An Australian rugby player was investigated last week after an opposing team accused the player of urinating in his shorts to scare off tacklers. You can’t make this stuff up.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the Wollongong Vikings sent a letter to the the Illawarra District Rugby Union (IDRU) accusing an Avondale player of urinating in his shorts to scare away tacklers. They even sent the league a photo that shows the player with a big stain around the crotch region on his shorts (picture here).
“It is either evidence that the player has urinated in his shorts immediately prior to the commencement of the game, or has applied some liquid to that area of his shorts so as to provide the same inference,” Vikings president Mark McDonald wrote.
“Either way, such conduct is contrary to the spirit of the game and in contravention of items 8 and 9 of the IDRU Code of Conduct.”
The player reportedly was accused of the same thing last season, but nothing was done to address it.
Unfortunately for the angry Vikings, the player was cleared of the accusation. He claimed he poured water on himself in response to taunts from the opposing fans.
“He’s denied the claim and there has to be a presumption of innocence,” IDRU chairman Peter Woods told the Illawarra Mercury.
‘‘He had wet shorts, but there’s no evidence to back up claims the wetness was urine.
‘‘If someone had made a statement saying they tackled the bloke and he stunk of urine then we’d look at it, but [the player] has denied what is alleged.
‘‘We only became aware of this allegation on Tuesday.
‘‘The crowd [at the game] was brought up as a factor, but there’s no further evidence to suggest he’s done what is alleged.’’
The player may have been cleared of the allegation, but we all know athletes will do anything to gain an edge on their competition. Some just have different methods than others.
H/T Off the Bench
