Bulldogs player who was forced to wrestle more than 12 teammates is considering lawsuit against NRL club after failed meeting with footy bosses
Bulldogs player who was forced to wrestle over a dozen teammates considers lawsuit against NRL club after botched meeting with footy bosses
- The Bulldogs player forced to wrestle with teammates is considering pressing charges against the club
- The fringe team member was penalized after coaches said he arrived late
- A meeting with football bosses failed to produce a reconciliation, reports suggest
The Bulldogs star at the center of an explosive training penalty row is reportedly considering taking legal action against the club.
The football world was turned upside down this week when reports emerged of a fringe player who was forced to wrestle with more than 20 teammates after coaches believed he had arrived late for training.
The Canterbury players are said to have experienced the punishment as ‘fairly normal’ and the player in question has left the club and refused to return.
Now the Daily Telegraph reports that a meeting with club bosses, including director of football Phil Gould, failed to lead to a reconciliation, and the player is now considering his next move.
The club has reportedly promised to continue providing help if the player is dealing with mental health issues.
The Canterbury star at the center of the training penalty row is considering legal action. Pictured is Bulldogs director Phil Gould leaving Belmore. He has met with the player and the coaching staff
The penalty would involve the player taking on twenty of their teammates one-by-one in a wrestling exercise known as “shark bait.” The incident happened five weeks ago.
The player claims that the schedule required the players to arrive at Belmore Park at 8:00am to be strapped in before starting practice at 8:30am.
Since he didn’t need strapping, he thought he was 20 minutes early.
The Telegraph reports that he trained for two hours before being sentenced, and that he “could barely get himself off the floor.”
One player said anonymously, “After it happened I was like ‘what the hell was that?’ It was pretty ordinary. Many players didn’t want to do it.’
A second player, who has left the club, said he left because of the Canterbury environment.
A meeting with bosses, including Phil Gould, failed to produce a reconciliation, reports suggest
“I just didn’t like being there,” he said.
Many other players felt the same way. It had nothing to do with hard work… it was just the environment.”
It has also been suggested that a number of Canterbury players are angry with Ciraldo for publicly criticizing their work ethic in recent weeks.
One player said: ‘No one is afraid to work hard. That’s never been the problem.’