OPINION.

THE apologists were at it even before the footage went to air. Mitchell Pearce was at a private party. The story had been overblown by the media.

He hadn’t hurt anyone; it was tasteless, but harmless; it was a joke, lots of people have done it before; wait for the full story.

The NRL Integrity Unit was “aware of the matter” and “had asked the Roosters to investigate”. The Roosters were doing that. “Mitchell Pearce’s career in doubt”; “Pearce’s playing future in limbo”. It went on and on.

I. Call. Bullshit.

We shouldn’t be debating if what Mitchell Pearce got up to on Australia Day is a sackable offence. Pearce’s career shouldn’t be in doubt. It shouldn’t be in limbo. Mitchell Pearce’s career should be over.

If the bloke has a shred of decency (let’s face it, there’s no dignity left) he won’t wait for the axe to fall. He’ll sack himself.

Contractually of course, he can’t. But if the Roosters did anything but agree if he manned up and said he’d exit, they’d have a publicity nightmare on their hands. And deservedly so.

Nobody should be “awaiting investigation”, nobody should be awaiting reports, nobody should be weighing it up against similar atrocities, of which there are sadly way too many, on a sliding scale of who was most offensive, out of line, most depraved, had the most form.

The Roosters should have acted on this bloke long ago. Other players with a lesser list of indiscretions have gone. Instead they made Pearce co-captain.

Like a lot of people on Australia Day, Mitchell Pearce went out with mates to celebrate. Like a lot of people, he appeared to have a few drinks. Like a lot of people, he appeared to celebrate for way too long and ended up at a party at someone’s house.

Unlike a lot of people, Pearce — a repeat offender on the grog (among his other punishments have been losing his State of Origin jersey) — crossed not one, but several lines. Again.

He simulated sex on a dog. He attempted to kiss a woman who clearly didn’t want to be kissed.

He apparently urinated on himself, and a couch. He spoke disgracefully to those who were protesting. It’s more than a trifecta of disgrace. It’s more than a big night on the grog from a bloke who has “issues with alcohol in the past”.

It’s certainly not a “tragedy”. Let’s call it what it is. It’s disgusting. We know how this plays out. Defenders of Pearce and the NRL will trot out any excuse under the sun — Pearce is troubled, they have mates who have done worse; he needs to be kept in the game because that’s the best way for him to tackle his demons.

They’ll shift blame — his mates let him down by letting the video be shot; the women in the apartment clearly had agenda — what did they expect spending time with a bunch of drunk blokes? They’ll turn on commentators like me — a woman, who’s never played the game, ask haven’t I ever done anything I regret on the grog? They’ll say we don’t understand the pressures, the sport, these blokes aren’t prepared for anything outside football. They are treated like gods, they have too much time on their hands. But again, because this happens every year and every time, the end result is shamefaced apology: “I’ve let myself down, my family down, my teammates down, the club down.”

Mitchell Pearce is a man blessed with enough talent and dedication to play a game that apparently rewards him handsomely at elite level. He and his teammates had permission to let their hair down on Australia Day, but instead of letting his hair down and pulling his head in, Pearce went on a bender less than three weeks out from the season kicking off at the Auckland Nines.

Enough have gone before him that if he hasn’t figured out yet that the pay cheque brings with it certain responsibilities — like not simulating lewd acts with dogs, not forcing drunken slobber on women, and not pissing on random couches — he’s clearly not bright enough to be keeping up his end of the deal.

And he should know — he’s been in the game for seven years. He’s not a kid. He’s a team captain — and sadly, he’s had enough indiscretions that he knows the ropes. What he should know, at the age of 26, is he’s a grown man, and he’s out of chances. He doesn’t need new friends. He doesn’t need excuses. And he damn sure doesn’t need to be playing in the NRL.

What he does need is a reality check. No matter who he is, and what he does, this behaviour is unacceptable. Countless blokes, both in and out of the NRL know that. They don’t need it spelled out to them in detail, they just know what’s decent and what isn’t.

We’re sick of the sordid acts, the grubby excuses, and the umpteen rounds of counselling and chances. Nobody has called bullshit on Mitchell Pearce, and the countless offenders before him until it’s too late.

This time, Pearce needs to blow the whistle on himself.