The sport has lurched from one damaging headline to the next as a cavalcade of stars including Jarryd Hayne, Ben Barba, Scott Bolton, Dylan Napa, Adam Elliott, Dylan Walker and Jack de Belin have been accused of - or pleaded guilty to - a series of acts ranging from lewd, to crude, to serious indictable. Even by rugby league standards, it has been a terrible off-season.

But the issue that remains a talking point is the question of whether or not a player charged with a serious offence should be allowed to continue playing while waiting for the case to be heard.

The St George Illawarra Dragons have threatened to take the matter further after their star forward Jack de Belin was stood down by the NRL as he defends a charge of aggravated sexual assault, relating to an off-season incident.

The club - and the Rugby League Players' Association - argue de Belin (and the Sea Eagles' Dylan Walker, who has also been stood down) has been denied the basic principle of innocence until proven guilty.

The NRL has clearly wrestled with the same argument, but made the only decision it could. No-one would benefit from Jack de Belin or Dylan Walker continuing to play a high-profile sport while facing such serious charges. 

The NRL is not pre-judging these cases, but it also has a responsibility to protect the sport and its brand. Already they are seeing sponsors drop off so the NRL has a responsibility to do what it can to limit the damage.

And, most importantly, the NRL must be seen to be taking a strong stand against even the suggestion of violence against women. Playing in the NRL is a privilege afforded to only a few hundred players each year and they must accept that they will be held to a higher standard than the average worker.

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