Rugby manslaughter verdict

[SnakeEye]

An 18 year old has just been convicted of manslaughter after pile driving a player head first into the ground during a skirmish that happened away from the play during a High school match. Manny Castillo was just 15 years old & the accused was 16 at the time of the incident. The Castillo family did not want charges brought against this young man & I'd bet Manny would be in agreement. Will this verdict change anything that happens on the field - No! Contact sports are violent by their very nature ; emotions run high & things happen in a split second that can have life changing repercussions. Take the risks seriously cause they are & will be there forever unless as a society we say enough is enough.

[mpare]

If your point is that society should be saying that what happens on the field of play should be not be off limits to the courts, then I could not agree with you more. Anyone who acts in a manner calculated to inflict injury or harm on another during a game should be accountable to the law if the circumstances warrant. The fact is that the courts are rarely called upon to sanction eggregious conduct. This is so because everyone understands that injuries can occur quickly and "accidentally" in some sports. Police and prosecutors are careful to scrutinize all of the facts in assessing whether or not to lay charges. They are sensitive to the fact that the injuries were caused during a game. The courts are equally sensitive to that reality.

Society's interests are well served by prosecuting those whose actions have fallen outside the acceptable standards of conduct that are to be expected during the play of a game. By holding transgressors accountable for eggregious conduct the message is sent that everyone, including athletes, are expected to act reasonably. The heat of the game does not provide anyone with carte blanche to act unreasonably so as to imperil another. For my part that is a proper message to send to those who are either unwilling or incapable of controlling themselves.

... Take the risks seriously cause they are & will be there forever unless as a society we say enough is enough.

[goochy]

As a former professional Rugby player and current coach I have followed this case closely and it is a little more complex than you seem to suggest Snake-eye.
The incident in question happened nowhere near the ball and away from play. the victim was picked up and driven down onto the top of his head into the ground. The action was not accidental or unintentional. Obviously, he did not mean to kill the victim (hence the manslaughter charge) but he certainly meant to harm him and he was certainly not following the laws nor spirit of Rugby. Also, I think you will find the victim's family did not want charges laid initially, until they discovered the details of the incident, then they did.

This kind of violent behaviour has no place in any sport. If he did this on the street or in a pub he would have been treated the same...a Rugby field is still subject to the laws of the land.

Finally I have to disagree with you on one final point...I believe this verdict will change things. If it makes one more thug think twice before taking an action designed purely to harm another in the name of sport (yet alone for pity sake high school sport) then this young man did not die in vain.

[SnakeEye]

Will the courts message change anything that happens the next time tempers lead to dreadful outcomes ? When people loose it on the field of play there is no time for thinking unfortunately and it's more common then you might believe. With one refree a lot can take place away from the play that is not in the spirit of the game; I've seen all sorts of things during a match that one would go to jail for in pub . This ruling will not stop anyone in the heat of the moment.

[rancherJ]

Take the risks seriously cause they are & will be there forever unless as a society we say enough is enough.

umm... thanks for the heads up?

This ruling will not stop anyone in the heat of the moment

you suggest this conviction will be of no deterrent? how do we begin to say "enough is enough?"

[jonf]

I think there's a large difference between the fights and fisticuffs that can happen away from the play (the type of stuff I believe you're referring to) and the act of pile driving a guy into the ground, head first. Most people, in the heat of the moment, punch a guy, maybe kick him. Not pile drive a guy. You're right that this won't keep violence out of the game, but it may well stop someone from doing something as stupid and dangerous as pile driving a guy into the ground.

[goochy]

It should. Anyone who "loses it" during a game should really not be playing. If you pick someone up and pile drive them hard enough to kill them that is not a heat of the moment lashing out. That is extremely violent conduct which cannot and should not be tolerated. I am finding it very hard to see any way to condone this behaviour or justify it in any way.
He directly killed someone....not in any way incidental to the game (a huge tackle for example) but by doing something which is so far outside the accepted standards of conduct on a Rugby field that the courts were involved.
Anybody with this lack of discipline and violent tendancies has no place in sport.

[SnakeEye]

Without being at the game & just going by media reports -the player in question was in a head lock then it happened - he didn't just run over & pick the guy up out of the blue.

[jonf]

ya, generally if you're in a headlock...you don't kill someone. Generally.