Sonny Bill is right to leave, but went the wrong way about it.

After watching Sonny Bill Williams’ interview on The Footy Show last night, I’ll swallow my opinions on his selfishness and greediness with a few finely cut slices of humble pie, after he left the NRL for a French rugby union side in Toulon. For the past two weeks SBW has been public enemy number one with both Canterbury fans, and fans of the NRL in general. Reporters, critics and fans have blasted the way he behaved by just walking out on the club days before he was due to play, and without notice to club officials, coaches or even teammates. But the reasons for his departure have never been clear. The assumption was, why would a player simply walk out on the NRL, especially as there is already a so called ‘player exodus’, without telling anybody, and especially if it didn’t involve a huge sum of money as it was days before Canterbury faced St George?

According to the man himself on the Channel Nine interview, he left for numerous reasons. The one that sticks in my mind the most is his criticism of Steve Folkes. Sonny Bill came out yesterday saying he was jumped on for associating with Muslims, such as Anthony Mundine. According to SBW, Folkes has said “Your not turning Muslim are you, your joking right? You’re kidding yourself if you’re taking advice off Anthony Mundine”. I agree with SBW in that Folkes has no right to “bag” Williams’ mates in that way. After which Williams’ decided to pick up sticks and move. It was his choice based on the treatment by a professional rugby league coach that was, if we are to believe SBW, totally unacceptable.

Now we all knew at the time St Helens had offered Sonny Bill a $1 million contract. How they could have afforded it at the time heaven knows, but what was leaked into the Sydney Morning Herald was a genuine contract, despite Saints’ claim it was untrue. However, SBW uses this as an example as to why he is not a greedy person and stayed on $400,000 a year with Canterbury.

Now I genuinely believe his excuse for leaving is legitimate. But I cannot understand why he left in the manner he did. He could have easily done what Jamie Lyon did in 2003. He was unhappy at Parramatta for one reason or another, he spoke to the club about his issues and the club released him. Now why didn’t SBW do that? Why didn’t SBW go up to whoever at Canterbury, said he wasn’t happy and the club would maybe sort things out for him and support him through whatever the problem was. But again, according to SBW, Todd Greenberg set the scenario that Rugby League is a business, and I have no doubt Williams’ felt the door was closed if he had a problem.

So what if Folkes is a “tyrant” and so what if Greenberg sees our game as a business? The players need to feel wanted at a club in a friendly environment and that all players are respected. But they cannot bottle it all up and walk away. They have to be vocal about their concerns and let people know how they feel in confidence. Sonny Bill failed to do that and now must face a legal battle that will bring both himself, and the game into disrepute. And because Williams walked out the way he did, he is public enemy number one. Its why he is $BW and Sonny ‘Dollar Bill’ Williams. While his actions were indecent, his reasons were justified.