Trevor Brennan retires

madds

Inevitable really....thanks for the memories Trev.

From sportinglife.com -

Former Ireland forward Trevor Brennan has retired from rugby with immediate effect.

Brennan, who was contracted to French club Toulouse, has made the decision just days before he is due to face an independent disciplinary committee relating to allegations that he hit a supporter when Toulouse played Ulster.

Brennan is alleged to have entered a seating area during Toulouse's 28-13 Heineken Cup victory over Ulster last month and punched a supporter.

There is a chance his professional career would have been brought to an end with a lengthy ban at the hearing, on Friday, but the lock has pre-empted any such decision.

Brennan had tried to have his ERC hearing adjourned pending a separate civil case but that appeal was turned down, forcing him to make the announcement.

He said: "I had decided at the beginning of this season that I would retire at the end of the current French Championship.

"However, as a result of recent matters I've had to review that position. I had sought an adjournment of the ERC disciplinary hearing on the grounds that it interfered with my right to silence in other proceedings, but this has been refused.

"I am therefore announcing my immediate retirement from rugby. I would like to thank everybody who has helped me throughout these years," he added.
Former Ireland forward Trevor Brennan has retired from rugby with immediate effect.

Brennan, who was contracted to French club Toulouse, has made the decision just days before he is due to face an independent disciplinary committee relating to allegations that he hit a supporter when Toulouse played Ulster.

Brennan is alleged to have entered a seating area during Toulouse's 28-13 Heineken Cup victory over Ulster last month and punched a supporter.

There is a chance his professional career would have been brought to an end with a lengthy ban at the hearing, on Friday, but the lock has pre-empted any such decision.

Brennan had tried to have his ERC hearing adjourned pending a separate civil case but that appeal was turned down, forcing him to make the announcement.

He said: "I had decided at the beginning of this season that I would retire at the end of the current French Championship.

"However, as a result of recent matters I've had to review that position. I had sought an adjournment of the ERC disciplinary hearing on the grounds that it interfered with my right to silence in other proceedings, but this has been refused.

"I am therefore announcing my immediate retirement from rugby. I would like to thank everybody who has helped me throughout these years," he added.

Steffano2002

He will be sorely missed in Toulouse...

Enjoy your retirement Trev!

Trojan

He's an idiot and, unquestionably, a thug, and I'll sorely miss him. One of the old school. Sorry to see him bow out, especially in these circumstances.

Do we call this "doing a Zidane"?

shrapnel222

more of a "cantona" than a zidane

Steffano2002

Let's just call it "Going out the French way"...

thebaz

I wish Trevor a happy retirement , for me he never cut it to the top level of international rugby , but added much needed aggression and physicality into making Leinster a top competitive team -- all the best Trevor -- and plus he kind of broke the trend of Leinster players being from the exclusive private school brigade .

LostinBlanch

Well he got well and truly done over. Just heard on Newstalk that he got:

1. A lifetime ban from playing rugby in any form. I know he's retired but I think that this was expected
2. A lifetime ban from participating in any ERC event in any capacity whatsoever. This is very harsh IMO. A 5 year ban or something would have done it for me.
3. A €25,000 fine. Ouch it'll hurt him in the pocket.

I'm assuming he'll try and appeal 2 and 3.

thebaz

LostinBlanch wrote:

Well he got well and truly done over. Just heard on Newstalk that he got:

1. A lifetime ban from playing rugby in any form. I know he's retired but I think that this was expected
2. A lifetime ban from participating in any ERC event in any capacity whatsoever. This is very harsh IMO. A 5 year ban or something would have done it for me.
3. A €25,000 fine. Ouch it'll hurt him in the pocket.

I'm assuming he'll try and appeal 2 and 3.

shades of the Cantona ban , for his reaction to being told take an early Bath --
I'm sure it would take Trevor a lot more than to be told his Irish beer was poor, to react like he did -- yes he shouldn't have reacted to whatever the goad was, but i'm pretty sure the goad was pretty nasty for such a reaction.

On a lighter note , maybe Trevor will hold a press conference , and give a speach about seagulls and trawlers in Irish , and confuse everyone.

LostinBlanch

Well we'll see, he's got 72 hours to appeal the decision.

Sounds like they were being especially cruel on him given that he will be busy in his pub this weekend. :rolleyes:

I'd say Patrick Bamfords lawyers are rubbing their hands and thinking kerching!

RuggieBear

about what i expected

thebaz

LostinBlanch wrote:

Well we'll see, he's got 72 hours to appeal the decision.

Sounds like they were being especially cruel on him given that he will be busy in his pub this weekend. :rolleyes:

I'd say Patrick Bamfords lawyers are rubbing their hands and thinking kerching!

Paddy Bamford the beer connoisseur of Ulster

thebaz

RuggieBear wrote:

about what i expected

I'd say you'd make a tough judge

LostinBlanch

I wonder if it'd be worth his while bringing this one to the Court for Arbitration of Sport if his appeal fails.

It does seem excessively harsh to me as I can imagine the lifetime ban from playing and large fine would be more than enough to stop others even contemplating the same thing.

The second lifetime ban is the one that looks like the real kick in the teeth.

And should "fans" also not take responsibility for their behaviour, or is there no similar sanction for them?

