Brian Rice - Gambling notice of complaint

Nathan9719972

Well-Known Member
Receives notice of complaint for gambling


Statement from Head Coach Brian Rice:

Firstly, I would like to express my regret to the players, coaching staff and my friends and colleagues at Hamilton Academical for the lapse that has prompted me to voluntarily acknowledge breaches of the Scottish Football Association’s gambling rules.”

“This decision was one of the hardest I have had to take but in a way also the easiest. I have made no secret of the fact that I have struggled with the disease that is gambling addiction in the past. The reality is I am an addict and while I have been proud of the fact I have been in recovery from this disease, a key part of the recovery programme is honesty: honesty to myself, and honesty to those who have and who continue to support me, including my family and my football family at Hamilton.”

“I wrote a letter to the Scottish FA self-reporting my gambling and did so as an admission that my disease has returned, in order that I commit to recovery. I have apologised to those at the club in whom I have sought counsel and I apologise today to the players, fans and colleagues I have let down through my gambling addiction.

“I accept that a breach of the rules will come with punishment and I accept that. The reason I am speaking out is to remove the stigma attached to this horrible, isolating disease, in the hope that those involved in Scottish football who are similarly in its grasp feel they can seek help and draw strength from my admission.

“After committing to recovery I cannot believe that I have found myself back in the grip of gambling addiction but this disease is not cured with a finite course of treatment. You are an addict for life and through my commitment to the 12-step recovery programme, I am confident I can stay on top of this disease one day at a time.

“I am eternally grateful to the club for its unwavering support, both seen and unseen. I have spoken to my management team and players and they have been great and they understand the reason for me speaking out today. It is my intention to atone through openness, honesty and togetherness.

“I look forward to a future founded on truth and commitment to recovery and it is my wish that anyone who feels vulnerable, helpless or hopeless in the grip of this silent yet destructive disease can come forward and seek help.”






Fair play to BrianRice, seems like a genuine football guy and always very complimentary of Rangers
 
has admitted he is gambling addict

its a bit rich that managers / players get pulled up for this, yet the governing bodies are happy to take millions from betting firms in sponsorship

unless your betting on games involving your own team then i see no issue at all with it

Absolutely. Bedfred Cup, Ladbrokes Cup but hey don't bet on completely unrelated matches. That's our governing body to a tee.
 
Such is society, he'll be ridiculed, banned from his job all while the governing body take sponsorship money from gambling companies! Can't throw people under the bus whilst taking the devil's dollar yourself.
Fair play to the honest approach, wonder when Griffiths will come clean on his gambling and drug addiction
 
has admitted he is gambling addict

its a bit rich that managers / players get pulled up for this, yet the governing bodies are happy to take millions from betting firms in sponsorship

unless your betting on games involving your own team then i see no issue at all with it
It’s not the first time he’s admitted this he’s been a gambler all his dsys he’s from we’re I stay he was never out the bookies even when he was a player I do hope he can sort himself out for the sake of his family
 
The amount of gambling advertising in football is insane, must be an absolute nightmare for people with actual addictions to even enjoy the sport anymore

50% of Premier League teams have a betting company as their main sponsor
 
I liked Brian Rice before this, and that hasn't changed after reading his statement.

Seems a decent football man who has grafted in the game well.

Good luck to him in his recovery.

When you have cretims like Allan injuring people through driving and wasters like Griffiths its refreshing to hear someone admitting their flaws and seeking help in the right manner.
 
Receives notice of complaint for gambling


Statement from Head Coach Brian Rice:

Firstly, I would like to express my regret to the players, coaching staff and my friends and colleagues at Hamilton Academical for the lapse that has prompted me to voluntarily acknowledge breaches of the Scottish Football Association’s gambling rules.”

“This decision was one of the hardest I have had to take but in a way also the easiest. I have made no secret of the fact that I have struggled with the disease that is gambling addiction in the past. The reality is I am an addict and while I have been proud of the fact I have been in recovery from this disease, a key part of the recovery programme is honesty: honesty to myself, and honesty to those who have and who continue to support me, including my family and my football family at Hamilton.”

“I wrote a letter to the Scottish FA self-reporting my gambling and did so as an admission that my disease has returned, in order that I commit to recovery. I have apologised to those at the club in whom I have sought counsel and I apologise today to the players, fans and colleagues I have let down through my gambling addiction.

“I accept that a breach of the rules will come with punishment and I accept that. The reason I am speaking out is to remove the stigma attached to this horrible, isolating disease, in the hope that those involved in Scottish football who are similarly in its grasp feel they can seek help and draw strength from my admission.

“After committing to recovery I cannot believe that I have found myself back in the grip of gambling addiction but this disease is not cured with a finite course of treatment. You are an addict for life and through my commitment to the 12-step recovery programme, I am confident I can stay on top of this disease one day at a time.

