Sport 07-09-2001 Healey To Fight Disrepute Ruling who: England rugby winger Austin Healey what: Says he will fight fine for bringing game into disrepute where: DUBLIN when: Yesterday snippet: "Austin Healey predicted in his final Guardian column from the Lions tour that a fine would be heading his way," writes The Guardian`s Robert Kitson, "and yesterday it duly arrived." In spite of the fact that the article in question was ghost-written for Healey by former Wales captain, Eddie Butler, the Leicester Tigers and England scrum-half was fined £2,000 by a disciplinary committee in Dublin. The committee reprimanded him for using his Guardian tour diary to make offensive remarks about the Australian way of life and more specifically described the Australian lock Justin Harrison as a "plod", a "plank" and an "ape". "The content of the article was totally unacceptable," says Donal Lenihan, the tour manager, quoted in The Telegraph. "It embarrassed the tour party, the Lions and those who had travelled to Australia to support the tour. It clearly brought the Lions into disrepute." But Healey says he will fight the decision. "I did not write the article, say or agree with what was said, nor have the opportunity to check the article," he said yesterday, quoted by The Sun. "If I had, I would certainly have required it to be changed." [... more]

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