Last year, Cumbria’s professional rugby clubs backed a campaign to call out violence against women and girls.
The thinking was: “As men, we can have a lot of influence of our peers and highlighting when a friend, family member or even a stranger is acting inappropriately or in an intimidating manner towards women may have more impact that we think.”
Now in a just a short eight months later, those fine words ring hollow for Whitehaven RL.
Their captain was convicted of assault and harassment of a woman.
Their decision not to comment is, quite simply, baffling.
A captain of a sports team should lead by example; not just for his (or her) team-mates but, for a professional club, also for the wider community.
These are the athletes the community goes to cheer on – they may not be Premier League footballers but they are our celebrities, lauded for their prowess on the pitch.
They are in also in the public eye and as a result their moves off the pitch are also watched and commented upon.
And if you’re reading this thinking to yourself ‘well, we don’t know what went on’ – we don’t actually need to know.
All we need to remember is that he pleaded guilty in a court of law, where all the facts were in evidence and he was sentenced.
If Whitehaven truly do back the police’s Call It Out campaign, they need to put their money where their mouth is.
Does Dion Aiye really have a place in their team? What does that say to their fans and the wider community?
By saying they will ‘not comment further’ on the matter – are they tacitly giving Aiye a pass, when it should be a red card?