“I am eternally grateful to the club for its unwavering support, both seen and unseen. I have spoken to my management team and players and they have been great and they understand the reason for me speaking out today. It is my intention to atone through openness, honesty and togetherness.

“I look forward to a future founded on truth and commitment to recovery and it is my wish that anyone who feels vulnerable, helpless or hopeless in the grip of this silent yet destructive disease can come forward and seek help.”






Fair play to BrianRice, seems like a genuine football guy and always very complimentary of Rangers
it is shocking how the betting industry has dominated football over the last few seasons.
32 Red is everywhere and all Scottish competitions are sponsored by betting companies
 
has admitted he is gambling addict

its a bit rich that managers / players get pulled up for this, yet the governing bodies are happy to take millions from betting firms in sponsorship

unless your betting on games involving your own team then i see no issue at all with it
Spot on. Every domestic competition we take part in is sponsored by a betting company for %^*& sake
 
Fair play to him for admitting it. He may be one of them, but he always speaks well about us when we play accies, wants to play decent football and seems to be a nice guy. Wish him well in his recovery.
 
Does it mention what he was betting on? If its not SPFL i don't see the problem.

I agree, but its the rules that gambling is heavily restricted on any football.

To be honest, if he was betting on his own team to lose I'm sure accies would be quietly shuffling him out the door rather than standing by him.
 
Good on you Brian. As a fellow recovering compulsive gambler, I know all too well the severity and destruction the illness you suffer from causes.

As he says, honesty is a key element of recovery, so fair play to him for admitting it upfront. I’ve told my employers too and received nothing but support (as it should be).

Get to meetings, follow the recovery program and your life will become a million times better than it’s ever been to date.

As an aside, I’d like to see the SFA show some common sense here and not absolutely hammer the guy for it when he’s taking steps to control his addiction. Appreciate they have rules and not saying he shouldn’t be punished, but don’t ruin the guys career for it. Time will tell though.
 
Common sense should prevail in this instance ... but the SFA will arse this up as an oppertunity to support the man and possibly open up the conversation for current players and coaches involved to come out and speak. Instead they will be punished.
 
Fair play to him for admitting he had a problem with gambling. I hope he gets the help he needs to fight his addiction.
 
Big man was local to me and he’s struggled for a long time to deal with this, he’s a genuine good guy and I wish him well!
 
This is not a surprise in any way.

From way back when in his playing days, he was always a gambler.

Wasn't so long ago, he got stuck in Qatar with gambling debts...............I could say more about this as I have heard a bit more about it - but I won't. With regards to how it got resolved.

It IS an addiction that he has. Totally.


I can understand why the football authorities frown on gambling. Ian Black for instance should have been sacked for betting against his own team.

BUT.........

We as a country have our league and cups sponsored by gambling companies. As well as the 2 biggest clubs.

Personally, I would rather it was "managed". For instance, limiting it to one of the sponsors (Ladbrokes?) and putting stringent rules with regards to not betting on Scottish football for example.
 
I’m a bit taken aback that he’s a gambler , seems a quiet unassuming type of sensible guy . Takes all sorts I suppose .

Wish him all the very best , one of the good guys .
 
I’m a bit taken aback that he’s a gambler , seems a quiet unassuming type of sensible guy . Takes all sorts I suppose .

Wish him all the very best , one of the good guys .
As a compulsive gambler who’s met thousands of other compulsive gamblers as part of my recovery, you’d be surprised by loads of people. You could walk past me in the street and not know... it impacts so many mate!
 
I’m a bit taken aback that he’s a gambler , seems a quiet unassuming type of sensible guy . Takes all sorts I suppose .

Wish him all the very best , one of the good guys .
Oh, I think if you knew anyone from Whitburn, they could tell you he liked a bet.

Remember this?


Wasn't allowed to leave Qatar until £65k gambling debt was paid.
 
This is not a surprise in any way.

From way back when in his playing days, he was always a gambler.

Wasn't so long ago, he got stuck in Qatar with gambling debts...............I could say more about this as I have heard a bit more about it - but I won't. With regards to how it got resolved.

It IS an addiction that he has. Totally.


I can understand why the football authorities frown on gambling. Ian Black for instance should have been sacked for betting against his own team.

BUT.........

We as a country have our league and cups sponsored by gambling companies. As well as the 2 biggest clubs.

Personally, I would rather it was "managed". For instance, limiting it to one of the sponsors (Ladbrokes?) and putting stringent rules with regards to not betting on Scottish football for example.

Naively I didn’t think you could gamble at all in places like quatar.

Sounds an interesting story on how the resolution came about
 
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