pled guilty today and received a ?300 fine for possession of cocaine.  not too sure of all the details yet but the judge accepted that it was a one off and an error of judgement.  i'm sure this has been a big lesson for him - one that will never be repeated.

i for one hope the club stand by him....

Unless there is something explicit within his contract it may be that the club couldn?t, even if it wished to, dispense with his services easily.

St Johnstone had to repent at their leisure after they took action against George O?Boyle.

Richie Hart is a player that, for whatever reason, has never fulfilled his potential.

His first season with us was so good that I thought he would have been one of the very few that would have been able to cut it (unintentional) at SPL level.

The groin injury he sustained, I believe, was the main reason that he became one of the players that couldn?t make the grade.

He was fighting an uphill battle to re-establish himself as a 1st pick anyway, this debacle may well have been enough to convince those that matter that he hasn?t got the wherewithal to contribute effectively.

Pity.

I agree with Sophia.  RH is not the player a lot of people try to make out to be and this was shown in the Dunfermline game at the end of last season when he didn't even attempt to shoot an open goal.  I also feel that if ICT do not sack him then they should give him some help should he need it and want it.

It looks like its over then

The club should condemn all drug use, no matter what the circumstances.

However, he will always be rememberd for almost single handendly getting us a point against Smiths Rangers, with our most influential defender set off.

Ta Ra Richie, thanks for the memories

I'm disappointed in the club (no change there then)  :018:

The LEAST they could do is offer help should he need it, as TCF says.

he said at first that he was not guilty and now he has changed that so the fact that he has now given the real plead means that he was a liar at first but credit to him for finally telling the truth.

I would imagine that he would have pled not guilty on the advice of his solicitor who in turn would have used the time of the first plea to that of any subsequent trial to gather all the facts/evidence. Again after reading all the evidence etc his solicitor would no doubt have advised him that changing his plea was the best course of action which would result in a slap on the wrists and a small fine from the courts.

This is a bit of a poor show by the people who say 'sack him!' 'get rid' etc etc .

Lets not forget that Richie has stood by the club for some time now when managers have come and gone, the guy is not getting paid thousands of pounds a week to stay and rot on the bench, i'm sure a lot of the players wages are on win bonuses etc.. I'm pretty sure the reason he dosen't have a regular spot in the team is due to managers coming and going and not giving him a good run in the team.

Caley ARE a community team and it's's becuase if that we SHOULD stand by him, not get rid of him. Thinking that your kids are going to become dabblers in coke because of this is absurd, this is a good advert to show your kids why not to take drugs!

We were all young once and i'm sure we've all got skeletons in the cupboard, RH was a bit naive to get caught but he is taking his punishment now and should use this as a spur to push on into the 1st team, we need more players! Not get rid of players!

Unless there is something explicit within his contract it may be that the club couldn?t, even if it wished to, dispense with his services easily.

St Johnstone had to repent at their leisure after they took action against George O?Boyle.

I don't think you can really compare the situation with George O'Boyle to that of Richard Hart.Maybe you don't understand the situations of both individuals so I will try and explain it to you in simple terms.

O'Boyle and St. Johnstone teammate Kevin Thomas were sacked following drug-taking allegations. The two players, it was alleged, were found using cocaine at the club's Christmas 2000 party.

Richard Hart has been found guilty by a court of law. Two completely different scenarios.

I see Richie's family are out in force tonight :023:

Sorry, but I'm also in a job where I would expect the sack if my name ever made the papers for the same reason.

Class A drugs + professional sport = Bye Bye Richie.

.

Class A drugs + professional sport = Bye Bye Richie.

Have to agree. Its as simple as that.  And none of the excuses, pleadings etc from many posters will make any difference.  He has to go.

What "support" do those calling for it think the club should be giving him, and who should be paying for it?  Should it be coming out of our ticket price, should it be coming out of club sponsorship money or money from commercial deals.  Maybe we should redirect funds from the legends night to pay for this "support".  Or how about we stick up the kids tickets by another ?5, after all this "support" will serve to teach them all a valuable life lesson about how bad drugs are and making them pay will help reaffirm that messing with drugs comes at a cost.

Meanwhile Hart can continue to drive his BMW, live in his ?250,000 house and not have to suffer in the slightest for his error...after all, why should he suffer when his actions can be used to teach everyone else such a great lesson.  In fact we should all personally write and thank the guy...he's actually a hero.

:029:

From tonights Highland News

ICT Suspends Drugs Shame Player

"Unfortunately the way the justice system works, it's more beneficial if you accept guilt

rather than be found guilty after pleading not guilty.  At the end of the day it was what my views

were on the matter, compared with what the police felt"

"I obviously discussed it with my solicitor.  If you do not think you have a strong enough case to go

against it, bascially it's your word against the police"

"I have never tested postitive for any drugs"

"When interviewed Hart said that the amount on the CD disc was the remainder of half a gramme he bought

for ?40 from someone at the venue"

For what its worth Gringo, I'm 26 (don't know if thats young to you!!) and I agree with you 100%.

