Olympian, Nick D’Arcy
by PAUL MURRAY
I wish nothing but the worst for Nick D’Arcy at the Olympics.
I don’t wish him ill or harm as a person but as a representative of Australia I hope he comes last. For those who don’t know, Nick D’Arcy was banned from the 2008 games after assaulting fellow teammate Simon Cowley at a party to celebrate making the team.
In 2009 D’Arcy pleaded guilty to ‘recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm’ and was given a 14 month suspended jail sentence. D’Arcy apologized in court, but according to Cowley’s lawyer he has never said sorry directly to his victim.
(ed’s note: according to this article Nick D’Arcy has in fact apologised to Simon Cowley in court)
Simon Cowley’s injuries were brutal. He had corrective jaw, nose and cheekbone surgery. His mouth was wired shut for some time and had to eat through a straw. He still has titanium plates in his face. His life was changed forever.
In 2011 Cowley sued D’Arcy and won. Nick D’Arcy was told to pay $180,000+ compensation for what he did.
Less than four months later D’Arcy filed for Bankruptcy. Cowley’s lawyer said he did it to avoid paying the damages. To this day I understand he has not got a cent from D’Arcy for the life long injuries he caused.
Flash-forward to this week and D’Arcy is in London on the Australian Olympic team. I tweeted last night that ‘I wish him nothing but the worst at the Olympics’ and people went nuts.
Most agreed strongly but some were just stupid in their retorts: I was Un-Australian for bagging him, give him a go and worst of all he’s paid for his crime.
That’s the whole point – he hasn’t, and until he does, I won’t wish him anything but the worst.
It is drummed into us all day that these guys represent us in the pool, on the track and on the court. But there is NO WAY that Nick D’Arcy represents me or any other decent, sports loving, Olympics watching Australian.
Paul Murray is a broadcaster on Sky News and 2UE in Sydney. Follow him @PMOnAir on Twitter.
Were you cheering Nick D’Arcy on during his swim overnight?
Managing Editor’s Note:
When Paul Murray (the author of this post) tweeted last night about Nick D’Arcy, he definitely caught people’s attention.When he agreed to write a piece for Mamamia about the reaction his tweet received and the reasons behind his feelings, we wanted to publish it for several reasons:
Firstly, we are an opinion site and that means we publish people’s opinions. Posts aren’t necessarily always the opinion of Mia or of the editorial team but it’s important that we share a variety of views on a subject like this one.
Of course there are some opinions we simply won’t give airtime to – such as those that are racist, sexist or homophobic. But more generally, Mamamia isn’t just a platform for people who all think the same thing. Diversity of opinion is interesting and we’ll continue to make sure we deliver that.
Secondly, we honestly believe that Paul has done a rare thing in articulating his feelings about not wanting an Australian to be successful at the Olympics. It’s unusual that Australians are willing to publicly criticise our athletes for any reason – but most particularly during times of international competition, like the Olympics.
The discussion about how we support our Olympians and their position as role models and people of influence in our community is fascinating. We’re a sports-loving nation and anything but fierce pride in our athletes and their achievements is definitely out of the ordinary. So this sort of candidness that Paul displayed was of interest to us and we thought it would be to readers as well.
-Jamila Rizvi
248 Comments so far
Whether or not Nick Darcy ought to be a the Olympics (I think not) is not really concerning me. I am concerned that Australia has not “done well” at these Olympics and that more money will be thrown at elite sport as a result of the “disappointing” results, especially in the pool.
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D’Arcy wants to be a doctor?!?
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I actually agree with the sentiment of this article – I do not like what Nick has done and do not believe he should be representing Australia after his violent behaviour. But, and it’s a big but, he’s not at the Olympics because he is a good guy, he’s there because he can swim fast.
A friend of mine dated a very high profile past Olympic athlete who emotionally and psychologically abused her – it was horrific what she had to go through to get away from him, and the excuses his family, friends and coaches made for his behaviour.
What I am saying is yes, Nick did the wrong thing, but according to the judicial system he has paid his price. I know for a fact that there have been athletes on the Australian Olympic team who have also done things that people would not approve of, but have managed to keep it quiet, therefore keeping their public profile and reputation in tact.
