Guildford "needs help"
Jan 21,2013
Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder hopes Zac Guildford gets all the professional help needed following yet another alcohol-fueled incident.
The former All Blacks wing, 23, is in the headlines again for all the wrong reasons and is currently the subject of a misconduct investigation by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) which could derail his international and Super Rugby careers.
Guildford voluntarily stood down from the Crusaders on Sunday, after approaching management and admitting he was involved in an incident during a house party two weeks ago.
The nature of the incident has not been revealed, but Blackadder says that there is a deeply rooted problem that Guildford needs to sort out.
"I could say that there was alcohol involved and sure when the facts come alight I think that everyone will realise that there is a deeper issue here," Blackadder told <i>One Sport</i>.
"I just hope for Zac that we can get the right outcome and get the support that he needs because there is a problem."
Guildford has had a highly-publicised battle with alcohol. In 2011 he was suspended for four weeks after assaulting two bar patrons during a drunken episode in the Cook Islands capital, Raratonga.
He missed one Super Rugby match and three Crusaders pre-season fixtures and was ordered to undergo alcohol treatment and counselling at his own expense.
Now Blackadder believes he needs to revisit seeking similar help.
"The one thing I do know is that this isn't actually a rugby thing now," he said.
"This is about Zac getting the right professional help and actually seeing it though and basically curing and healing himself from the inside out because even last Sunday when he had acted inappropriately and was really disappointed you could honestly see the genuine hurt and the shame and the embarrassment of it all yet he keeps doing it.
"I think that he needs to get the help beyond football just to get his life back on track to be honest because obviously these things don't only hurt him but also hurt the organisation that he represents and also his family."
"I mean Zac's been given a lot of opportunities to basically sort his stuff out which he hasn't," added Blackadder.
Comments (3)
Jan 22, 2013 at 12:18:02
There is but one salvation for problem drinkers of his type...Alcoholics Anonymous. They prescribe staying away from the first drink and you wont get drunk, in other words, absolute abstainance., the second meaning of AA. Makes sense to me....
Jan 23, 2013 at 01:59:12
He needs help...really.
What a shocker......just speak to some women folk who has been around when these guys are drinking on tour.
A disgrace to the All Blacks and rugby in general.
Jan 22, 2013 at 08:37:20
Sad to see a young man caught up in this trap. No doubt it was bad influences around him. However one has to say it is appearing that many all blacks need help given their behaviour recently They seem to lack class to put it candidly. Think of all the unsavoury incidents recently. Mcaaaw here is leading by example one would have to say. The rot often starts at the top.
One ab fan I know (Name begins with a B) thinks there should be no comment about ab rugby players misdemeanours but surely that is unrealistic in todays world (Nz oaks are generally behind the times) . If you dont want bad PUBlicity dont create the opportunity for it to arise. Bwahhaahahhahahaha