Richard Keogh D Forest Green Rovers b.1986

[Tipp Townie]

https://twitter.com/dcfcofficial/sta...538654721?s=19

Out for the season and Derby haven't held back in their statement.

Any chance someone can paste the statement on this thread?
I can't access the link at the mo

[DeLorean]

As a club, we cannot, and do not, condone the actions of a small group of players on Tuesday evening.

The players were out as part of a scheduled team-building dinner with staff and while the majority of them acted responsibly and left at around 8pm and were not involved, a small group, including the team captain Richard Keogh, continued drinking into the night. They should have known when to stop and also ignored the opportunity to be driven home using cars laid on by the club, and chose to stay out.

As a result of an alcohol-related incident, Richard Keogh has sustained a serious knee injury that will prevent him from playing until the end of the season.

The players involved in the incident on Tuesday evening will be subject to a rigorous internal investigation under the club’s code of conduct and disciplinary procedures, but over and above any punishment they receive we will be expecting them to become involved with the excellent work the Community Trust does helping the communities we serve.

We have been very clear about our attitude towards alcohol and the players know that at certain and specific times of the season they are permitted a drink together as a group in a controlled environment.

Those involved in Tuesday’s incident know they will pay a heavy price for their actions, but also that we will support them with their rehabilitation back into the squad and team.

We fully support the work of our partners at Drinkaware and the unsanctioned actions of this small group of players is totally at odds the stance that both Drinkaware and Derby County Football Club take regards alcohol. We will be using this situation to redouble our efforts in highlighting the dangers posed by alcohol.

We would also like to thank the emergency services for their swift help.

[Lionel Ritchie]

I can't summon an ounce of sympathy for him.
It's an ignominious end to a career* the vast, vast majority of professional footballers would've envied** and we're not well enough stocked to just shrug off his absence. But there's too many in the graveyard who didn't have a drop themselves but met gowls like them on the way home.

*Derby'll release him next summer. Might've done anyway. He's finished with them now though and no one to blame but himself.
**Independent today claiming he stands to lose 2.5M

[DeLorean]

It would being a serious display of loyalty if Derby did anything but sack him really.

[seanfhear]

The only thing that might save him is that they then would be under pressure to sack the other two . They are younger and may be valuable players re possible sale or valuable players to the club as players for the club .

[DeLorean]

The only thing that might save him is that they then would be under pressure to sack the other two . They are younger and may be valuable players re possible sale or valuable players to the club as players for the club .

Good point. Sorry, actually a very obvious point but one I didn't think of.

[seanfhear]

Football clubs can be ruthless and may want to make an example of Richard Keogh . My reasoning may not be Derby’s reasoning .

[CraftyToePoke]

Football clubs can be ruthless and may want to make an example of Richard Keogh . My reasoning may not be Derby’s reasoning .

I think they'll be ruthless, the game usually is, the other two have a value, RK is expendable. He was also captain so there can be feigned justifiable extra anger to suit the situation.

[geysir]

Imagine the furore had a drunken Richie attacked and headbutted a star team mate leaving him with a black eye

Afaics Richie's contract can not be terminated willy nilly and he was not even driving the car.

By the sounds of it, the club will be involved in the rehabilition program, the maximum limits of the punishment have already been set

"The players involved will be subject to a rigorous internal investigation under the club’s code of conduct and disciplinary procedures, but over and above any punishment they receive we will be expecting them to become involved with the excellent work the Community Trust does helping the communities we serve."

[CraftyToePoke]

Wiki says he is contracted till 2021.

[Razors left peg]

The only thing that might save him is that they then would be under pressure to sack the other two . They are younger and may be valuable players re possible sale or valuable players to the club as players for the club .

This is something that I've interesting in US sports since I moved to the US a few years ago. They tolerate a lot in their athletes over here, drugs bans are only about 4 games in the NFL for example. But when a player does something that the clubs or league feel is going to damage their image they will sack the player and not worry about his resale or trade value. The 2 most high profile examples of this is the Kansas City Chiefs last year got rid of one of their best players in Kareem Hunt when a video of him getting into a fight with a woman emerged. He was a mega star on the rise. This season Antonio Brown was released for a number of reasons, but it boils down to he was fired because of bad image for the game.

Now Im sure there a multiple cases that people could throw at me where it didnt happen in the US when a player should have be fired but it does always seem to be a common theme in soccer where pretty much anything is tolerated and the justification a lot of the time is that "Well if we released his another club would just pick him up for free"

[DeLorean]

He'll be out until December 2020, it's being reported, having ruptures two knee ligaments - https://www.skysports.com/football/n...r-car-accident

[brine3]

I thought ligaments were a six to nine month job nowadays. 15 months for Keogh? If it's that bad he may as well focus on just being able to have good use of his knees for the rest of his days and hang up the boots.

[Fixer82]

Would there not be something in a player's contract saying that if a player injures themselves through alcohol or drug misuse, their contract can be made null and void?

[Razors left peg]

Would there not be something in a player's contract saying that if a player injures themselves through alcohol or drug misuse, their contract can be made null and void?

Probably, but my point is that clubs are very unwilling to do that because they are afraid of missing out on sell on value.

[irishfan86]

I think there’s also the club image factor. Derby will come out of this situation looking a lot better if they stick by the players while demanding they repay society.

Immediately releasing players doesn’t look good IMO unless there’s a history of problems.

There is also value for prospective signings when they see this is a club that takes a human approach rather than an Old Testament view of justice.

[brine3]

Considering Keogh wasn't the one driving, they have nothing on him anyway.

If an employer tries to sack somebody for being injured as a passenger in a car, the lawyers will have a field day.

[paul_oshea]

Was it keoghs vehicle though? I'm assuming its not, but if it is then letting someone else drive it who is under the influence is the same as you driving it.

I think they can justifiably sack him given he is club captain. There be some clause of extreme action resulting in evacuandam contractus. But it looks at this stage they are not going to do that. And Richard can count himself a very lucky boy. Perhaps they will look to terminate his contract and pay him off, x amounts of months.

[elatedscum]

There could be a injured with no-seatbelt clause or something.

Carlo Cudicini went a year unpaid because his contract had a clause saying he couldn’t ride a motorbike. So when he broke both his wrists and his pelvis, Spurs didn’t pay him until he was fit again.

Players contracts also have stuff about skiing and other ‘dangerous activities’.

[Diggs246]

Was it keoghs vehicle though? I'm assuming its not, but if it is then letting someone else drive it who is under the influence is the same as you driving it.

I think they can justifiably sack him given he is club captain. There be some clause of extreme action resulting in evacuandam contractus. But it looks at this stage they are not going to do that. And Richard can count himself a very lucky boy. Perhaps they will look to terminate his contract and pay him off, x amounts of months.

Keogh has no car, he cant drive