When the incident occurred at the Freo vs Hawks Prelim, being a Freo supporter, part of me felt for the offender, given it's an emotional situation and he obviously had a brain fade. But, at the end of the day, he still deserved his penalty and whether he was under the influence of alcohol or other, it's no excuse to handle another person (especially a woman), the way he did, in that type of situation.
So on to the Dusty incident. If I have any bias, it is most certainly not against Martin. I think he is a brilliant footballer and I would not enjoy seeing him absent from the AFL game for any reason. But, at the end of the day, if the Channel 7 woman, had have been an off duty police woman and Dusty was just a normal member of society, I feel he would likely now be facing serious assault charges for his actions (and deservedly so). In any case, his actions are extremely serious and I feel any defence, whether that is under the influence of alcohol (or drug) or a media related provocation cannot and should not lessen the seriousness of his reported threats and physical intimidation to a woman in a public place. In my head, if I replace Dusty with a Freo player, part of me would feel sorrow for them and I would want to defend them, while the rest of me would accept and expect a suitable lengthy AFL suspension. If the incident did occur as reported, and I currently have little reason to believe otherwise, then I will feel a little less human if he does not get at the very least, a lengthy suspension by Richmond (and or the AFL).