Zak Hardaker

[sam4731]

For anyone defending him, I'm just curious to know what he'd have to do for him to lose your support.

Also before you defend him, think about whether you'd defend him if he crashed into and killed a family.

[phiggins]

22 minutes ago, Damien said:

If people want facts:

Zak Hardaker has been disqualified from driving for three years after being found guilty of drink-driving for a second time. Hardaker, a former Super League Man of Steel, has been charged with driving without due care and attention and driving over the prescribed limit of alcohol.

Hardaker, who currently plays for Challenge Cup winners Leigh Leopards, was charged at Leeds Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning. He also received a fine of £1,346.

In September 2018, Hardaker, now 32, was given a 20-month driving ban after admitting to being more than twice the drink-drive limit. It came at a time when he was serving a 14-month playing ban for cocaine use.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/zak-hardaker-drink-driving-banned-28633638

They are some of the facts, but not necessarily the full story. While he’s clearly in the wrong regardless, we don’t know the extent of the crime. If he’s had a skinful and jumped straight into the car then I’d expect Leigh to discipline, maybe even sack him. If he’s driven the day after, before enough booze left his system then I could understand if the stance is to let the legal punishment be sufficient. I’d trust Chester and Lam to make the correct call.

The statement from Leigh is poor though, probably concentrating too much on the rumours circulating that they wanted rid of him. You can condemn someone without forcing him out. 

[Just Browny]

29 minutes ago, Damien said:

If people want facts:

Zak Hardaker has been disqualified from driving for three years after being found guilty of drink-driving for a second time. Hardaker, a former Super League Man of Steel, has been charged with driving without due care and attention and driving over the prescribed limit of alcohol.

Hardaker, who currently plays for Challenge Cup winners Leigh Leopards, was charged at Leeds Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning. He also received a fine of £1,346.

In September 2018, Hardaker, now 32, was given a 20-month driving ban after admitting to being more than twice the drink-drive limit. It came at a time when he was serving a 14-month playing ban for cocaine use.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/zak-hardaker-drink-driving-banned-28633638

I won't rush to judgment until British justice has had its say, if it's OK by you.

 

[Damien]

5 minutes ago, Just Browny said:

I won't rush to judgment until British justice has had its say, if it's OK by you.

 

What an odd statement seeing as it has, shown in the very article you quote.

[WN83]

Leeds fans told Cas fans, who told Wigan fans, who reminded Leeds fans and then joined forces with those Leeds fans to tell Leigh fans that the lad is bad news. You’ll always get some fans of his current club trying to make excuses but the sport as a whole will be better when he’s out of it. Getting caught drink driving once is bad enough but twice? You have to wonder how many times he hasn’t been caught while doing it as well. 
 

I’ll await his couple of podcast appearances to put his excuses across with interest. 

[Leyther_Matt]

Hard to defend, really.

Would I sack him? I’d have certainly had a clause in his contract relating to any repeats of previous indiscretions, precisely such as this.

At the very least I think it would send the right message if he was given a club suspension for a period of time and in the meantime does some visible ‘community service’ around the club and town whilst also making a commitment for the remainder of his contract to do extra curricular work with road safety groups and the like.

The statement about ‘supporting’ him as if he was the victim is completely the wrong tone albeit not entirely surprising.

[Chrispmartha]

23 minutes ago, Just Browny said:

I won't rush to judgment until British justice has had its say, if it's OK by you.

 

Eh?

[sam4731]

37 minutes ago, phiggins said:

They are some of the facts, but not necessarily the full story. While he’s clearly in the wrong regardless, we don’t know the extent of the crime. If he’s had a skinful and jumped straight into the car then I’d expect Leigh to discipline, maybe even sack him. If he’s driven the day after, before enough booze left his system then I could understand if the stance is to let the legal punishment be sufficient. I’d trust Chester and Lam to make the correct call.

The statement from Leigh is poor though, probably concentrating too much on the rumours circulating that they wanted rid of him. You can condemn someone without forcing him out. 

Over twice the legal limit hardly suggests that he had any time for the alcohol to wear off.

[dkw]

37 minutes ago, Just Browny said:

I won't rush to judgment until British justice has had its say, if it's OK by you.

 

So your ignoring this bit then....

40 minutes ago, phiggins said:

Zak Hardaker has been disqualified from driving for three years after being found guilty of drink-driving for a second time.

 

[dkw]

His timing is impeccable as ever, done for drugs just before a cup final, now drink driving the day before a new season kicks off.

[Leyther_Matt]

13 minutes ago, dkw said:

His timing is impeccable as ever, done for drugs just before a cup final, now drink driving the day before a new season kicks off.

Two days for it to wear off before the first Leigh game, at least. 

[phiggins]

17 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

Over twice the legal limit hardly suggests that he had any time for the alcohol to wear off.

That was the 2018 charge wasn’t it? 

[georgeb1]

Never will change his spots, get shut degsy , the guy is a total waste of space

[Damien]

Some more details:

RUGBY league star Zak Hardaker has been sentenced by a court after flipping his car while drink driving.

The Leigh Leopards three-quarter, 32, was being followed by police when his car overturned in the early hours of January 31 near Knottingley in West Yorkshire.

