Editorial: Let the 'bad boy' fight on

Whetu Barber has a lifetime ban from rugby.

Whetu Barber's lifetime ban from rugby for striking a referee was well deserved.

His is a life sentence. By way of comparison, if it were a life sentence handed down by the judicial system, he would be eligible for parole in 10 years. But the prop's punishment, meted out by the Waikato Rugby Union following last year's punch, is a literal one.

And one entirely befitting the crime. Striking a referee erodes the very cornerstone of fair play and the sanctity of any sports field in this country.

But as for those of a persuasion punitive enough to think this act should also preclude him from fighting in March's Hawke's Bay Kings of Club Rugby charity boxing event, I think they do protest too much.

Barber's ban wasn't a cross-code sentence. It doesn't prevent him from pursuing a career in football, teeing off at a golf course or signing up at his local boxing club. Nor should it. For those who also think his association with his former club MAC is tenuous, take a gander at a few of the other retired and semi-retired footy players on the undercard.

Chris Eaton and his fellow organisers should be congratulated for standing by their man. After all, the beneficiaries of this event are the Jarrod Cunningham Trust and 9-year-old Lili Reynolds, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was aged 5.

Ironically (unless it was deftly orchestrated), the subsequent publicity of a "bad boy" has boosted the event's billing. Besides, boxing and controversy go hand-in-glove. Like politics, charity can often make for strange bedfellows.

Barber gets nothing for stepping into the ring. He probably knew he'd be up for a public towelling for doing so but he has put his hand up for a worthy cause. Let the man fight.