The sad story of Shannon "Daffney" Spruill

[Galaxy]

http://www.cagesideseats.com/2011/4/21/2125160/the-sad-story-of-shannon-daffney-spruill

Am I the only one that read that and felt some of these people running TNA should be taken off to jail?

Also, she retweeted this herself, for anyone questioning how legit it is.

[The Janitor]

I read before about TNAs shit treatment of women, but this is outstanding. They really need to get their act in order if they want to be taken seriously as a global money making orginaisation. WWE gets it right and wrong with employees, but through the mistakes there have been ALOT of great deeds and selfless acts for the people that put themselvesat risk. TNA should really take a look at that. The want to be a WWE knockoff so much, then maybe they should follow some backstage policies as well as just in front of the cameras.

Question(s): Is it morally objectional to watch and enjoy this product knowing how they can treat talent? Would we be as comfortable doing so if it was a sitcom and the actors were asked to take these risks and then not afforded medical treartment afterwards?


(i do realise that the second question pertains to different industries, but i hope that you can garner the meaning behind the question rather than the problems with the question)

[Goldferg]

Don't really follow them, so not to sound like a TNhAter... but that sounds really, really sketch. I suppose, playing devil's advocate, they have to try and frecoup the ludicrous ammount they spent on Hogan and the E's rejects, but still...

[Black Death]

I hope she wins ... TNA treatment of what they see has minor talent ( minor talent meaning there ladies most of the time)  has been piss poor or down right criminal in the past

( don't know if the things I hear they done in the past is true , but when you hear and hear the same things over and over again ... where there smoke there fire ) 

J-Bro Word is they been doing this way before Hogan and company  got there. ...Far back  as Sunny and Chris Candido . 

I am a Daffney fan and I remember some of the the stuff that she was doing  had me wondering why she was doing it , there was no need to take alot of those bumps   

[Hondo]

To me, it doesn't matter if we're talking TNA, WWE, New Japan, etc.

A national company has a responsibility to its talent. When they get hurt under your whim, you need to take care of them. END. OF. STORY.

There's no way to defend that. No way.

[jagilki]

Stepping back and playing devils advocate.

Just because somebody suing a company says "Hey look, this story is legit" does not in fact make it so.

[Hondo]

Stepping back and playing devils advocate.

Just because somebody suing a company says "Hey look, this story is legit" does not in fact make it so.

You're absolutely right.


BUT...


When you keep hearing the same story over... and over... and over...


Where's there's smoke, there's fire.

[jagilki]

not denying that, was more responding to the last line in the first post.

[Galaxy]

Don't really follow them, so not to sound like a TNhAter... but that sounds really, really sketch. I suppose, playing devil's advocate, they have to try and frecoup the ludicrous ammount they spent on Hogan and the E's rejects, but still...

That's kind of what makes it worse though.In 2009 they put off paying Daffney's bill from the Abyss move (which was what, a few thousands dollars?) probably telling her they didn't have the money.

A few months later they resign Sting, hire Hardy, Flair, RVD and Hogan...all who are likely making in one appearance what that her hospital bills were. Nevermind the fact, that if they dumped on their bgger stars (who don't draw anyway) they could easily use that money to cover medical bills for the entire roster if they hurt wrestling for tna.

People call TNA's foolishness with money stupid. And it is. But it might just be criminal too. How do you stand in front of a jury and justify paying some performers insane amounts of money, while denying most of your roster coverage of their health costs (and Meltzer has said that most guys and kos will avoid the hospital because they can't afford it, so tna are essentially denying them health care by doing this.)

[jagilki]

I believe Spike TV pays those mentioned talents wages.

[Ian "Wolfie" Trumps]

To me its the nature of the business they all volunteer to be a part of. If she doesnt like it...find somewhere else to work or dont wrestle at all. Honestly, this pity based articles do my nut in. This isnt a job like stacking shelves in Tesco (Wallmart) because you got to eat! This is a job where you CHOOSE to be a professional wrestler...you take the shit that goes with it as far as I am concerned.

This article is also littered with the following...