So, although I don’t like it, I think we need to be clear, do we expect our Olympic athletes to strive to win – and support those who can win, even if we don’t like/approve of them? Or, do we hold people representing our country to a higher standard?
I know what I think, but there would be many who say that as long as athletes can win fair and square than they deserve their shot to go to the Olympics…
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Please forgive my ignorance – however – before this post I was always under the impression that it was an unprovoked attack on Cowley (i never followed the case closely just the headlines). Just wondering does anyone know what happened?
My 5 miniute google search said that D’arcy was being a dick head towards Eamon Sullivan and Cowley gave him a light “slap” on the head – the way people often do when you’re telling someone to stop something – and then D’arcy responded with the infamous punch. However, posts below suggest that Cowley actually swung at D’arcy.
Whatever the provocation D’arcy’s reaction was not justified, however, I do believe it makes a slight difference to how D’arcy should be viewed. Is anyone able to verify what happened? Or do we not really know? Thanks
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I am not a fan of Nick D’Arcy. He behaves like a thug. His actions should of seen him banned from representing Australia in any competitions for life.
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Olympic athletes meet a selection criteria according to their sport and the AOC. They are not selected because they are “Good Blokes” There are three sides to every story, D’Arcy’s, Cowley’s, and the truth. Unless you were there that night and directly involved you have NO IDEA what exactly happened. I know people will disagree with me, I am not defending D’Arcy his actions were wrong but he qualified so he should go, he’s competing in swimming not for the title of smartest or nicest bloke.
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It’s a swimming race, not the United Nations Peace corps. They are just people in bright tracksuits who turn into human propellers when in the water. Sort of like transformers. And if they get from one end to the other before the others we hang a chunk of metal around their neck and stick flowers on them.
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The more I think about this article, the more it’s ticking me off. Mamamia really needs to do some due diligence and own what appears on this site, whether the article is presented as someone’s opinion or not. And especially when it comes from someone well known to many readers.
“but according to Cowley’s lawyer he never said sorry directly to his victim” = wrong… he did
“But unless you take full responsibly by saying sorry to the person you (literally) hurt, no one moves on.” = he did say sorry to Simon
“Cowley’s lawyer said he did it to avoid paying the damages.” = Of course his lawyer said that. And so he should… that’s his job! How about asking the independent trustee why Nick filed bankruptcy? Not hard to find those quotes.
The quotes about Nick saying sorry to Simon in court have been posted several times in here. I posted the information about the details of Nick’s bankruptcy proceedings. Neither of those aspects of the article have been corrected or at least omitted.
It’s alarming to think that some will have seen this article this morning and take what was written as gospel. How many of those people will come back to Mamamia later to read the comments that dispute these ‘facts’? Even after people posted the quotes showing that Nick DID say sorry DIRECTLY to Simon in court and explained FROM THE TRUSTEE why he filed for bankruptcy, some obviously didn’t read those comments based on what they then posted themselves.
Fair enough that not all of us have time to come back to an article we’ve already read or to read all of the comments before we post and we shouldn’t have to. A site as large as Mamamia should properly check what’s being presented to their audience, especially when it involves someone’s reputation. There needs to be some journalistic accountability whether it’s authored by a Mamamia employee or not.
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Couldn’t have said it better. I would have expected Mia to realise this is defamation. It cannot be presented as opinion when in fact it is incorrect information that is slandering a public figure. As Mia says ‘you can have your own opinion, but you can’t have your own facts’. Neither can the author of this article.
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Yeah I’m a bit stunned to be honest. Even Nick’s Wikipedia page links to a SMH article titled “D’Arcy attack: ‘I’m extremely sorry’” and details his apology in court to Simon.
That article also states: “D’Arcy said while he had apologised to Mr Cowley before, his lawyers had advised him not to apologise personally before today’s hearing.” So somehow – I’m assuming either via email, letter or whatever – Nick apologised to Simon even BEFORE the court case.
Surely someone would at least check a person’s Wiki page before writing about them in an article for a national website? Even if they didn’t bother then you’d think the website that chooses to publish the article to such a large audience – especially about a polarising public figure like D’Arcy – would ensure that the content is indeed factual.