Looking at it from a completely different angle, when my workmates and I read the BBC website story today every one of them (All aberdeen fans) said why are the club reassuring corporate sponsors before the fans? Did we read it the wrong way?

IMO, if  he did lie to the club when he was originally asked then they have to take some sort of action and I don't think a fine will do it.  Although it is not a complete shock to hear of another football player taking coke, the club need to set an example to the rest of the players.  What worries me is that if one of our players is at it then there is a very good chance a few of the others are..  that is why the club needs to come down hard on this.  I would be gutted to lose Hart but he made his bed, and by sniffing the Peruvian he put his career in jeopardy and must have realised the possible circumstances.  This isn't an argument of how bad the offence was but how little he has thought of the consequences of his actions.... but that is for the club to decide and maybe the SFA/SPL.

Meanwhile Hart can continue to drive his BMW, live in his ?250,000 house and not have to suffer in the slightest for his error...after all, why should he suffer when his actions can be used to teach everyone else such a great lesson.  In fact we should all personally write and thank the guy...he's actually a hero.

:029:

HN - "It has been a very difficult situation for me, which has been wearing me down for however long.  The only thing that matters to me now is concentrating on my football" - Richie

Think it's very harsh to accuse him of getting off scot free!  He's obviously been very stupid, and has definitely suffered for it.

I'm really disappointed that he bought the drugs, but he tested negative, and we should support him.

If everyone on this board had to leave after "disgracing the club" - they'd be no fecker left on here!

We've all made mistakes.

This situation could be turned completely on it's head - do it american style - send Richie out to schools as a kind of "community service"

and to teach kids about the dangers of drugs and associating with people that do!

Doubt they'd have the bollox to do it though!

Mrs PB

Standing firmly behind Hart!

JohnnyKipper,

Thanks for your helpful advice.

However, I used the football comparison only for illumination.

The crux of the paragraph is about the detail of employment law and how it may be applied in this case.

I am pretty sure that footballers contracts will be inline with the majority of employment contracts. That being the case, they could get him on Gross Misconduct

"Unfortunately the way the justice system works, it's more beneficial if you accept guilt rather than be found guilty after pleading not guilty...."

"When interviewed Hart said that the amount on the CD disc was the remainder of half a gramme he bought for ?40 from someone at the venue"

How magnanimous !!! Grudgingly accepting that he had to plead guilty after saying HE BOUGHT the drugs for ?40 ......  :symbol_exclaim01: :symbol_exclaim01: :symbol_exclaim01:

Even if we were to believe/accept that others in his company that night may have used the rest of the drug and he was possibly preparing "the remainder" for subsequent use by himself or others as implied by the BBC article, the simple fact is that he has now admitted that he bought it, yet seems to think it is unfortunate that he has had to plead guilty.

I was switching back and forth from the "support" camp to the "sack" camp earlier but that does it for me. The purchase and/or possession of the drug IS an offence whether you have used it or not and for him to think it unfortunate that he had to plead guilty shows there is little remorse other than the fact of being caught. If he had come out and said something like "sorry, it was a stupid mistake and I accept my actions were wrong" then maybe, just maybe there would have been a route back but not now ......

  :sillywave: :sillywave:

Some of the jokers on this thread aren't fit to call themselves supporters. A long serving ICT player makes a stupid mistake at a music festival and you want him hung, drawn and quartered. Some of these same eedjits have called for us to sign Tony Bullock on previous threads.  :024:

Is it really proportionate to terminate his contract and in all likelyhood end his career? I don't see any sense in that. We lose a good player, he loses his livelyhood, his family suffers etc etc.

I hope common sense prevails here! He's been suspended. If he reacts the right way by going out of his way to make ammends for his mistake then he deserves a second chance.

To be positive for a second, can anybody think of any suggestions as to what he should do at this point to begin to make ammends?

I would suggest that he issue a full public appology to the club, the players, and the fans. That he volunteers for charity work, possibly helping those afflicted by drug abuse. And also accompanies the local anti-drug groups who give talks in schools. All of these, combined with him getting down the gym and training harder than he's ever trained in his life... would be a good start.

ITC have to show that they are taking this seriously,if they dont the SPL will step in.

Richie must have been aware of the consequences if he was caught.I liked him as a player

but im afraid he will have to go,otherwise the good name  the club will be brought into disrepute

I cannot see CB standing by a player who has let the club down.

