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Parker: Politis has to live with hypocrisy in Radley sanctions
Corey Parker • September 19th, 2025 9:59 am
Coach, Trent Robinson went into bat for Victor Radley.
On Thursday, he pleaded the case for him.
By the end of the meeting, he had convinced the chairman and selectors that a 10-week suspension accompanied by no pay over that period and a $30K fine to donate to charity was more than sufficient.
It was also a way to show the rest of the rugby league world that they had dealt with this drug saga.
Politis then came out and made a statement, which sort of backed him into a corner a little bit.
He will have to live with a little bit of hypocrisy, given what he had said (about the club’s approach to drug users).
He said: ‘I think, if the grounds were there for us to rip up his contract, we would have, but we didn't, we didn't have that.
‘We took the most severe course of action. Available to us. Tell me which other club would have imposed sanctions the way that we did.
‘If you look at the definition of zero tolerance, it's the harshest punishment you can impose on a person that is available to you.’
What I want to know is where does he actually pay it?
Where does that money go? We know $30,000 will go to the hospital, OK.
But $140,000 (in salary), where does that money go? It's not the Rooster's money.
It's the NRL who tips into the salary cap. So where does that $140k go?
Does it just get tipped onto his next year's contract?
Or does it Go somewhere?
The only people that know are the finance people at the club, and or Victor.
What can the club do? You can only have a certain amount of people on your books.
They can go out and get a train and trial, for example, but, it's a little bit murky.
The deeper question is; he wasn't alone on the Sunshine Coast.
The deeper question is; he wasn't alone on the Sunshine Coast.
So if I was in the same predicament, do you leave your mate out on a rock by himself, or do you put your hand up?
Will any other players speak up?
The deeper you dive into it, the more questions you are presented with.
