NRL players have been criticised for calling for punishments for Roosters forward Spencer Leniu before he has he day at the judiciary with fears he won’t get a fair hearing.
Leniu was referred directly to the judiciary for an alleged racial slur directed at Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam in Round 1, with players both supporting Mam, but also condemning Leniu before due process has taken place.
“The Vegas extravaganza was overshadowed by allegations of racism with Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam lodging a formal complaint against Roosters prop Spencer Leniu,” Braith Anasta said on NRL 360.
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‘Out of character’: Ivan speaks on Leniu | 00:26
“It is a very serious complaint from Ezra Mam against Spencer Leniu, which has been all over the news and media since that very moment. Where is this at right now?”
Brent Read believes Leniu needs to be left in the hands of the judiciary to decide his fate if found guilty.
“At the moment he has been referred directly to the judiciary on an ungraded charge,” Read said.
“The allegations are that he called Ezra Mam a monkey and Ezra took offence to that. He knows what he heard.
“We have to let this play out before the judiciary, but it is obviously very disturbing and there is a lot of players that have come out and supported Ezra Mam in terms of how he handled it all.
“He was quite emotional and he was in tears after the game. We have to leave it in the hands of the judiciary and see how it plays out.”
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However, Dave Riccio pointed out that the lack of hard evidence from a microphone means that the hearing could come down to one or two players’ word against another.
“At this stage the judicial hearing will be next Tuesday, which I think is a little bit too long,” Riccio said.
“I think for an issue this big on the platform that it unfolded, I think the NRL need to act a little bit more swiftly than what it is currently.
“The interesting part of this is there is no actual audio of Spencer making the derogatory comment due to the audio mic distance between the players and the referee.
“So it is going to be a large case of Roosters players up against Broncos players and Ezra Mam, so it is going to be interesting to see how the judiciary handles that with no clear evidence.”
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However, Read and Paul Kent pointed out that there are a number of Broncos players who believe they heard the same slur that Mam did.
“It is basically one or two men’s word against another and they have got to decide who is telling the truth and who isn’t,” Read said.
“And there is a couple of Broncos witnesses too.”
Kent believes players have every right to support Mam publicly, but they shouldn’t pass judgement on Leniu before he has fronted the judiciary.
“Some of the Broncos players claim that they heard it,” Kent said.
“The interesting thing about this is Spencer Leniu has spoken to a number of people throughout this and he has not denied it.
“Secondly a lot of players have jumped onto their social media accounts and I think they need to learn to shut up.
“Coaches and players are not allowed to talk about any other incidents that are before the judiciary in any other aspect of the game.
“And with something as inflammatory as this, while no one wants to condone what he said, by the same token Leniu is entitled to have his say.
“He hasn’t even put in a decision whether he is going to plead guilty or not guilty yet. Yet people are quick to jump onto their social media and say he should get a heavy punishment.”
However, Riccio believes the nature of the allegation has understandably stirred up emotions in players.
“Surely you can understand the emotions of teammates and rival players wanting to support Ezra Mam due to the fact this is a significant claim,” Riccio said.
“It is one thing to support Ezra Mam and it is another thing to condemn Spencer Leniu,” Kent replied.
“They are two different things and there are people calling out for Leniu to get all sorts of punishments at the moment and this is a guy who hasn’t put in any decision.
“That said, he hasn’t denied it either. He just said, it was all fun and games and stays on the field, which I thought was a pretty poor response from him. He should have known better there.”
‘The player deserves natural justice’ | 00:35
Anasta agreed the judicial system needs to be respected and followed, which sparked debate.
“There is a judicial system in the NRL for that reason,” Anasta said.
“You have a hearing and then they come to a result. Even if it is a high shot, racism whatever it is.”
“Exactly, if this was a game orientated incident like a high shot or a crusher tackle or something like that, they are forbidden to make comment,” Kent said.
“But clearly this speaks to the significance of the claim,” Riccio shot back.
“This is a serious allegation which the game doesn’t want, which is why the emotion sits with it.”
“No one says it is not, but you are entitled to have your day, aren’t you?” Kent said.
Kevvie addresses hotel corridor incident | 01:31
Read revealed Leniu’s manager fears the public scrutiny will make it impossible for his client to get a fair hearing.
“Players shouldn’t be commenting on or suggesting he is guilty or saying he should be suspended for half the season,” Read said.
“I think that goes too far. I don’t mind them coming out and supporting Ezra Mam. I have no issue with that. They are quite within their rights.
“I spoke to Spencer’s manager and he is worried that he won’t get a fair hearing now because of all the talk of him getting 12 week suspensions.
“He said, the NRL and the players union need to come out and muzzle the players and tell them to stop talking about it.”
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