This long-term employee

Another TNA-connected name I spoke to

One other person close to the situation acknowledged this was true

There is a very limited amount of actual credible sources again...sorry...I cannot sympathize with the treatment of someone choosing to do a profession and furthermore working for a company based on these so called conditions (read a contract if it means that much to you!) nor any article which has ridiculous mystery sources...

[Duckman]

All employers have a legal and moral responsibility to their employees, be they shelf stakers, computer technicians, Policemen or wrestlers.

Just because you chose to do one type of profession shouldn't mean you get treated like shit and just be expected to eat it with a smile on your face.

These people are human beings, putting their lives on the line to make TNA money.  They deserve to be protected and valued by their employer.

Even if they are employed by a bunch of total cunts who don't know what the fuck they're doing.

Peace

Duckman

[Conor]

But Ian, if you were stacking shelves in Tesco and you had an accident, Tesco would be liable for any medical costs because you were injured on the job. When wrestlers get injured on the job, shouldn't the promotion (who is, for all intents and purposes, their employer on the night) also be liable? If Daffney suffered injuries that affected her ability to work, doesn't she have the right to make a claim on TNA's insurance, as it was while working for TNA that she was hurt?

She may not deserve our sympathy for doing things like getting put through that table (a stunt I remember seeing and wondering what the benefit of it was.) But she was asked to do it by TNA, she did it, she got injured and she has the right to request that TNA pay for the medical bills accrued.

FSM magazine has an interesting article on the subject of insurance in the wrestling business this month. The problem with wrestling is how you define it in an insurance claim. Is it sport? Is it theatre? Are wrestlers athletes or actors? Equity, the actors' union, recently approved a motion to allow wrestlers to become members, which should hopefully improve British wrestlers' chances of getting insurance that doesn't cost the moon. The British Wrestling Coalition are talking to insurance companies about creating a policy that suits what wrestlers do.

Unfortunately, that still leaves American wrestlers in an awkward position. Nevertheless, if Daffney - or any other wrestler working for WWE or TNA - suffered an injury that their personal insurance wouldn't cover, they should be able to claim on the company's insurance policy and shouldn't have to go to court in order to get their bills paid.

[Flins.]

But Ian, if you were stacking shelves in Tesco and you had an accident, Tesco would be liable for any medical costs because you were injured on the job. When wrestlers get injured on the job, shouldn't the promotion (who is, for all intents and purposes, their employer on the night) also be liable? If Daffney suffered injuries that affected her ability to work, doesn't she have the right to make a claim on TNA's insurance, as it was while working for TNA that she was hurt?

Difference is that working at Tesco's shouldn't result in any injury. It's the nature of the job in wrestling that you will occassionaly pick up injuries, and i'm pretty sure most companies push people to take certain bumps (regardless of how pointless they are to the match). Yeah, it's wrong that they wouldn't pay, but she knew what she was getting into, and if it's well known that TNA treat their women like this then she will of been aware of that too.

Obviously, it's wrong. But I don't think she's as much of a victem as that article puts across.

[Duckman]

That's totally not the case.  Any profession can leave you open to suffering an injury.  Even a nice and safe office job like mine.

As someone who deals with every type of insurance under the sun for local government and with extensive experience in Employers' Liablity insurance it's completely wrong to say, "the job's dangerous, you get hurt, it's your own fault."

You wouldn't say that about a miner, or a contruction worker, where the levels of risk are really high.  If you did, no one would do those jobs.

You need to seperate the fact that this woman was injured on a wrestling show and think about it in terms of she was injured doing her job.  The Health and Safety at Work Act and countless other pieces of legislation are there to protect you, I and anyone else who works from just this kind of situation.

You employ someone?  Then you have a responsibility to them no matter what job they do and as an employee you have certain legislation and other legal avenues open to you to both protect you and also to resolve situations where your employer fucks you over - as TNA most certainly did here.

Of course the age old loop hole of the 'independant contractor' bollocks that wrestling promotions use means that wrestlers don't have the options of personal insurance or other types of protection that most full time workers have.

I just can not fathom the thought process behind saying, "if you do a dangerous job and get hurt, it's your own fault and you should do a safer job."  That's just absolute utter rubbish and is only being used here because people, for some reason, see wrestlers as having less rights of protection at work, then anyone else.

Peace

Duckman