Cronin, who played 216 first grade games with Parramatta and 33 Tests for his country, believes rugby league players should be held accountable just as everyone else in society is.

It's been a horrendous off-season for the NRL with countless dramas before the season kick-off, with rape allegations, leaked sex tapes and domestic violence issues.

"All the players are that well known now today because of social media and the amount of games on television each week," Cronin said.

"I hear people saying they [today's players] can't drink but at the end of the day, all the players need to do is live by the same standards as everyone else.

"It annoys me when people say the players of today have got to be educated on how to treat women - which is an insult.

"Because realistically, if they haven't been taught how to treat women by the age of 16, they shouldn't be rugby league's problem.

"Some of those older footballers must be embarrassed."

As a result, the four-time premiership winner, has backed the NRL's new 'no-fault stand down policy'.

"Once a player signs a contract, they should know the kind of situations that can cause them trouble and what the results will be," he said.

"They just can't pick and chose their moments.

"Especially if you got an incident that appears before the courts, we're not saying they're guilty until proven innocent, we're saying you're just being stood down until the case, you've put yourself and the game into, has been heard."