Dunno about you, but when I fuck up at my job (routinely) people don't generally start hate threads on public forums. If they did, I hope that my friends would mention that while I might have fucked up, I'm not all bad. I don't think that is completely irrelevant, it is providing balance.
I think we are both appearing at the extremes of this debate when I think that we are probably actually closer to the middle. You seem to be on the "he is innocent side", where I come across as being on the "he's a monster" side. I think that you know he fucked up and just want it moved on from, where I think he fucked up and just want that accepted (by him and his chums). Ultimately I don't think his career should be defined by this moment, but at the moment it should not just be glossed over.
Yep that's probably about right.
I definitely think he fucked up. I originally questioned how much intent there was.
I never questioned whether it was okay or not.
Having watched it again a few times now it's hard to stay where I was on intent. It does look like he deliberately jumped on him. But I know Sig enough to know he's a great bloke and if he's had a brain explosion here (as Dale said on the Podcast only Siggie can really know this) it's out of character.
I think he should front the press now, talk about it, face the second wave of heat that will follow, and then get on with it.
I think the extreme "he's a monster let's flog him" position is hysterical. I think some of the points Jeff and others made about how "all of New Zealand hates this type of stuff" are unsupported by history.
I agree totally with your last sentence: it's not career defining, but it can't be glossed over.