Chiefs rugby players who allegedly inappropriately touched a stripper at the team's Mad Monday celebration have escaped with a caution.
NZ Rugby CEO Steve Tew said the Chiefs players apologised for the incident, which left "a black mark" on rugby.
"We are far from satisfied that as a collective our players are blameless," Tew said.
"They found themselves in this position as a direct result of their decision to engage in a form of entertainment entirely inappropriate for a professional rugby team."
"As a result, we have today issued Chiefs players with a formal caution that will sit on their record."
The Chiefs players who were directly involved were not named. Tew said the players had accepted the punishment as a team.
"The witness accounts and all of our investigations would suggest that no individual player has acted in a way that we could take individual action.
"The players have accepted a collective responsibility for deciding to engage in this form of entertainment."
Tew added the NZR would be issuing strong warnings to teams in future about Mad Monday celebrations.
The team came under fire when a stripper alleged players touched her inappropriately during their post-season celebrations.
The woman, who performed under the name Scarlette, said she feared for her safety after players allegedly touched her inappropriately and exposed themselves to her.
"Show us your c*** was the first thing they said, and that just continued from there. Any person I went near, they were being told, 'Lick it, lick it'," Scarlette said in an interview with Story.
"There was real peer pressure on them to act like mongrels.
"I told them very firmly not to touch me, [and] that they need to respect me - that just wasn't followed, and it turned really nasty.
"They were touching me between the legs very forcefully - I was hit twice and then [a player] grabbed my vagina, to which I told him, 'No, you don't do that' and I pulled his hands away.
In response to today's announcement from the NZR, the woman known as Scarlette released a short statement saying she was disappointed but not surprised by the decision.
"My advice for all women is if you are going to attend an all-male event such as the one organised by the Chiefs, whether you are a paid worker or not, take a friend or a supporter who can make sure you are safe and who can vouch for you afterwards if needed," the statement read.
The police decided against further action after speaking to the woman in early August.
My Food Bag released a statement shortly before the announcement saying it was terminating its three-year partnership with the Chiefs.
A second sponsor had also pulled their support from the team, Chiefs franchise boss Andrew Flexman said at the press conference. He did not confirm who the sponsor was.
Founder & Co-CEO Cecilia Robinson said that the recent conduct at the post-season event was insupportable and does not reflect the values of My Food Bag.
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