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Nick who? In other news, I find James Magnussen extremely attractive.
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oh yes, this i will agree with!
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As much as I find the sentiment of the article distasteful I think the discussion on Australian worship of sports star an interesting one. We need to be more discerning into the people we turn into heroes.
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The media decides who we like and dislike. Just ask them!
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It’s also been reported that Darcy’s trustee in bankruptcy hoped that he would do well at the Olympics and rehabilitate himself and earn some sponsorship and endorsement $, because those funds can then be seized by the trustee and given to Darcy’s unpaid creditors – like Cowley. So it really was a chance for Cowley to get some of the compensation that he’s rightfully entitled to. But now, of course, that isn’t going to happen…
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Thank you for this article, I too think nick is a national disgrace and, dare I say, unaustralian?? I am glad he is getting sent home. I hope we don’t hear about him again
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I do think it’s unsettling that someone who assaulted a teammate (and caused reasonably serious injuries) is allowed back on the team.
I know Australia loves to use sporting prowess as a redeeming quality, but surely the fact that it was his teammate makes it cross a line into something that is unacceptable even to the sports lovers out there? If D’Arcy wasn’t a swimmer himself, wouldn’t people be super angry that someone smashed up the face of one of our beloved Olympic hopefuls? And injuring your teammates hardly helps the Australian campaign for Olympic glory. So, if anyone is (was) being unaustralian, it was Nick D’Arcy when he punched his teammate AND got himself kicked off the 2008 team (which also did little to help with the medal winning and glory).
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*correction* If I understand it, Cowley was never going to be in the 2008 Olympics (“former COMMONWEALTH GAMES swimmer” – eek that’s like saying “first in high school swimming carnival” – I’m joking… hmm…). But, still, it’s pretty poor form nonetheless.
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Darcy was kicked off the 2008 Olympic team for the assault. I don’t think it it’s relevant to this Olympics. The gun photo was stupid. The guy needs to take a minute to stop and think, and perhaps wouldn’t find himself in these situations. Seriously, Nick Darcy, just stop – and think.
Makes me shake my head. A seriously talented swimmer who had a bright future ahead of him. The chance to work hard, live a clean life, succeed and score some decent sponsorship deals. And he seems intent on ruining it for himself. However, I’m not glad he didn’t succeed here – I was hoping he would finally make us think there was a reason not to keep him in the “too hard basket.”
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Horrible sentiment. Horrible article. Boo!
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Fact: D’Arcy has apologised. Another fact: Cowley started the fight and threw the first punch. A crucial point the media likes to leave out. Do you really think D’Arcy would’ve competed in the Olympics and rep’d Australia if he maliciously hurt Cowley? Or if he is as horrible as you ‘mob mentality’ folk think he is? He’s not a heartless meat-head like you have prematurely decided.
Oh dear, he posed with a gun in a gun store. Did you know that shooting is an Olympic sport? Did you also know that guns are legal? Phelps is photographed sucking on a bong and his country still love and support him. Even Aussies love him too!
Get off your high horses and find out the facts before you decide to wish someone the worst and bully them. While you’re there, look at your own actions….. The only thing that sux here, is our bullying, judgemental, mob mentality society. Do as I say, not as I do!
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Yeah i have to agree- cowley started the fight, i’m not sure what he was expecting to happen after he had a go. darcy threw one punch, and a brutal one at that, but it wasn’t as though it was pre meditated. I’m sure they both had a bit to drink on the night, and i’m sure both of them regret the incident enormously but to punish him over and over, in the court of law and now this ongoing public castigation is unfair.
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He didn’t “start a fight”. He mildly tapped D’arcy on the face. It was done in a joking manner, not aggressively.
There was no mark to D’arcys face, no scratch, no bruise nothing.
The injuries, however, to Crowley were unbelievable, shocking. Long term and permanent.
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There were no marks on Nick because Simon missed the first punch he threw. Those marks left on Simon were from one punch. One punch! He didn’t beat him senseless. His punch just happened to ‘connect’. The tables could’ve been turned and I’m sure we’d all be ‘ganging up’ regardless, just for something to whinge about.
