I write this with a heavy heart. It’s been a long time since I contributed an opinion piece for Americas Rugby News. I certainly wished that I had taken Paul up on writing a piece about the storied career of Todd Clever as he retired from International duty. Instead I have chose to attempt to address the volcano that is nearing eruption with USA Rugby dead in it’s path.

Let’s be very honest. Anyone who has poured their heart into the sport of rugby in America knows that something is wrong. Perhaps, people that just show up on Saturday to play and drink beers think that all is wonderful. Sometimes I wish that I was one of those people. Because the cold, hard truth is that not only is something wrong with USA Rugby, but it has been going on for a long time. The keyboard warriors have been typing away on various platforms voicing their displeasure, for one reason or another, for years. They were always met by a USA Rugby apologist saying things weren’t really that bad or that their concerns were valid. I know that there were times, while I was still writing frequently, that I often hopped back and forth over that fence of being critical of our union and giving them a pat on the back. It wasn’t all bad? Was it?

We, as a rugby community, have had our heads in the sand and the really sad part about it all is that it has taken some very serious missteps for people to start to take notice. Our union is massively in debt, about to face litigation over the PRO mess, and facing unprecedented unrest from their constituents. The fallout over PRO Rugby is embarrassing as the contract that was pushed through our leaders is questionable to even the untrained eye. I have seen it and I was shocked by the number of red flags in it. Even then, the rugby community is so forgiving and filled with hope that when the Strategy 2020 documents came out we were ready to “turn the corner” and move onto brighter horizons. Back when I first started writing about rugby over ten years ago, I feel like I used that same phrase a lot. I mean A LOT. USA Rugby seemed to always be “turning a corner”. Funny part is that if you turn enough corners, eventually you end up back where you began. Which is exactly where we are after the last ten or so years.

Before I go further, I want to state that I do believe in our CEO Dan Payne. He has been thrown into a mess that has been 10 years in the making and left with little power to correct it. He is passionate and has shown the desire to make changes in USA Rugby. The problem is that the entity may be broken to the point that no amount of passion can get past some of the obstacles that are in his way.

There is no questioning the fact that USA Rugby is at a crossroads. We are facing a seminal moment in our history. The question is will the members of USA Rugby take back the union or will we put our heads back into the sand? There are people out there leading this charge that deserve mention. Former Eagle Tony Ridnell has been extremely vocal in his concerns about many aspects of how USA Rugby is being run. It has rattled some cages and that is a good thing. To take it another step he has also raised his hand and stepped up to the plate to help make change. I support his efforts 100% and it is time that we had more people involved at USA Rugby that understand that the members aren’t there just to generate revenue for the union. We are stakeholders in USA Rugby, so every misstep and mistake made by our leaders needs to be held accountable. Tony is on a mission to fix the issues with USA Rugby. A rudder for a ship that lacks direction. Whether they give him the chance is the question. Their choice may decide whether we avoid going down a much darker path.

Speaking of…

Recently, Michael Fealey filed a formal grievance against USA Rugby. The grievance is reportedly being revised, but its claims against USA Rugby are staggering and cover a span of multiple years. The grievance includes claims of gross negligence, self dealing, misconduct, and a myriad of other issues. All questions that others have brought up over the years only to be called conspiracy theories by apologists. If proven, the grievance could destroy USA Rugby as we know it.

There are days that I wonder if that isn’t the best solution. Burn it down to the ground. Start over with a clean slate. Return the union to it’s members where it belongs. Then perhaps, we’ll change the name of our national teams to the Phoenix as a new USA Rugby rises from the ashes. Then, of course, there is the part of me that wants to see the changes made to USA Rugby before we reach this point. Either way, the time for change is now. Not in another 5-10 years when we can hand these problems off to another generation. Let’s bite the bullet and fix it now for the sake of future generations.

Now it’s your turn members of USA Rugby. Educate yourselves on the topics at hand. Draw your line in the sand. Or not.

For your reference, here is the first draft of the grievance filed by Michael Fealey.