AFTER his well-publicised late-night "incident", Magnus Bradbury has been stripped of the Edinburgh club captaincy as Richard Cockerill, the head coach, clamps down on discipline within the club.
Fraser McKenzie, the 29-year-old lock in his second spell with the club, takes over.
"Magnus was under the influence of alcohol, which is inappropriate, and unfortunately for him, he fell over and knocked himself out. I don’t think it is the right image for any of our players to portray," said Cockerill.
"Being inebriated lying on the floor in the centre of town with an ambulance next to you is not a picture we want to portray. However, he has been sanctioned and accepted the consequences. We move on."
It is understood that being stripped of the captaincy only two months in to the job is the only sanction against Bradbury. He will not play this weekend, the third game he will have missed, but that is because he is still recovering from concussion he gave himself.
He is expected to be available for selection next week, when Edinburgh face the Ospreys. As Cockerill pointed out, though, he has also given rivals the chance to grab his starting place.
However, Cockerill was at pains to use the incident to get a message through to the rest of the squad. They have to take responsibility not just for their performances on the field but how they behave off it.
"It is embarrassing, isn’t it?" he added. "Sometimes when you make an error you hold your hands up and say, 'Sorry I made a mistake' and take the consequences. I have to try to build a strong culture.
"There is a perception that the culture is loose, well I have to tighten that. If our captain behaves like that, there are consequences.
“I’ve stood Magnus down as captain because I’m not going to accept that behaviour from my captain away from the field. The players are very aware of what I expect. They’re adults, and they have to make the right decisions. They know how to behave. If they choose to behave outside of that, then clearly I have to manage it.
“Magnus is no longer the captain of the team, and that’s his sanction for not being able to be trusted to manage his behaviour away from the field. I take it very seriously and I will continue to. I want guys that want to be part of the environment and contribute.
“Notwithstanding, I will help guys that get themselves into trouble, because people make mistakes. If we all got chucked aside after a mistake, none of us would be sitting here now."
Cockerill probably has a lot of sympathy for Bradbury – he was no stranger to controversy himself as a youngster, including reports that he got into a drink-fuelled fight with Norm Hewitt, his New Zealand opposite number, on tour in 1998 – but is adamant the players have to learn from it.
“I’d much rather not be answering these questions and wasting my time on people who don’t behave themselves. I understand that humans make mistakes – I’ve been there myself as a player. I’m sure everybody has been at some point, waking up on a Sunday morning regretting what they’ve done on a Saturday night. That’s part of growing up," he said.
"I don’t think human behaviour is all that different from 20 years ago – you just have to choose better. We all like to have a couple of beers, get away from it and relax, but unfortunately if you are a public figure it will be highlighted. I am not going to ban alcohol or give them curfews, but they have to make the right choices."
Given his demand that the club raises its standards, Cockerill says he had no hesitation in turning to McKenzie to take over. "He is a strong character who speaks well and he is very committed to the club," Cockerill explained.
"He gives us a voice that may lead the team better on and off the field. I would rather have not been in this position, but it is right for Fraser to take over. We are here to enjoy ourselves in a sport we love, but we also have a professional responsibility."
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