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One punch was all it took to kill Thomas Kelly. One punch is too many.
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Simon threw one punch. Nick threw one punch. Simon missed. Thomas Kelly was innocently attacked. There’s a difference. And although you’ve gone off topic, Thomas Kelly’s fatal knock was hitting the ground. I don’t agree with violence at all, but if you’re going to swing at someone, at least expect a swing back.
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The judge who awarded Cowley compensation, when examining the case in July 2011, ruled that
“I find when the defendant hit the plaintiff he was not acting in self-defence.”
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To rule self-defence, the defendant must prove that he/she was in fear of his/her life. Proving self-defence is a lot harder than you think. Nick D’Arcy unfortunately had a strong punch that connected and resulted in this. Cowley threw the first punch and missed. If Cowley had connected, then what?
I see this happen all the time. The people who start the fight are usually the ones who end up worse and are the first to get the authorities and/or media involved.
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Might I add, the judge’s ruling only states that the judge didn’t think Nick was in fear of his life. Doesn’t state or prove anything else.
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Made my day to hear he was out of the Olympics and he should never have been selected.
One question, I gather his next activity will be studying medicine. Won’t an assault conviction stop him from practicing as I gather there is a good character requirement which it seems likely he’d pass?
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So he didn’t declare bankruptcy to avoid paying compensation? Well if it was unavoidable for other reasons I’m sure that he has let his victim know that he will pay the compensation as soon as he is possibly able. No? Thought so.
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I’m not particularly worried whether Nick Darcy said sorry or that he went bankrupt and couldn’t provide monetary compensation.
It’s the lifelong damage caused to Simon Cowley that I find hard to get past.
I’m normally a bleeding heart but I’m so sick of hearing stories about the damage that one punch can do and my tolerance is zero.
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MM, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Why file this story? Argh, you’re always so “Pollyanna” on everything and here you’ve taken it upon yourselves to persecute this guy without getting all your facts straight. Unsure why I come back here to read the odd story, but note to self – give Mamamia the flick!
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I was driving to work this morning when I heard the news that D’arcy was out of the games. I cheered loudly.
I just cannot for the life of me understand how a thug like this gets off so lightly – let alone gets to compete in the Olympic Games representing Australia! Makes no sense to me or the values this nation stands for. If I had my way, the courts would make this bum pay Cowley the compensation he is due. That is, once he starts working, he should be compelled to pay the monies due. Just as you or I would have to pay a HECS debt or any other debt. (steps off soapbox)
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The problem with articles like this is that they don’t give us the full story. I’m not saying Nick D’arcy isnt a dickhead, he probably is – but there is no proof that he hasn’t said sorry to Simon Cowley. “According to his lawyer” is not compelling enough evidence for me. We don’t know really how remorse he feels and looking at a picture does not in any way tell us that. As far as filing for bankruptcy goes, I would say that was because he WAS bankrupt. Where exactly to people think he can magic up 200k from? His arse? Filing for bankruptcy tells us nothing about what he feels/has learned about the incident – it is quite standard legal proceeding to do so. He cannot walk into a bank and get a loan that big to pay it off if he is bankrupt and has a criminal record, and possibly didn’t have a stable enough job.
I wouldn’t be sad if he lost – there is a good chance he is an absolute wanker… but I wouldn’t wish him ill and I will reserve my judgement until he and Simon speak about the incident themselves.
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I agree – Nick Darcy has no place on an Olympic team – he represent nothing of Australian value.
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Good article. Are people so blinded by patriotism that they would support a gun toting, narcissistic thug? I don’t care if he is Australian; he’s also a violent criminal and I don’t wish to see him held up for national adulation because he swims fast.
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Mamamia – can we have a little fact checking on this blog please? It appears that in fact Nick D’Arcy did say sorry. Additionally you cannot just become bankrupt to avoid paying someone compensation. The authors’ opinion is being written as “fact”. This is stirring up more hatred based on rumour and possibly incorrect information.
I don’t think this is helpful and as others have mentioned is bullying behaviour. I agree that it can create interesting discussion, but it would be nice to have the agreed facts laid out for us to discuss rather than just one man’s opinion who has clearly stated he “wants nothing but the worst for D’Arcy”.