:33:

I can see why the club feel they have to sack Richie if he's been dishonest with them. However, I don't think a player should be summarily sacked for possession of a controlled substance. In response to the people who have spoken as parents of impressionable children (and I applaud Birdog for his candidness while probably disagreeing overall with his opinion of what Richie's fate should be), surely the club could do more good all round by requiring Richie to get involved with some sort of community education programme which will alert children to the risks of recreational drug use? I teach in a school in one of the poorest areas of the UK, where an alarming number of pupils come from familes where one or both parents have substance addiction problems. These kids are very aware of the dangers of drug use but certainly don't appreciate the demonisation of drug users or a holier-than-thou attitude. They respond far better to open and sympathetic approaches which demonstrate the dangers of drug use without resorting to kneejerk condemnation. The police and PSE teachers ask people with histories of drug use to come in and talk to the pupils about their experiences and these speakers tend to have more impact on the pupils than teachers trying to educate the pupils on the same issue. Such a high-profile arrest in Inverness demonstrates how widespread Class A drug use has become in Scotland, so why not allow Richie to make reparation and educate himself and others at the same time by getting involved in a schools drug education programme? It certainly wouldn't do Caley Thistle's image as a community club any harm.

I'm really disappointed that he bought the drugs, but he tested negative, and we should support him.

Did he ? You have the benefit of more media availability than me but the only thing I have read about drug testing was what you posted earlier  .... "I have never tested postitive for any drugs" ... it didnt say when he was last tested or whether that test was random or scheduled ?

If everyone on this board had to leave after "disgracing the club" - they'd be no fecker left on here!

Hardly a fair comparison. we are not and never have been paid employees of the club ... not even when the site was official and I would say that 99% of the posting members here fall into that category too.

We've all made mistakes.

very true, and some of us can accept responsibility for them.

This situation could be turned completely on it's head - do it american style - send Richie out to schools as a kind of "community service" and to teach kids about the dangers of drugs and associating with people that do! Doubt they'd have the bollox to do it though!

Very little of that goes on now - the favoured route recently seems to be jail ! The most recent athlete to be involved in a scandal (running a dog-fighting ring), Michael Vick is being absolutely vilified in the media and is currently being sued by numerous banks and corporations for the return of money/loans as well as his employers suing him for part of his contract monies and thats before he actually gets sentenced in December ! He suggested he could do some work for PETA which was laughed at by most of the population !

Standing firmly behind Hart!

I respect your right to support him, and to express your view, just cannot agree with you based on what I have read so far.

What a savage attack on a player by Sophia. If my interpretation is correct she may be suggesting that his groin injury was caused by the fact that all his other veins had collapsed and that was the only place to inject. Still some of us can speak our own minds and others cant.  :018:

Anyway with ma professional head on : There simply is too much heresay to go one way or another - I wholly doubt that he was a "junkie" or a "druggie" as that indicates habitual long term use to the degree of dependence - he could never have carried that off. It could suggest that he is a "recreational" drug user and taking cocaine out of season could be understood. It could be that he was simply caught out in the atmosphere of a festival and knowing that he would not be tested for some time joined his pals in a line or two. To me it is the latter or the middle and not the last.

His crime is being stupid - and of course many of the feckin hypocrits on this thread have never done drugs or got pished or did something out of character - sneaked a spliff, grafitti, streaked ?

Leave the poor **** alone. He has been done - he has been fined - he has been suspended - is that not enuff ? He may never recover from this but who cares eh !! Give him community service - give him a chance to redeem himself - give him the chance to be an example to others - in adversity.

If he ever pulls an ICT shirt on again - and I hope he feckin does - he will have to deal with his past, the taunts of the away fans and the doubting gazes of many of his own fans.

And yet again - in the aftermath of pages of abuse against Rory and Fraser follows Hart - all Highlanders and ICT through and through - and yet some are deemed above reproach.

FECKIN SHAME ON YOU ALL  -  GOOD LUCK RICHIE HART.  :clapping03: :clapping03: :clapping03:

I hope common sense prevails here! He's been suspended. If he reacts the right way by going out of his way to make ammends for his mistake then he deserves a second chance.

To be positive for a second, can anybody think of any suggestions as to what he should do at this point to begin to make ammends?

I would suggest that he issue a full public appology to the club, the players, and the fans. That he volunteers for charity work, possibly helping those afflicted by drug abuse. And also accompanies the local anti-drug groups who give talks in schools. All of these, combined with him getting down the gym and training harder than he's ever trained in his life... would be a good start.

Thats what pushed me into the "P45" camp ..... I have openly said I have no idea what the right decision is at various points in the thread but the quotes in the HN make it sound like he hasnt accepted wrongdoing while at the same time admitting to purchasing an illegal class "A" drug ........ You cant have it both ways, and that excerpt does not sound like someone apologising for stupid behaviour, but someone looking for an excuse.

My heart says give him a chance but when you take everything together it looks very difficult to find a way to do that .......

My heart says give him a chance but when you take everything together it looks very difficult to find a way to do that .......

Lets just hope he's reading this thread and he gets his act together ASAP.

I can't believe what I read in the HN....how stupid can you get.  He may never have tested positive for drugs, but someone should have tested him for something after he spoke to that reporter.