His appearance in court comes on the eve of the new Betfred Super League season, with Leigh facing Huddersfield Giants in their opener on Friday night.

Leeds Magistrates’ Court was told Hardaker, of Pontefract, had dropped a friend off after going socialising when an unmarked police car began following him.

In his mitigation, it was heard the car was following close behind leading to him fearing he may be carjacked or that the car wanted to race, leading to him increasing his speed to at least 70mph in a residential area.

The prosecutor told the court police had to drive at 88mph to keep up with Hardaker.

When police turned the lights on, it was heard Hardaker put his brakes on but due to his speed lost control of the vehicle, leading to it flipping into a roadside embankment.

Hardaker blew 55 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath, in excess of the legal limit of 35mcg.

https://www.leighjournal.co.uk/news/24120511.leigh-leopards-players-car-flipped-over-drink-driving/

 

[Spidey]

He was afraid they wanted to race so he put his foot down as he didn’t want to lose

[GeordieSaint]

6 minutes ago, Damien said:

Some more details:

RUGBY league star Zak Hardaker has been sentenced by a court after flipping his car while drink driving.

The Leigh Leopards three-quarter, 32, was being followed by police when his car overturned in the early hours of January 31 near Knottingley in West Yorkshire.

His appearance in court comes on the eve of the new Betfred Super League season, with Leigh facing Huddersfield Giants in their opener on Friday night.

Leeds Magistrates’ Court was told Hardaker, of Pontefract, had dropped a friend off after going socialising when an unmarked police car began following him.

In his mitigation, it was heard the car was following close behind leading to him fearing he may be carjacked or that the car wanted to race, leading to him increasing his speed to at least 70mph in a residential area.

The prosecutor told the court police had to drive at 88mph to keep up with Hardaker.

When police turned the lights on, it was heard Hardaker put his brakes on but due to his speed lost control of the vehicle, leading to it flipping into a roadside embankment.

Hardaker blew 55 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath, in excess of the legal limit of 35mcg.

https://www.leighjournal.co.uk/news/24120511.leigh-leopards-players-car-flipped-over-drink-driving/

 

88mph in a residential area?

[Leyther_Matt]

1 minute ago, Spidey said:

He was afraid they wanted to race so he put his foot down as he didn’t want to lose

Born winner. A born winner who should consider himself lucky to not be turning out for Strangeways Scorpions

[phiggins]

7 minutes ago, Damien said:

Some more details:

RUGBY league star Zak Hardaker has been sentenced by a court after flipping his car while drink driving.

The Leigh Leopards three-quarter, 32, was being followed by police when his car overturned in the early hours of January 31 near Knottingley in West Yorkshire.

His appearance in court comes on the eve of the new Betfred Super League season, with Leigh facing Huddersfield Giants in their opener on Friday night.

Leeds Magistrates’ Court was told Hardaker, of Pontefract, had dropped a friend off after going socialising when an unmarked police car began following him.

In his mitigation, it was heard the car was following close behind leading to him fearing he may be carjacked or that the car wanted to race, leading to him increasing his speed to at least 70mph in a residential area.

The prosecutor told the court police had to drive at 88mph to keep up with Hardaker.

When police turned the lights on, it was heard Hardaker put his brakes on but due to his speed lost control of the vehicle, leading to it flipping into a roadside embankment.

Hardaker blew 55 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath, in excess of the legal limit of 35mcg.

https://www.leighjournal.co.uk/news/24120511.leigh-leopards-players-car-flipped-over-drink-driving/

 

Idiot. (Hardaker, not you) 

[Wigan Riversider]

Just read the Leigh Journal report.

Dunderhead springs to mind in all honesty.

[Fly-By-TheWire]

1 hour ago, Just Browny said:

I won't rush to judgment until British justice has had its say, if it's OK by you.

 

I agree with this in principle, but when someone with a history of drink and drug offences tests positive AGAIN for drink driving, I’ll hedge my bets and go for guilty  I suspect you’re being facetious.

The thing is, we’ve all done stupid stuff (even if not breaking the law) that we know is wrong, and we need to man up and take ownership of it. Saying ‘don’t judge’ on something as serious as risking running over and killing kids doesn’t cut it. You don’t get to play victim when you make such choices: Suck it up, take the punishment and change your life.

Edited February 14 by Fly-By-TheWire

[sam4731]

50 minutes ago, phiggins said:

That was the 2018 charge wasn’t it? 

I stand corrected.

[Dunbar]

As the saying goes, the best indicator of future behaviour is past behaviour. 

[phiggins]

30 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

I stand corrected.

Although, you were not far off based on the last report posted by @Damien

[del capo]

Reading that Leigh Journal report makes concerning reading. He has been lucky.

Of even more concern though might be what the Leigh Medical staff,  clearly knowing he has ADHD , have been doing in allowing him to stop taking his medication and/or  letting his TUE lapse. If UK Doping get to know he will likely be targeted by them - any further breach and it's all over for him......

[Just Browny]

FFS I was parodying Graveyard Johnny's response.

Hardaker is a grade A person who I hold in very low esteem, he reminds us at least once per season.