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I definitely don’t condone what Nick did or even him being on the team but do those who were hoping for him to fail realise that if he did, Simon had no hope of getting any money?
When Nick filed for bankruptcy he had 2 creditors totalling $800k- Simon and his father. He owed Simon $380k by that point because of costs and accrued interest. The rest was to his father as he’d paid all of his legal bills. The trustee went through everything and determined the documentation of the loan from his father had been legit from the beginning.
The trustee also found that Nick had made several attempts to reach an agreement with Simon for an amount that he could access before declaring bankruptcy. Simon rejected those offers. So even though when Simon sued Nick and won he said it was never about the money, by saying no to any of the offers Nick made – even just for 25k – he basically assured he wouldn’t receive a penny unless Nick did well in London and the endorsements came in as the trustee made it a condition of Nick’s bankruptcy that should he earn over 47k/yr after tax, he had to start paying back Simon and his dad. That’s why the trustee allowed him to travel overseas for the Olympics.
He obviously didn’t medal so now there’s no money for Simon. And as a swimmer and a student, there now won’t be any time soon. But I guess we should be happy he failed?!
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Oh and I think the part about Nick not apologising be removed from this article as well. It’s inaccurate and seems to only have been included due to either poor research or in an attempt to incite people.
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When did he apologise? How?
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The exact quotes have been posted below a few times. He apologised to Simon in court.
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I’m shocked at the number of people who are supporting Nick D’Arcy. I’m with the author 100% – he has behaved appallingly. I understand some people dont think athletes should be held to a higher moral standard (i.e. “if he was XYZ profession he would be allowed to work”) but I disagree- I think it is absolutely reasonable to expect our sportspeople to demonstrate sportsmanlike behaviour. IMO calling D’Arcy’s actions ‘unsportsmanlike’ is a GROSS understatement, and therefore he should never have been let back on the team. I’m ashamed to have him represent Australia.
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I don’t know that people are supporting him as much as wondering why he’s getting a kicking on this site.
You know, we read a lot about judgement on this site and people complaining about it. “Don’t judge” “Who are we to judge” and so forth. This jars somewhat when it’s juxtaposed with the ‘hang them high’ brigade where people are not allowed to move on from mistakes. Prison sentences served, court justice metered out and yet somehow some people can’t forgive, even though the crime wasn’t committed against them. Then we get the entertaining “It’s unAustralian”. Now, I’m never quite sure what that means but I would imagine it doesn’t mean holding a collective grudge against someone who acted like a dickhead, got caught for it, went to court and was found guilty.
This is an unpleasant post. I expected better.
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For the record I was referring to support I’ve heard / read about for him on TV, in other media and among my personal social circle
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Karma, and it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving bloke!
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Just let me start by saying I am not in any way condoning D’Arcy’s terrible crime. However, I have a real problem with athletes being held up as some kind of paragon of virtue simply because they excel in their chosen sport – let’s face it, they often fall short as role models, they’re human (and no, I’m not dismissing vicious assault as an inevitable human foible). The ethics and morals of a public figure are only relevant if they’re in the business of ethics and morals – such as political and religious figures. Concerning everyone else, if their good or bad character is not relevant to their occupation, who are we to judge? Despite their behaviour, I still enjoy Woody Allen and Roman Polanski movies for example – I’m not going to wish failure or censorship on them.
I might not like D’Arcy personally, but hoping he performs badly, when it affects the entire country? No.
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They were talking about this on Gruen Sweat, and how they “fall short” when in fact they weren’t what the companies who have them as spokespeople wanted them to be to start with.
So rather than say “We have Steph Rice on our books, we want her to do this”, companies should look at them and say “Steph Rice would be a great fit for our company, lets get her”. They’re treated back to front and not taught or allowed to be themselves in their media training.
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I never thought I’d agree with a 2UE boradcaster, but there you go. I agree entirely with Paul’s comments, While I agree in giving people a second chance, Nick Darcy has never apoloigsed or paid a cent in compensation to Simon Cowley and he didn’t deserve a place on that team. I’m glad he lost.
