I'm also very conscious of how severe depression is and the impact it can have on people from all walks of life.

But I'm not one of these bleeding hearts that believes Cronulla and NSW captain Paul Gallen has been treated harshly by the NRL in the wake of a foul tweet he posted recently.

He copped exactly what he deserved.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not Gallen's biggest fan, but in saying that I've heard him interviewed on Sky Sports Radio's Big Sports Breakfast program a number of times and believe his honesty and candidness is refreshing in a day and age when sports stars are almost robotic in the answers they give during interviews.

But dropping a C-bomb when talking about your employer on social media is simply not on.

A well-worn line since his punishment was revealed is spot on. If I posted a tweet or put something on Facebook talking about my bosses that way I'd be lucky to keep my job.

Gallen was fined $50,000, which to you and me is a large chunk of money, but for a bloke on hundreds of thousands of dollars a year plus endorsements plus rep payments plus boxing payments, it's quite justified.

Days after the whole thing hit the headlines, a Sydney newspaper came out with a story about how Gallen has battled depression for the past couple of years in the wake of the Cronulla supplements scandal.

I'm not denying that may be true and, if it is, I hope he gets all the support he needs to conquer his demons, because we all know how situations of depression can end up.

But his depression is not an excuse for what he did.

The fact is he was drunk in Hawaii when he posted the tweet, and to his credit a short time later he removed it.

Whether you like him or not, Gallen is a big figure in the game of rugby league due to the prestige that goes with being NSW captain and Australian vice-captain.

He should know better.

The task for him now is simply to put his head down, cop his punishment on the chin and get on with preparing for his next fight and a return to the field in 2015.