Days since NRL scandal: 0
The NRL season kicked off this weekend in true Rugby League style: one of its star players was arrested.
It has been alleged that Benji Marshall assaulted a man in the wee-small hours of Saturday morning, after a group of men racially vilified him outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Sydney’s Rocks.
The West Tigers star, who is the ‘face’ of the 2011 campaign, promoted all that is clean and healthy about the game by punching a man. Marshall claims he was provoked into a fight after a slew of racial insults, which would have to make him the first man in history to be taunted in the city at 3:30am.
The question must be raised: is racism overlooked in some situations and spotlighted in others? When it is OK to retaliate with violence? Marshall was allegedly called a ”black c—” and told to ”f— off back to New Zealand’. This xenophobic behaviour is obviously not appropriate, however should it be used as vindication? It is unlikely that your run-of-the-mill weekend assailant would be granted clemency by using this as an excuse.
In other news 637 Indian cab drivers were racially vilified over the weekend – they kept working.
