Ouch! A 14-week suspension for a ‘stupid act’. It seems tough, but that’s the reality Collingwood defender Heath Shaw is facing for his involvement in a betting scandal. But why have the AFL come down so hard on him?
There’s no doubt Shaw has done something wrong.
After an investigation into the incident, it’s been revealed he leaked information to two people that Pies defender Nick Maxwell would be moved to start in the forward line against Adelaide in Round Nine.
To make matters worse, one of his mates then said he wanted to put a bet on Maxwell for first goal in the clash, which Shaw decided to get in on, giving him $10 towards a $20 bet on the Pies skipper.
However minor that incident may appear, it was a gross misjudgement.
For that specific game, Maxwell went from odds of $101 for first goal, down to $26, which suggests the leaked information certainly did the rounds.
Perhaps Shaw wasn’t alone (Maxwell was found to have told family members too), but he was the one who got caught.
The manner in which Shaw got caught too, was unbelievable. Collingwood football director Geoff Walsh labelled it the ‘height of stupidity’. Shaw was caught out through CCTV at a betting outlet.
At Friday’s hastily-arranged press conference, Shaw revealed: “I went down to the local TAB to put a few horse-racing bets on, as I usually would. I was with a mate and we were getting ready to leave and said ‘I think I might put $10 on Maxy, do you want some?’ and I said yeah.”
Watching Shaw speak it was obvious that he hadn’t realised the repercussions for that moment of misjudgement.
Of course, leaking the information was another error of judgement too. Maxwell has copped a $10,000 fine for that too.
However, the point is the AFL have found someone guilty of the crime and they’ve clamped down hard on him, to ensure others think twice in that potential moment of misjudgement.
Shaw has now copped a 14-week ban (with six suspended), meaning he’ll miss the next eight games of footy and will be well-short of match fitness and sharpness when he’s available again for Collingwood’s first final. It has put his place in the premiership favourite’s side at risk.
The punishment for Shaw will be a massive deterrent for others. And that’s all the AFL will want.
It may seem harsh, but it’ll go some way to ensuring this doesn’t happen again, and the image and integrity of the AFL is maintained.