But was he kid-gloved? Did any of piss poor reasoning like he was 'provoked' into was given? NO. He was banned from that year's IPL, and from another tournament.
Indeed. The amount of crap Bhajji got for slap-gate was just ridiculous mainly because Sreesanth probably got away with saying stuff that would get his nose broken everytime.
At least he took the punishment as a man and accepted his fault unlike some others and Symonds apologists. Here is another gem in the Aussie Press :-
http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/...shing-over-work/2008/09/03/1220121332421.html
The real reason Symonds chose fishing over work Alex Brown
September 4, 2008
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THE seeds of Andrew Symonds's discontent were sown long before the Northern Territory fishing expedition. To understand the turbulent mindset of the all-rounder, venture back to January, to South Australia, to the furore that threatened to split the cricketing world.
To this day,
Symonds has not forgiven Cricket Australia for what transpired in an Adelaide federal courtroom eight months ago. It was there that Symonds and three teammates were convinced by CA to downgrade a charge of racial abuse against Harbhajan Singh to one of mere verbal abuse - a ploy the Australian players were advised would help ensure a lengthy suspension after the Monkeygate scandal, but one which eventually resulted in Harbhajan escaping sanction altogether.
Harbahjan's reprieve infuriated Symonds, who felt abandoned by administrators he felt were more interested in kow-towing to the influential Indian board than protecting their own. Sources within the Australian team say Symonds has refused all of CA's subsequent attempts to appease him, and the lingering resentment has fuelled his deteriorating attitude to work.
Those close to the 33-year-old do not believe he will retire, but there is grave concern over the mindset in which he will return. Some fear that a bullish, unrepentant Symonds could erode harmony during this period of team transition, where the ever-dwindling list of senior players are being relied upon to set the standard for a new generation of Australian cricketers. Others are worried that Symonds's relationship with Michael Clarke - his friend and Australia's captain elect - could prove irreparable should the Queenslander place the blame for his embarrassing expulsion solely at Clarke's feet.
Ripples of discontent at Symonds's wavering commitment have surfaced on occasion this year, but it was not until Darwin that the issue came to a head. Australian players and officials were alarmed when Symonds arranged to have his fishing boat trucked from Queensland to Darwin before the three-match one-day series against Bangladesh. Hardly the sign of a man focused.
It was against Bangladesh that Symonds endured his most infamous fall from grace when, after a late night drinking session in Cardiff, the limited-overs veteran reported for a game in an inebriated state. The public shaming that ensued prompted Symonds to reassess his attitude towards cricket and, after several months, he returned with a vengeance.
Symonds retained that focus and drive through his Test recall in 2006, and the torrid World Cup and Indian one-day campaigns the following year. But
since the Harbhajan hearing in Adelaide, teammates believe Symonds - emotional, stubborn and a bearer of grudges - has lacked much of the competitive edge that propelled him from Test periphery to international superstar. The disproportionate pay cheques offered by the Indian Premier League have supposedly fuelled the fires of discontent further with CA, who are not in a position to match the $1.4 million contract he signed with the Deccan Chargers.
Symonds has made no secret of his distaste for his ever-burgeoning celebrity status: another factor that has gnawed at his passion for the game. In a recent interview with the
Herald, he spoke of a "traperazzi" scam during the 2007 World Cup, in which a man slapped him outside a nightclub while a hidden photographer waited to capture the ensuing outburst.
"Sport is not necessarily just sport any more," he said. "People like to know what sportsmen are doing when they're not playing sport. People want to know what goes on behind the man, I suppose, which to me, I think, is probably slightly rude."
The majority of the Australian squad have sent Symonds messages of support since his forced return to Queensland, and those who have received replies have been heartened by his apparent determination to return to international cricket.
