You're a professional, ACT LIKE IT!!!!!!

Wade Graham in action for the Cronulla Sharks

There are many stupid ways to land yourself in hot water at your job. Playing childish pranks, vandalising someone's property, bullying co-workers, stealing work supplies etc.

For Cronulla Sharks rugby league player Wade Graham, he could very well face consequences for an act of immaturity that, quite frankly, didn't need to happen. The 22-year old back-rower went to an interview with The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA). Unfortunately for Wade, he showed up wearing a T-shirt, cargo pants, thongs and his cap on backwards, looking more like a bloke headed out for a house party than a serious, FORMAL interview with a governing body that was investigating the use of drugs within his club.
Graham was apparently advised to wear a suit to the interview but he chose to ignore it and his defiance was rewarded with the possibility of a fine from the NRL for showing a lack of professionalism in a serious setting. He issued an apology for his lack of fashion sense and failure to take the meeting with ASADA seriously but it was too little too late. Not only can he receive a fine for a silly, avoidable mistake but his outfit has also made him a laughing stock among journalists and especially fashion writers.

Wade Graham's 'formal attire' for his meeting with ASADA

You know, when I was younger, I applied for a job in the city and turned up to a group interview wearing an outfit that still makes me cringe whenever I think about it. I wore a short sleeved polo shirt that was way too big for my slim frame, pants what we so high that the beltline may as well have been on my nipples and I didn't bother to comb my hair properly. Needless to say, I didn't get the job. Granted, my lack of experience in the field of work may have played a part but I am certain that my ghastly outfit contributed to my failure.
Wade should have known that when it comes to these formal settings, image is everything, especially if you consider yourself a professional in your field of work, in his case, sport. And if that formal setting involves a governing body that was doing investigative work for illegal practices in your workplace, it pretty much goes without saying that you have to represent your employers to the best of your ability and the first thing they notice is how you look. Way to give those hecklers that stereotype guys in your field of work as a bunch of low-IQ morons extra ammunition, Wade!

Some have suggested that Wade's defiance was a sign of him and his teammates' anger at how the ASADA investigations have sullied the image of their club and players but if that was the case, why couldn't he show up looking like a true professional and during the course of the interview, tell them how disappointed he felt that his club was getting a bad reputation? He'll probably be reprimanded for whinging but it's a lot better than showing up and trying to convey some kind of message through your silly outfit and not only failing to spread that message, but getting punished because of it.
As part of his apology, Wade stated that he took the meeting seriously and that his outfit was an accidental mistake and not a sign of defiance. I'm sorry, but that is a weak excuse. If he had every intention of taking that meeting seriously then he would have dressed accordingly. You're a professional, Wade. Act like it!