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Thanks for this article. I had no idea ut had unfolded this way – what a pr*ck. Go Aussie. Don’t go D’Arcy.
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Like Trace below, I am wondering about Simon Cowley. Was he able to compete again? What has happened to him?
If he wasn’t able to do so because of his injuries, it seems outrageous that the person who inflicted them would be able to. Seems to me that if Simon was unable to continue, then disallowing Nick D’arcy from doing so would be a fitting punishment, showing him the real consequences of his actions.
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Honestly, I’m not a fan of this post, I think the writing is bullying and vitriolic towards Nick D’Arcy and to readers with the “you’re a dickhead if your opinion differs” tone, and as a result, the comments below are following the same tone of name calling and insults.
My opinion is that justice was served on D’Arcy, he wasnt allowed to compete in the 2008 Olympics or the 2009 World Championships, how long does he need to be punished? his whole life? If I was charged with the same offences as D’Arcy I’d still be allowed to return to work in my chosen field, so why shouldnt he swim? And, to people saying he never paid for his crime as he filed as bankrupt when ordered to pay $180,000+ in compensation, what would you have done? I certainly wouldnt have that sort of money laying around and probably would have to declare bankruptcy also.
and to people saying he didnt apologise
According to a SMH report about the case:
“Giving evidence today at his sentencing hearing in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, D’Arcy said he deeply regretted his actions.
“It may not be possible for you to forgive me now, but one day I hope it is a possibility,” he said, looking at Mr Cowley, who had a front row seat in the court.
“I am extremely sorry. If there’s anything I could do to take it back, I would.” “
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That depends what your job was – if you were a teacher, policeman, officer of the court or one of several dozen other professions then NO you would not be able to go back to your job. Part of being an athlete at that level is interacting with the public, its just how it is. If you want the support of the nation then you’d better be prepared to be accountable both on and off the field.
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To those who have never done anything in life they regret I salute you..To those of you who have never had a moment you could take back if you had a chance I also salute you…But be careful if and with how much vitriol you condemn others…
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I didn’t find this article to be full of hatred. On the contrary i found it to be very informative and a valid explanation for the tweet/opinion. I agree it does not seem that he has paid for his crime and will not be supporting him in this olympics or any other swimming events. Just because somebody is representing your country does not mean you have to want them to win or like them. My thoughts go out to the victim of this bully and I hope he makes a good recovery and somehow manages to get some sort of compensation.
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My first thought was – geez Paul, give people a second chance.
BUT – I had no idea he didn’t apologise, and that he didn’t pay the damages. Thanks for the insight. What a horrible man. He doesn’t represent me either.
Was Simon Cowley was ever able to come back to competing?
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I do not support violence in any way.
However you will note that below an anon posted: According to a SMH report about the case:
“Giving evidence today at his sentencing hearing in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, D’Arcy said he deeply regretted his actions.
“It may not be possible for you to forgive me now, but one day I hope it is a possibility,” he said, looking at Mr Cowley, who had a front row seat in the court.
“I am extremely sorry. If there’s anything I could do to take it back, I would.”
As far as his bankruptcy goes, that is not something that you can just chose to do to get out of paying a fine or compensation.
This post does not appear to be posting fact, just rumour and personal opinion.
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I read on and saw that there had, in fact, been an apology. Perhaps I should do more reserach before commenting in future!
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Mmm… I think this article is full of hatred. Wishing some-one the worst is asking for bad karma returned. There are so many better ways to communicate an opinion. This is not one of them.
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Agree with this author 100%. He does not represent anything remotely Australian
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I disagree with this statement. I think he actually does represent the state Australia is in at the moment. Every second day you hear of senseless violence and inappropriate drunk behaviour. It’s something that does not seem to stop. Bring on the no-tolerance laws which lowered violence in New York in the 90s.
Whether we like it or not, Nick D’Arcy does represent the current state of some Australians’ values.
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I think you are right about that one.
He represents everything that is wrong with Australia!
The fistfights in pubs across the nation where there are more people injured every single week. The deaths that can result from a well-placed punch to the head.
Makes me sick, and I want zero tolerance on streetfighting in Australia!
