'Devastated' D'Arcy expected to quit

Nick D'Arcy is expected to quit swimming after claims the controversial butterflier
was misled for more than a year that he could redeem himself and return to the
national team.

D'Arcy was on Tuesday kicked off the Dolphins world championship team bound for Rome
in July after the Swimming Australia (SA) board unanimously decided to terminate his
contract for breaching a by-law.
In a decision which has shocked members of the swim team and devastated D'Arcy, the
21-year-old has been axed for being convicted of a criminal offence.
It is understood SA sought advice ensuring D'Arcy has no legal right to appeal his
expulsion.
It is likely to be the final straw for D'Arcy with those within swimming believing
SA will never let him swim for Australia again.
SA refused to comment on the decision on Tuesday or explain why they had originally
selected D'Arcy at the national titles and paraded him on pool deck as a team member
knowing he'd already pleaded guilty to a charge of recklessly causing grievous
bodily harm.
D'Arcy's coach Brian Stehr slammed the decision and believes his star swimmer will
now quit the sport.
"It goes above and beyond what most decent people think is reasonable punishment,"
Stehr told AAP.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to give away the sport now.
"It's gone too far - it is ridiculous."
D'Arcy was handed a suspended sentence of 14 months and 12 days by a Sydney court
for assaulting former swimmer Simon Cowley.
The Australian Olympic Committee expelled him from the 2008 Beijing team last year
and in a third and final blow SA has scuppered D'Arcy's bid for redemption in Italy.
Stehr was angry SA had strung his charge along, letting him train then qualify for
the Rome titles without telling him that he could be dropped under their by-laws due
to his conviction.
"Nick was always going to be convicted because he pleaded guilty," Stehr said.
"Why did they allow him to be selected on the team only to take it away from him
again - it just amazes me."
The swim team is understood to be shocked at D'Arcy's sudden axing, with one member
questioning SA's handling of the situation.
The swimmer agreed D'Arcy had been misled into believing he could redeem himself if
he turned his life around with a commitment to swimming.
"Maybe if he had have known and found this out a year ago he could have not kept on
swimming all year and actually moved forward with his life," said the swimmer.
"His commitment to stick at it after watching us all go to Beijing and to keep on
training through that - he is as committed if not more than anyone else on the team.
"They're basically saying he is not able to make another team.
"I feel sorry for him ... hopefully he can move on with his life and just be happy."
The swimmer couldn't understand how D'Arcy could be punished a second time for the
one offence.
"He has earned his place on the Australian team two times in a row now and I just
don't know what he has to do to be selected on a team," the swimmer said.
"He has been punished once for that and we've signed a new contract since then and I
thought he could be part of the team.
"There's convicted criminals in a lot of other sports going around."
Stehr said he felt D'Arcy had been "indefinitely" suspended by SA.
"He has been hammered for the last 12 months," he said.
"He's been kicked off the (Beijing) Olympic team, given a criminal conviction, now
this - how long does it go on for?"
Stehr said he would give D'Arcy time to "deal with it in his own way".
"It was amazing for him to achieve what he did (at the selection trials) after what
he went through, and now this," he said.
"It's pretty amazing that they (Swimming Australia) take that position given that he
has already been punished.
"I've just got off the phone to him. He's obviously devastated - yet again."