I agree Vin - I don't understand at all why she has had to go. As Fran said, gardening leave would have been the best bet I reckon. He misled the club, it's not her fault.
Yep, the token resignation. Had to be the woman with enough guts to fall on her sword [if that is the appropriate idiom].
I see from Sky (and BBC) that Margaret Byrne has admitted she was told about the kissing and messages last May. This answers my question from my previous post. Apparently she didn't tell anyone else at the club. Hard to understand why she thought he shouldn't be suspended as, legality aside, it was clearly inappropriate behaviour for a player. Normal action in the workplace is to suspend pending an investigation which I would imagine couldn't take place until after the court case. A curious decision for a solicitor. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35757828
Not interested in getting into a dispute, but surely he was guilty the moment that he committed the offence, that he knew contravened the law, not when he pleaded guilty in court. Pleading guilty was just a public confirmation of his guilt, several months after the offence had been committed.
Yep. So this isn't a standard innocent to proven guilty thing imo. They had evidence that he had engaged in kissing and sexual behaviour with a minor. But decided to cover it up. You would be sacked in a everyday job.
I feel you're missing a massive factor and that is he confessed to the club about meeting and kissing the girl. Regardless of the law of the land, the club must have its own code of conduct and that was not applied. think many Sunderland supporters are ashamed of the clubs actions over this.
Agree there. Can't differentiate - if he got away with this one being swept under the carpet, he may well go on to take his chances with other underage fans, and this time get further with it.
No, but I bet you Jimmy Saville's first sex crime wasn't the same as his last. Possibly got away with something similar to what Johnson hasn't, for example. Someone picking that up then would have meant hundreds of victims lives would have turned out immeasurably differently. Likewise, it is just tough luck that Adam Johnson committed his crime in a post-Yewtree world where well-known, public figures who commit this type of crime need to be made an example of. So if he gets ten years (which I doubt he will), that's just his bad timing, and it will be the right level of sentencing given the context.
Hang on guys aren't we making assumptions after the fact here? Firstly hm actually kissing the girl surely is not against the law? Or is it.....don't think it is? It has now been proved he did more than that (Beefy mate in the beginning there was no proof) The media and us just assumed he was guilty of something. I have sympathy with the Sunderland CEO or whatever she was as I am assuming that he wasn't exactly open and honest with her either. However, if it was her decision alone without discussing it with her board then yes I understand why she resigned. If it was a board decision then they should come out and say so! Although as chairman very often they do resign for reasons such as this I will accept. Equally though as I said for me it would depend how she made the earlier decision. Edit.... Didn't see the sky news of her not discussing it with others before posting.
Grooming a child and French kissing her is illegal....classed as sexual activity. Kiss on cheek fine, but stuff you wouldn't do to your mother....no.
If she actually saw the messages beefy not if he just told her he had text her a few times. That isn't against the law on its own. If she saw the messages then he should have been sacked on the spot...don't you think?
That was my understanding as well, the un-suspension was not right. I think there was a less than fully frank statement after the end of the trial as well. Unfortunate that it has come to this for her however.
Anyone remember Bill Wyman and the Mandy Smith incident ? How did he not get arrested and not prosecuted? Took from his wiki page..... On 2 June 1989, aged 52, Wyman married 18-year-old Mandy Smith whom he had been dating since she was 13 and he was 47 years old. According to Smith, their relationship was sexually consummated when she was 14 years old.[22] Their relationship was the subject of considerable media attention. The marriage ended in spring 1991, although the divorce was not finalised until 1993.[23] In 1993, while Wyman was still married to Smith, Stephen, his son from his first marriage, married Smith's mother.[22]
I think the point I was trying to make was it depended how he dressed up how he kissed her. I am pretty sure he wouldn't have said he put his tongue down her throat..... Would he? I am just surmising here Fran non of us should assume she knew everything as has come out in court.
Yes he probably did but not to the chairman I wouldn't have thought. Other wise he would surely have been sacked on the spot?
We'll never know what the Chairman knew or thought in this case, but plenty of people have behaved badly in the work place and been allowed to get away with it. Someone told me just the other day that a man had grabbed the chair she was on and slung her across the room, but she had to let it ago or she would face being demoted if she couldn't cope in a male environment. Wrong, but it happens.
I don't think you can say any of that with absolute certainty. Saville has been found to have offended on numerous occasions, AJ just this time. The rest is speculation. We simply can't know if he has done it before as he hasn't admitted it or he hasn't been found guilty of anything else. He was found to have been a serial cheater with a string of other messages and contact to other women but it wasn't inferred these were under age, as that would have been relevant to this case. Still don't see why he should be made an example of as he should receive the punishment that is befitting to the crime. His being a well paid professional football player is irrelevant as his being in the public demain isn't his fault it comes with the job, and not everyone can manage that part. If they could you wouldn't perhaps have any of them being alcoholic or drug abusers or causing death by dangerous driving etc.