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I’m not cool with a racist tweet about a rival but I’m also not cool with an Australian smashing the head of a teammate in. He should have received a lifetime ban from competing for Swimming Australia/Australia as a nation, especially given his actions occurred at a Swimming Australia event/celebration.
Google “lifetime ban sports” and you’ll see that there are people out there who have been banned for life for crimes of a lesser nature.
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Completely agree with this. I’m involved in my soccer district’s disciplinary committee and it’s not unheard of for people to receive life bans (if they’ve done something really horrible – such as bashing someone). This means they can’t have any association with soccer – not just at a district level but it goes all the way to Football Federation Australia.
Which is how it should be.
Actions like D’Arcy’s bring the sport into disrepute and if I were swimming Australia i would want absolutely nothing to do with him – and would want him to have nothing to do with the sport.
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I always find the concepts of ‘paying for your crime’ as interesting. My cousin was imprisoned for a serious crime of passion while he served his 13 yr sentence he took the opportunity to get educated (he had dropped out of school in yr nine) however since his release he has been unable to get a job. Do I blame employers for not wanting a criminal in their workplace? Hell no. But you have to wonder at what point does the punishment stop? And what kind of sliding scale do we have. When do we decide some one has been punished enough? Is there a way that we can feel that if someone is truly remorseful we can forgive them, is that within ourselves or do we look to societal cues? Do we have a hierarchy of crimes and some are more forgiveable than others? Me personally money crimes are the lowest on my scale and way up high is rapists and child molesters/ murderers. I believe we judge because we are challenged and feel uncomfortable about those conflicted feelings. Everyone has a right to their opinion and in my own personal opinion one tweet and the article to back it up is not bullying anymore than referring to the race of a person as a qualifier is racist but that’s my own personal beef
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Personally I think there needs to be better standards as to who can represent Australia at the Olympics. We have standards for elected officers and politicians around criminal convictions so why should someone representing Australia in sport be any different?
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Not sure why the whole not apologising thing is even being dscussed…
According to a SMH report about the case:
“Giving evidence today at his sentencing hearing in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, D’Arcy said he deeply regretted his actions.
“It may not be possible for you to forgive me now, but one day I hope it is a possibility,” he said, looking at Mr Cowley, who had a front row seat in the court.
“I am extremely sorry. If there’s anything I could do to take it back, I would.” “
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When did labelling someone ‘un-Australian’ become the go-to way to shut someone down when you don’t agree with them?
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Agreed.
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Just wondering if we’d be reading this sort of article if he’d won?
At least Todd on the Gruen Sweat program was vitriolic about Nick Darcy *before* he swam. THis article just reads like a childish ‘serve you right’ diatribe.
And before the flames are lit, no, I don’t agree with what Nick Darcy did, and thought he shouldn’t be on the team. But that’s another story.
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This article was actually posted before he swam – the heading has been changed since the race.
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This is what I don’t understand – a Greek athlete was sent home for sending a racist tweet, but Nick is allowed to participate after assaulting a teammate? And it’s not like he caused a couple of bruises. He inflicted grievous bodily harm. It’s lucky that Simon wasn’t killed, actually. I am happy to put my hand up and say that I am ashamed to have him representing Australia in the Olympics.
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I agree with your sentiment Natalia but I’d say the difference is that Nick’s assault didn’t happen AT the games, whereas the racist tweet did. I have no doubt that if he’d assaulted a team mate during the games he’d be out of the games and straight off to jail. As it was, I think he was excluded from Beijing as the assault happened just before those olympics? I’m not condoning what happened (see my posts below!) just considering what the difference might be between the two events (tweet vs assault).
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Just to add – given that a part of the Games is about celebrating peace and bringing the world together, I think that you should be sent home for sending racist tweets about a rival team…
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Yes I agree – I just have an issue with the double standards.
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For how long is Nick D’Arcy to pay for this? He has faced court and been sentenced. He has apologised ( Simon Cowely states this in an interview outside court -I saw it on Australian story) and been dropped from one Olympics and a World Championship. His biggest crime appears to be that he declared bankruptcy. If he has no money then what else is he to do? Simon Cowely is quoted as saying the civil case was never about money, he wanted to get his side of the story out there, and he was glad of the outcome.
