'Disappointed' Manly boss won't back down

ARL boss Peter V'landys has rejected the assertion that arguments over the Manly Sea Eagles' pride jersey were 'political' in nature, saying 'the game will always be there for everyone'.Speaking on Radio 2GB, V'landys said his perception of the situation was 'disappointment, but also respect.'"The game prides itself in treating everyone as a human being, no matter what their race is, their colour, their sexual orientation - we're all human beings at the end of the day."Rugby league is the greatest game for all. It's inclusive. But at the same time you have to respect people's religious beliefs and cultural beliefs."Those players are taking a stand and they've got every right to – they've got freedoms to do so, we live in a free country."But as far as the game is concerned, we pride ourselves on being inclusive."Nine's Danny Weidler told Today that the core issue behind the controversy was that the playing group was not consulted.The ARLC boss said he was 'heartened' by the fact that some of the Manly seven had reportedly changed their minds, and said that the idea that the players were themselves being excluded was off-base."If you don't want to be inclusive and you don't recognise that we're all human beings and we're all the same, then you've got the right to stand down and not play," V'landys said.