They admit Adam Johnson made “serious mistakes” but don’t address their own potential errors.
The Professional Footballers Association (PFA) have released a statement in the wake of Adam Johnson being found guilty of one charge of sexual activity with a child.
Johnson’s former employers at Sunderland have had their say, his victim released a powerful statement and now his union have responded to the verdict that is sure to result in a custodial sentence for the former England international.
While discussing “personal integrity” and the “role and responsibility of their members” the PFA statement makes no mention of their own role in the controversial decision to allow Johnson back on the field after he had been formally charged.
In the club’s statement they state that Johnson’s union were central to his return to play.
“Two weeks later, his suspension was lifted after a meeting between the club and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), and after the club took independent legal advice.”
There is no mention either of the impact of Johnson’s crime on the victim, now is their an unambiguous condemnation of the former footballer.
The statement, which can be read below, is seen by many observers as an attempt to sweep the whole affair under the carpet.
PFA on Adam Johnson: doesn't deal with what they knew + when. Did they lobby Sunderland to allow him to play? https://t.co/mLVRWyh3pv
— Richard Conway (@richard_conway) March 3, 2016
@richard_conway the PFA is an organisation that as no moral compass. We all know this.
— Tom Naysmith (@tanaysmith) March 3, 2016
Where is the empathy for the victim? What a total disgrace that statement is https://t.co/WmIekGyOCB
— Fitzy (@JFitzy26) March 3, 2016
The PFA's statement is an absolute disgrace. No condemnation of AJ. No humility that they got things wrong. No empathy for the victim.
— David Thomas (@dvdthmsdt) March 3, 2016
https://twitter.com/JoshHalliday/status/705447375955955712
Judge it for yourself.
“Players are role models and as such have a responsibility to behave in an appropriate way. It is extremely disappointing to see the damage caused by the actions of one of our members. Adam has clearly made very serious mistakes and in due course the Court will determine his punishment.
“As the players’ union we are very conscious of the role and responsibility of our members and we work hard to ensure they receive relevant information and important guidance regarding appropriate standards of conduct.
“Personal integrity relates both to the way an individual treats him or herself as much as it relates to how he or she treats other people, with mutual respect and consideration being key to this.
“The PFA works with The Football Association, the Premier League and the Football League to develop a framework of rules for the game and these clearly define integrity issues relating to, for instance, betting and doping and to complement this, the PFA has worked with these stakeholders for some time to provide training courses on lifestyle guidance to all young players. This covers appropriate standards of behaviour encompassing the law of the land and includes a range of areas including addiction issues and sexual conduct.
“As a natural extension of this, the PFA has developed over a period of time a training programme incorporating the theme of personal integrity for all professional players; ensuring they are fully informed on such issues and includes sexual consent, standards of behaviour and respectful relationships in person and on social media. This has been developed with input from groups including Rape Crisis, White Ribbon and Women’s Aid.
“Situations such as this, unfortunately, demonstrate that this is a vital area for our focus and that there is still much work to do.
“The PFA intends to make no further comment.”
