navinjohnsonsdog

I have read this thread with interest. What concerns me here is that there are character assassinations which somehow justify what the apparent miscreant did. I was there last night. I didn't see what happened to cause it, or the full extent of what happened in the pits. I did not hear what was said in the private room. However, it appears that many people who were much further away than me feel in a position to make a decision as to what happened based upon their opinion of one of the riders and/or their allegiance to the other. What is clear is that the referee did the only thing he could do. He fined them both and then match banned one of them for what he said & did in the private room. Craig Cook has made a wisely delayed statement, making an unqualified apology, which he then went on to qualify. I must say it was much better than I expected and feared it would be. What does concern me more is the allegation that the Ipswich promotion are somehow to blame for the tantamount to libelous comments in the match programme. That's so easy to suggest to the majority of people on this forum who do not have the programme upon which to make their own a judgement and can only therefore go on what is said here. I have read and re-read the programme and for the life of me cannot find anything that could even mildly be construed as libelous. Would those who claim this please be kind enough to tell me where I can find this and while doing so tell me how this compares to the twitter statements and press that have appeared over recent days? The facts and prejudiced statements have been exhausted. What I dislike intensely is an attempt to deflect the blame from the guilty to allege it was majorly contributed to by the programme notes when that simply isn't true. The injustice of these allegations are frankly appalling. I for one am very impressed by the referee for taking the action he did. He tried to deal with it in a private meeting and when the verbal abuse and damage was caused did the only thing he could and should have done. Craig ought to consider himself fortunate for not being prosecuted for criminal damage! Craig Cook is an excellent rider and a real talent. He has let himself down by his recent actions and hopefully will reflect on this and learn from it to be the better person. Ben Barker has acquired himself an unfortunate reputation which makes people decide he has to be responsible for anything controversial that happens that he is involved in. Let's hope that Craig does not acquire a similar reputation. What I do know is that while people defend and even support his actions here he is less than likely to succeed in this. I refer especially here to fellow riders who really should know better and be thoroughly ashamed of themselves