Sangre

CAS certain't aren't ones for being soft on sentences.

Tbh, what was expected? A professional lock waded into the crowd and punched a spectator. It was always going to be a very strong penalty.

thebaz

Sangre wrote:

CAS certain't aren't ones for being soft on sentences.

Tbh, what was expected? A professional lock waded into the crowd and punched a spectator. It was always going to be a very strong penalty.

I'm not excusing Brennans reaction, but maybe rugby should take a leaf out of soccers books, where spectators are evicted for rascist comments. I don't know what Bamford said, but i would be amazed if he only questioned the quality of Brennans beer !

I also remember a few years back some kiwi goading the Brive crowd after being binned.

purple'n'gold

Bamford, dosn't sound like a Paddy to me. I hope he bumps into a real Paddy on one of his next trips abroad. And I mean BUMP.

RuggieBear

purplengold wrote:

Bamford, dosn't sound like a Paddy to me. I hope he bumps into a real Paddy on one of his next trips abroad. And I mean BUMP.

And i mean banned.
Don't want ****e like this in Rugby.

RuggieBear

thebaz wrote:

I'm not excusing Brennans reaction, but maybe rugby should take a leaf out of soccers books, where spectators are evicted for rascist comments. I don't know what Bamford said, but i would be amazed if he only questioned the quality of Brennans beer !

I also remember a few years back some kiwi goading the Brive crowd after being binned.

That's right you do not know what was said. According to all eye witnesses, Brennan received no sectarian abuse.

I really don't want this thread going down that path. There is no evidence of anything but lighthearted abuse about his beer/bar

evilhomer

I still don't agree with a total ban from envolvement with rugby.
Sure end his playing career and fine him a huge amount.

But to remove him from even coaching or backroom staff aswell for life! Just too harsh for me.

Especially if you consider a similar situation (Cantona) his punishment wasn't even close to this level. Sure it's a different sport, but it's the same offence.

thebaz

RuggieBear wrote:

That's right you do not know what was said. According to all eye witnesses, Brennan received no sectarian abuse.

I really don't want this thread going down that path. There is no evidence of anything but lighthearted abuse about his beer/bar

I just find it unbelievable that Brennan would lamp someone for lighthearted abuse, and like football , fellow supporters are slow to identify rascist culprits -- anyway i'll leave it -- just think its a sad end to a player who brought much to the professional game in France and Leinster -- and I'm not defending his reation to his provocation, which obviously was way over the top..

timmywex

well, they certainly made an example from him!!

wingnut

Can they make him pay a fine now that he is retired??? I doub't they have the right, they aren't a court of law or anything.

Dave!

Anybody got a link to a video of the incident? Can only find pictures. Cheers.

RuggieBear

no video evidence

Dave!

Dang

Brian Capture

Harsh.

So what punishment is Bamford getting?

It should be obvious to anyone with half a brain that Brennan's behaviour was reactive - therefore why not penalise the person who started the disagreement?

wingnut

Violence is in no way justified as a reaction to petty name calling. As a professional sportsman he should be setting an example and rising above it.

LostinBlanch

Brian Capture wrote:

Harsh.

So what punishment is Bamford getting?

Nothing of course. Well maybe, if you consider getting the chance to sue Brennan for having the stupidity to react to Bamfords chanting, goading and general "exemplary" behaviour that he was supposed to have indulged in, because he's not guilty of anything you know.

Brian Capture wrote:

It should be obvious to anyone with half a brain that Brennan's behaviour was reactive - therefore why not penalise the person who started the disagreement?

Ulster rugby have been accused of having "misbehaving" fans by Llanelli who accused them of making racist chants. Nothing came of it, so I would not hold any hope of Bamford being held to account in this regard. Rugby in general seems to have a particular failing with bringing wrongdoers to account whether it be on the field a la Umaga and Mealamu spearing BOD three yards in front of a touch judge, some unnamed player(s) putting his arm across ROG's throat cutting off his air supply while at the bottom of a ruck, or having fans act in a despicable manner. The overly harsh punishment meted out to Trevor Brennan smacks to me of a bad referee going to town on an easy target in the hope that other worse decisions will be ignored, and everyone wil assume that everything is ok.

Smacks of hypocrisy to me.

Amz

If Ulster fans behaviour at games is anything like the behaviour of the fans I had the "pleasure" of encountering at a game over the weekend up there, then I think Bamford should be banned from having any involvment in rugby for life, watching, coaching etc.

I hate to generalise about groups of fans or players, but after my experiences at the weekend I never want to play or go near that part of the country again because of their horrific behaviour.

NotWormBoy

Ah, Trev, you scamp, sad to see you go. Though you're a right twat sometimes, like when you punched yer man Bamford.

Anyways, I've only been to two games involving Ulster fans, and I didn't hear anything untoward to be honest, though admittedly, I was in the family section for one of those...

Though I find it hard to believe Bamford just said what he's claimed to have said about Brennan's pub. Trev's a hothead, but he's not that much of a hothead.

hardCopy

thebaz wrote:

Paddy Bamford the beer connoisseur of Ulster

Brilliant.

Seriously though, I think it's way over the top to ban him from all future involvement in rugby. Why ban him from passing his knowledge of the game on to future players?