We don't need to be in the court room. He was found guilty and was told to do unpaid work.

The club gave him a formal warning.

End of matter!

No need to be sacked or docked pay!

They obviously didn't send him to your house either

pryces conduct would also come under gross misconduct

there are plenty of ways sts could keep the young lad on, in and around the club, but didnt, which is fine and their choice.

and i dont dispute it makes more sense from a business point of view, and that is what saints are a business

what i object to is the dishonesty in presenting the sacking of the lad as a 'principled' decision when it clearly wasnt and the crass hypocrisy in hanging the kid out to dry, stating the importance of 'sending a message' and a youthteam players responsibility as 'a role model' and the need to show his actions werent acceptable as reasons for him needing to be fired, but not applying the same principles to a convicted drunk driver and a TWICE convicted violent criminal

Not a chance in hell saints could have kept a player who was banned for 2yrs for taking drugs!

Pryce has not done anything work related to justify sacking him.

If pryce had gone down then that's different.

Why isn't he suspended without pay until he completes his community work then?

Waa waa waa

Would you be suspended without pay from your job?

Even if it had nothing to do with your job at all

no, it isnt.

it would be the same

if saints sacked the youngster because of a principle, that they take seriously the responsibility of being 'role models', then it is at the very least warped morality to judge his offence worse than cayless' and both of pryces. especially as his didnt even result in criminal proceedings, at worst the have judged cayless and pryce above the principles they are pretending they have

if they sacked him simply because it was the easiest option, it was cheap and hypocritical to moralise about it as they did

I wouldn't have thought so because Pryce's crime was not work-related. Usually gross misconduct charges relate directly to conduct within the workplace - for example stealing from the till (if your job uses one) or fiddling the accounts, or yelling at a customer. I should think that Pryce's crime comes under bringing the club/sport into disrepute and probably that is why he has been given a formal warning (which usually preceeds a firing, pending a further offence).


First of all, drugs are illegal. No club can countenance the use of an illegal substance. Secondly, if they are peformance enhancing, that is cheating and indeed would come under gross misconduct as a result. Thirdly, drugs are dangerous: he could be at risk on the pitch and be a risk to other players on the pitch due to the effects of the drug while in use. That point would also apply to alcohol. Fourthly, the lad you speak of was just that - a lad. From the outset the club has to make it clear that drugs cannot be tolerated. He will have known the club's anti-drug policy from the outset. That he chose to ignore it is his responsibility. He is still young enough to return to the sport and make good in it. That is up to him. And other young hopefuls seeing what happened to him will likely not take the club's rules so lightly themselves, which can only be a good thing for them and the club, especially if they show real talent.

Pryce, however, got involved in a stupid act in support of his mate not only outside of the workplace but in a different county. Also, I actually think Pryce could end up being quite a good role model through this. He has displayed very well how to deal with your own failures. He has taken endless humiliation with remarkable strength, balance and sometimes obvious good humour. Being a role model to young people isn't about being perfect because perfect is unattainable. It's about being an inspiration and to some young people having a professional sports person admit their failing, take the flak like a man and then go on to turn it all around will be inspirational.

He was tested positive at the club for taking drugs!

We was then banned by rfl for 2 years!

How can you pay a player for 2 years after he was banned for 2 years!!!!

To be fair had this been a reserve player or a player with less of a profile within the team/sport this would never have received any more coverage than half a day on the Sky Sports News ticker and a few articles on the pages of the local papers.

I also doubt it would have seen so many cries of faux injustice as we have seen on here since the matter became public.

The board have done all they have needed to do in this instance as the matter has been dealt with by the courts and as the offence took place out of 'work hours'.

Spot on saintsfan

It was a simple question

Cunningham?! What's he alleged to have done?!

*cue 20 million posts on something I've missed......*

No I'd be sacked. Dragging the companys good name down, or at the very least be bottom of promotion pile.

Fact is you would never ban him, he's your pivitol player, lose him for a few games then lose more than you win.

doesnt matter, it would still be a firing offence

the kid wasnt charged, also, having drugs in your system isnt illegal, as does a criminal conviction tfor violent crime or drunk driving
not anywhere near as dangerouse as violent crime or drunk driving, or even speeding
unlikely but all the more reason to help the kid Fourthly,so sts dont tell players violent crime cannot be tolerated? are they telling them drunk driving will be tolerated? and other young hopefuls will see drink driving and violent crime as ok?

so a twice convicted violent criminal deserves the opportunity for immediate redemption but a young kid who hurt no one must wait two years?

Don't get involved with him pal.

He more trouble than it's worth

Why should he be?

Smokey, I think I've seen your posts on this subject before? In an earlier thread when the lad was suspended?

I have worked in Human Resources. I know that gross misconduct and bringing the organisation into disrepute are different charges and the former applies to the workplace. If I was bonking my boss in the office I would be guilty of gross misconduct. If I bonked him in the local woods, I would not, but I may be guilty of bringing the organisation into disrepute (in fact, I believe just such an event occurred at St Helens Council a few years ago when someone was caught on CCTV bonking in the car park above M&S and was fired for bringing the council into disrepute!)

The club has not condoned Pryce's crime. Far from it. They have stated quite clearly that the punishment handed down by the court is sufficient and that they have given him a formal warning. They have also stated that they have taken into consideration his own attitude towards his offence, which is crucial, especially in terms of being a role model. Pryce has exhibited the kind of attitude that is positive within the context of a negative event.

you dont, you sack him, you say we dont want to pay this guy for two years when he cant play, so we will save ourselves a bit of money,


you dont pretend you are making a moral or principled decision, it makes you look cheap and silly when you stick by a cayless or a pryce

Dragging your good companys name down?

Why would it be all over then news and newspapers if you did it?

Following normal patterns, this is his second offence so should have a written warning followed by the sack should he re-offend.

Ok pal. Why ain't the RFL done anything.

From what you are saying he has given rugby a bad name.

Sorry pal but you are talking pure rubbish.

I think you want pryce to have a more severe punishment because he is a star name.

because the rfl are toothless, they couldnt if they wanted

also im not arguing anything should be done to pryce, simply the morals and principles of sts should apply equally to Pryce as a youth team player, and when they dont it makes the club look cheap and hypocritical