An emotional Matthew Johns said "I'm sorry!" to the girl who was suicidal being the lone girl in a group sex participated in by Cronulla Shark NRL players in 2002. The apology happened in an interview with Channel 9's A Current Affairs in the presence of Johns's wife. Johns said the same words a week ago to his family. As a result of this, Mathew Johns was stripped off his television appearance with Channel 9 notably the Footy Show.
It was not clear why and how the interview came to light after 7 years in a hotel in Christchurch in New Zealand. The public is divided on the issue considering that "it was a consentual sex." Others argued that it was disrespectful of women and sexual harrassment. Whatever it is, only Johns tasted the bittersweet since he did not name the other participants.
I do believe that the judgment on Matthew Johns is unfair since "group sex" is not at all illegal. The girl was already an adult in 2002. She could have said "NO" on the night it happened or filed a complaint with New Zealand police. It is not clear why she surfaced now and claimed that she was "abused". Does telling the truth set her free? Does it diminish her guilt? Can she move on now?
The lessons we learned from this sexcapade are:
1- Group sex is wrong especially when you are celebrities.
2-Telling the truth shatters one's career and family.
3-The victim can become instant celebrity of ridicule and/or compassion.
Watch Matthew Johns's ACA interview here