A crotch-grabbing incident that happened during a Six Nations ruby match between England and Wales may result in English rugby star Joe Marler being suspended.
29-year-old Marler was caught on camera grabbing Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones’ crotch during a heated moment on the field last Saturday.
The incident was widely shared on social media.
England prop Joe Marler caught on camera grabbing Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones' GENITALS during on-field melee in Six Nations clash at Twickenham..
Hang on thats just not cricket! pic.twitter.com/dNfvQa2GxF
— D.N.S. (@DubaiNameShame) March 8, 2020
Some viewed it as as just a light-hearted moment between two friendly competitors…
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Seriously, just get a f*cking life already you woke obsessed twats… #JoeMarler pic.twitter.com/EwXp6zRwPh
— Bob Fleming (@BobCough) March 9, 2020
#ENGvWAL snowflakes out in force today. FYI #joemarler is not a criminal and Manu Tuilagi did not deserve a red card
— Paul Winter (@Podgepaul) March 7, 2020
There are now two types of people in the world – those who laughed at this @JoeMarler incident, and those who think he should be arrested.
I'm in the first category.
Those in the second are f*cking exhausting. pic.twitter.com/DEHmkTkQ5a— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 8, 2020
Others saw it as a textbook definition of sexual misconduct…
If a man grabbed another man's crotch in the workplace, he'd be seen as a scumbag. Similarly if a woman done it to another. But of course because its hilarious English icon Joe Marler, it's funny. Fucking clowns
— David Mc (@exputex4life) March 9, 2020
Surprising number of rugby fans who are letting us all know that they’d be quite happy to have their dicks grabbed cos it’s just “banter”…. #joemarler #alunwynjones pic.twitter.com/AixtfAsMY8
— Pete Jeffrey (@petejeffrey) March 8, 2020
People reacting to Joe Marler grabbing Alun Wyn Jones by the balls like it's just a bit of craic are part of the reason why men don't report sexual assualt. I don't care what the circumstance, its never OK to grab someone by the genitals. Why is that so hard to understand?
— Rachel O'Neill (@ronronzo) March 7, 2020
Of course, the only person whose opinion really matters is Jones himself, since he’s the one who was grabbed.
When asked about the incident, the 34-year-old father of two didn’t seem very happy about the whole thing, telling a reporter “Hopefully, World Rugby will have a look at it.”
Jones went on to say that a lot of people saw the footage and have been supportive of him, but he expressed doubt over whether Marler would face any consequences.
? Alun Wyn Jones on the Marler incident pic.twitter.com/YleT7Cw1VL
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) March 7, 2020
For his part, Marler is calling the whole thing “bollocks.” In a since-deleted tweet written in response to the backlash he’s been receiving, he wrote: “Bollocks. Complete bollocks.”
Shortly after writing the tweet, however, Marler deactivated his account.
Officials from Six Nations have determined Marler did, in fact, infringe upon Law 9.27 which prohibits “anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship.” The rule includes “grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals.”
A disciplinary hearing is scheduled for later today. Marler could face suspension from anywhere between 12 weeks to four years for his behavior.
Related: WATCH: Wardrobe malfunction causes “cheeky offload” at pro rugby match
jayceecook
It wasn’t funny in 1988 and it’s not funny now. At least when it’s not between two friends who are familiar with each other’s boundaries. In that situation there is often an unspoken form of consent that exists. This isn’t one of them. This is a D-bag groping his opponent’s genitals as some weird perceived act of humiliation and dominance. I don’t care if “it happens all the time” or “this is how sports culture is” or any of that other classless macho horseshite. The guy he groped was obviously and naturally uncomfortable with the act. If this happened at any other workplace Marler would probably be fired and possibly facing charges.
If Marler wants to diddle some D there are many places where dudes will freely and happily let it do it.
SELA Rising
Correction Piers, there are 3 kinds… those that think its hot!
BShade77
what if a gay guy did that to a straight guy on the field?
Smith David
Fight. Hands thrown.
But, because he has proof of his heterosexuality, it’s brushed under the rug. It would be homophobia at the highest levels. That’s just the way of the world.
djmcgamester
Footage of this behavior goes back decades. Alun Wyn Jones wasn’t too broken up about it. Note that he made the reporter really get specific about the “incident”. Given that in the end he said the focus should be on the game and not this other stuff, it seems like it’s not that big of a deal to him. He also looked sort of amused by it all moments after it happened.
jayceecook
Proof that two people can watch the same thing and come away with different opinions. To me it seems he kept asking the reporter to specify because he wanted what happened to be named for what it was, not some silly euphemism. Also, in the footage of the actual incident Alun Wyn Jones does not look pleased at all by what went down and even tried to bring it to the ref’s attention. Something he mentioned in the press conference. He also asked the reporter what he would do. Then agreed with his answer not because he thought it was okay but because he didn’t want to get a penalty. His focus being on the match in the moment not revenge. And while he did say Marler is a “good bloke” he also said, “Hopefully, World Rugby will have a look at it.”
Just because Jones didn’t curl up in a ball in a corner and cried himself silly over what happened doesn’t mean “it’s not that big of a deal to him”. More like he’s used to inappropriate stuff like this happening during a match and doubts anything serious will come of it so what’s the point of making an issue out of it. It’s more apathy than anything else.
The fact that people are attacking Jones saying he wouldn’t have asked for officials to step in had they won against England just goes to show you how people really feel about this kind of behavior. As is the stupid suggestion by former players that Jones attend the disciplinary hearing and grab his own balls in support of his “mate”. Or the suggestion that Marler did it to ease tensions between the two teams so cooler heads could prevail.
But all that is sort of moot now. Marler got a 10 week suspension at his hearing today. I guess he’ll have some free time to find other dudes to grope.
djmcgamester
Footage of this behavior goes back decades. Alun Wyn Jones wasn’t too broken up about it. Note that he made the reporter really get specific about the “incident”. Given that in the end he said the focus should be on the game and not this other stuff, it seems like it’s not that big of a deal to him.
GorgeousNotGeorge
well the funny part is its in the rules that he can’t do that. they put that there for a reason. especially since you its on view of everyone and on video.
justyouandi
Evvvvvvrybody’s a victim! Why don’t we all just wear a sign on our chests to inform the world of all the ways we’ve been victimized?!
Context is everything. In this context it does happen all the time and it’s a part of the camaraderie. I don’t doubt that it was someone outside the game who insisted that there be a rule against this.
People spend their lives looking for ways to be offended and ruin it for everybody else!
MISTERJETT
he was digging for dick!!!!!