I think, sadly, Simon (who undoubtedly is the victim here and what he has had to and will continue to deal with is terrible) is having trouble coping and is unable to let go. Nick D’Arcy should be allowed to move on from this too.
What do you want Paul? What life for D’Arcy would make you happy? Swimming is his occupation. If he were a banker then he would currenlty be back at that occupation. Would you be publishing a hate filled post against him going to work? Would you rather he could only work at McDonalds for the rest of his life and be miserable? Would that satisfy you?
I think this post is appalling.
(I am not having much luck with posting comments on here. I have had two not show up this morning so have changed from Guest to anon)
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Sorry anon – sometimes our spam filter goes haywire!
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I don’t like this article. I understand completely that it’s an opinion piece, but I feel this opinion is very poorly expressed. Regardless of that, it is also quite harsh and based purely on information from tabloid newspapers and news programmes. The information is presented as facts, though I would be guessing the writer does not know the facts. No one on here commenting would and even if someone knows someone who knows someone, it is very easy to skew the facts so that your ideas are presented.
Those who say he should keep paying for this mistake, it was 5 years ago. Give him a break. It is pretty rich to sit on a high horse and say that, when you really know jack about the entire issue. Those who say he orchestrated what happened so that he came out on top, well I don’t think he did. I don’t know what happened either, but I can’t imagine wanting to declare bankruptcy as a means to avoid something else.
Bottom line is he’s had his punishment. He didn’t do well in London, which is a shame considering his talent. I would hate to think that any public comments like the writers made a difference to him psychologically. And no, he is not weak if those comments did get to thin. He is human.
Just another point, directed at mamamia-do you think that if this article had been presented as more balanced, with maybe the view expressed above and a view supporting D’Arcy, would the comments have lacked the vitriol they contain? I’ve always found that the more inflammatory a view, the more people who agree with it express their view in a similar tone.
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Nick D’Arcy did a terrible thing and by this account hasn’t accepted responsibility or ‘paid’ for his actions which reflects some kind of character flaw. However, Paul Murray’s tweet and this article is no better in my opinion. Paul, taking the moral high ground just looks ugly too.
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I’m no Nick D’Arcy fan. End of story.
However, I do feel that there is a right way and a wrong way to express that.
Mr Murray….your article is an example of “the wrong way”. You’ve flicked D’arcy the bird and gone nya-nya-nya nya-nya-nya when you could have simply said something akin to “I feel that my believe that he should have been excluded from the team is now justified”.
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Wow. This just tastes really bitter.
Sure this may be your opinion and it may be what happened (I don’t know, I don’t know either parties involved personally and I take the word of a lawyer with a grain of salt) but this post just reads like someone venting hatred in their diary.
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Mama Mia I’m so confused, one day there’s a post about not judging others, the next there’s a post judging someone like above……
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Hey Brooke,
Mamamia doesn’t have a single point of view. We have hundreds of contributors and thousands of commenters so there will always be a wide and diverse range of opinions published on the site.
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That’s understandable Mia, but don’t you think that this is a nasty attack and resounds a lot like bullying, so maybe, it shouldn’t have been posted? I know how anti-bullying the site has always been, so I take that is the site’s point of view that bullying is not good and shouldn’t be reinforced… Sorry but i am disappointed about this post
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THIS POST is a nasty attack? Did you miss the part about Nick D’Arcy inflicting GRIEVOUS BODILY HARM on his fellow team mate and still being allowed to represent Australia in the Olympic games? Nick’s act was bullying and unacceptable and I am so glad Paul has the guts to stand up and say “you know what? This is not okay.”
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Nick was dropped from the previous Olympics and a World Championships following the incident.
He has done the training and achieved the level of qualifying and the only complaint you can validly have is against the Olympic selection committee. Not D’Arcy.
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hi scrolls, no i didn’t miss the part about darcy’s attack at all and i am not on his side and if you read my post below i said that he is a loser and shoudn’t be competing in london , i am no Nick darcy fan, but i am not a fan of this article at all either. good for you that you are happy that somebody “stood up” in a nasty verbal attack, btw, it’s just my opinion
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Two wrongs don’t make a right, scrolls.
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