What can we learn from the curve of outrage that broke Steve Smith and Joel Monaghan

"I don't want to damage this great club, my family or the sponsors any more.

"I'll have to handle the jokes and taunts, which is understandable, but the players shouldn't have to put up with the pressure my ongoing presence would bring.

Sound like banned Australian cricket captain Steve Smith?

"There are no hard feelings or grudges towards anyone else, they were my actions and I'm solely responsible. I should have thought before I acted, and I'd do anything to take it back. But I can't."

These were the words of former Canberra Raiders winger Joel Monaghan almost 10 years ago. It's eerily similar to the words spoken by Smith after an Australian cricket ball tampering saga.

Monaghan and Smith have little in common except for one thing: the 'Monaghan curve'.

Chances are you haven't heard of the 'Monaghan curve', especially because it was a concept tossed around in The Canberra Times office this week.

But the 'Monaghan curve' of outrage is a funny thing, usually taking less than a week to complete and usually the same outcome.

In the future it might be called the 'Smith curve' or the 'sandpaper curve'. Either way, it runs a predictable course, as Monaghan can to attest to.

At some point on the 'Monaghan curve', it's decided the punishment will be a response to the public anger rather than a ban to fit the crime.

We ask fans to emotionally invest in their favourite sports teams and players. That's what makes winning so good and losing so hard to swallow.

It's also why they feel personally affronted when something goes wrong or someone makes a stupid decision.

It was hard to watch Smith breakdown at Sydney Airport as his dad stood by his side and offered a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

It was equally as hard to watch Monaghan break down the same way at Raiders headquarters eight years ago as his dad stood behind him and tried to help his son get through the toughest moment of his life.

This isn't another column about whether the ball tampering debacle was right or wrong, or whether Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft are cheats, nor is it about dredging up the past.

It's not even a column to say people shouldn't have been so outraged by what happened in South Africa last weekend.

This is merely a reflection of the week that was and the similarities of two very different controversies eight years apart.

Former Canberra Raider Monaghan was exiled from the NRL after a lewd image of him with a dog went viral on social media at the end of 2010.

Fans and non-rugby league people were so outraged they wanted him sacked immediately. A few days went by and sponsors started withdrawing their support.

It wasn't until Monaghan gave a raw and honest apology and quit before he was sacked that people started to realise maybe it wasn't the crime of the century.

The circumstances are vastly different in the case of Australia's cricketers. But the outrage curve followed the exact same trajectory.

Day one: Someone does something stupid. For Monaghan, it was a Mad Monday prank gone horribly wrong. For the cricketers, it was Bancroft getting caught ball tampering and then joining Smith to admit it after the day's play.

Hours later: Cue the outrage. People who had never watched rugby league wanted Monaghan banished from the sport for life. People who had never seen a cricket ball or had any idea about reverse swing were disgusted by the thought Australians would stoop so low.

Days three-five: The sponsors pull rank and demand action or they're cutting ties. Raiders sponsors wanted the club to make a move. Cricket Australia lost a deal with Magellan worth $20 million, Smith and Warner lost personal sponsors and $2 million playing contracts in the IPL. More is expected to follow.

Days five-10: Facing the music. Monaghan quit the NRL as pressure mounted on his future. He was flanked by family and teammates as he tearfully apologised. Smith and Bancroft were banned for 12 and nine months respectively, returned to Australia and fronted for emotional press conferences.

Soon after: Guilt. So much guilt and empathy. The public outrage from day one has morphed into sadness for Smith and Bancroft. The acknowledgement that a stupid decision was, well, stupid. But did they really deserve such a massive punishment?

The image of Smith spilling his guts will be burned into the Australian sport memory until he scores a comeback century when his Cricket Australia ban ends next year.

Monaghan regrouped and had a successful career in the UK Super League before returning to Australia this year. Smith will almost certainly enjoy cricketing success again as well.

But at some point of the initial reaction after an incident, everyone loses perspective of what actually happened. By the end, the "off with their heads" outrage from days one to five are replaced with a feeling of sadness.

Maybe the line in the middle is stopping to take a breath, or stepping away from the social media fallout so we don't have to get to Monaghan or Smith's tears before we realise they didn't commit the crime of the century.

Deserved of punishment? Definitely. But punish the crime, not the outrage.