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The problem with the Wayne Carey story is twofold: 1) The media, framing his violence-related arrests in two countries as a sad tale of an Oz sporting hero fallen from grace, buried the lead: the burly ex-football star is allegedly a woman-basher and 2) Australian culture with its religious celebration of sporting achievement, anti-intellectual interpretation of success and the succour it offers misogynists allows violent serial offenders to hide and thrive within their codes.

When the AFL player was arrested at his Port Melbourne home on Sunday night it wasn’t his first brush with the law…neither was it the first time police had been called to a ‘domestic incident’ involving Carey.

In Port Melbourne, police had to subdue the former Kangaroos captain with capsicum spray after he allegedly forcefully resisted arrest. It was also sensationally revealed today that Carey is facing charges of assaulting two Miami police officers after they were called to his Florida apartment in October last year.

Investigations are continuing into the Port Melbourne 'incident' but the media appeared to do little to establish the reasons for the police call out. While there may be legal reasons for caution in the coverage of this story - I note that no charges have been laid to date against Carey by Victoria police - the reporting seemed skewed. One of the ABC’s flagship radio current affairs programs, The World Today, didn’t event allude to the ‘domestic incident’ that was also largely relegated to the tail end of print media stories. Instead, the stories focused on Carey’s dramatic fall from grace with news he would be sacked from his Channel 9 AFL commentary position after earlier losing his job at Melbourne radio station 3AW because of his off-field behaviour.

News of the Miami incident also focused on the dramatic nature of Carey’s arrest - which resulted in assault, resisting arrest and aggravated battery charges being laid against him. Again, reason for the police intervention was downplayed and reported in much of the media as a ‘domestic dispute’ between Carey and his girlfriend, Kate Nielsen. But Miami Police Lieutenant, Bill Schwartz was more direct on ABC News Radio today: “…he assaulted a woman, smashed a wine glass against her face...Then when the officers intervened he kicked one of them in the mouth and elbowed another one in the side of the head. And then once he was placed into a police car he used his head as a battering ram and tried to break the partition in between the police officers and the prisoner compartment.” Tellingly, reporters also mentioned the fact that the arresting officers in the US had no idea about Carey’s huge media profile and sporting legend status back home.

While he was indeed a successful footballer, Carey’s real claim to fame is infamy. The Australian has helpfully listed his misdemeanours for us – under the galling headline ‘Fallen Hero’. His sins include conviction for indecently assaulting a woman in 1996 after grabbing her breast outside a Melbourne nightclub and ‘asking’ her: “Why don't you get a bigger pair of tits?" (Yep, this guy is a prize dickhead).

One of my problems with the coverage of violence against women is the media’s insistence on referring to assaults committed against women in their own homes as ‘domestic incidents' or 'domestic disputes'. These terms are so passive and forgiving they border on being culpable. There were many ‘domestic incidents' in my home today – cups of tea were brewed; washing done; pets fed; bills paid. The implication is that these 'incidents' are incidental. Journalists need to start calling(alleged) assaults and bashings by their real names. And while some journalists will argue that they are merely sticking to the police script, there’s no justification for blindly appropriating police jargon. In fact, the Victoria Police no longer officially use the word 'domestic' in conjunction with violence, they refer instead to 'family violence' to describe assault in the home.

Sexism and apologetics are in play in this story. If Wayne Carey had been bashed in his Miami home by someone known to him would it have been reported as a ‘domestic dispute’? No. It would have been branded, accurately, as an assault. As a reporter, you own the language and you have a responsibility to use it powerfully and meaningfully.

The central character in this story is a man with a history of abusing women. But his tough-man image was reinforced through the focus on his physical strength in clashes with the police.

Insipid media representation of violence against women is one factor that perpetuates the problem. The other major sustaining force for men who abuse their partners is Australian culture itself. This nation worships its male sports stars like gods. It defines itself according to tough, masculine characteristics and imagery: subduing the environment; mateship; ability to down copious quantities of beer; heat; dust; rugged landscape; military encounter. Add to that testosterone overload the relatively low status of artistic and academic achievement and you have a recipe for a volatile, potentially violent interpretation of what it means to be Australian…and, in particular, what it means to be an Australian man.

As a nation we are far too forgiving of our ‘heroes’’ bad behaviour…all too willing to turn a blind eye to sexual harassment (oh, look, another text message from that sleaze who spun fast balls for the Australian cricket team) and violence against women. I find the attempt by commentators and others to segregate the public sins of a man (and it’s invariably men we’re talking about here) from his sporting prowess, in an effort to sustain his reputation as a great sportsman, disingenuous and indefensible intellectually. Would we attempt the same act of justification for a politician or a judge charged or convicted in connection with acts of violence or sexual harassment like this: "Oh but he's such a good legislator" or "but he's so deft with a gavel"? Nope, this is a special ‘get out of gaol free’ card we reserve for our sports stars. Why? Because we’re addicted to winning and we define our national success and our standing in the world in accordance with our achievements on the sports-fields where men play with their balls.

It’s time the news media started taking sports journalism seriously and evening up the 'coverage playing field' to expose the characters behind the victories as required. The media is partly responsible for creating and feeding the Carey myth and it now has a responsibility to more closely examine the problem of violence against women associated with the blokey, alcohol fuelled culture connected to professional football of all codes.

The Age today at least took a stab at broadening the coverage – they reported the views of the ‘No to Violence’ CEO, Danny Blay, who argues that sacking Carey from his high profile media jobs isn’t going far enough. Blay suggests Carey consider a path to redemption which includes campaigning against ‘domestic violence’. Now there’s a play-book move I’d like to see!

Carey, who may face gaol time in connection with the charges laid by police in Miami is due to appear in court in the US on February 15th. Victoria police are continuing their investigations.    [read more]