from Gustard's January exit to getting down to the last "one or two" candidates https://t.co/xmJcVA4BVi
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 13, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
It was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to comments