St George Illawarra Dragons players have been fined a total of AU$305,000 and issued bans for breaching COVID-19 biosecurity protocols, after gathering at prop Paul Vaughan's house over the weekend.
Vaughan has been fined $50,000 and issued an eight-game ban for inviting 12 players to his home, after their Golden Point win over NZ Warriors last Friday, ruling him out of the rest of the regular season. The remaining players will serve one-match suspensions staggered over a four-week period.
The NRL has only been able to operate with 'bio bubbles' in place, with players prevented from having visitors or leaving their homes, except for games and training.
"[It is] alleged a number of players hid or fled the residence, when NSW Police attended the home, after complaints from neighbours," the NRL says.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo says the actions of the players "were deliberate and some of the players withheld key information from the Integrity Unit".
"On the information we have, the players understood the protocols and deliberately chose to ignore them, they chose to risk the continuity of our competition," he says.
The fines take into account past indiscretions and the varying salaries of the players. Vaughan was also sanctioned by the NRL last year for breaching bio-security rules.
The Dragons also issued a statement to condemn the conduct of their players, with chief executive Ryan Webb refusing to rule out club-imposed sanctions.
"The 13 players' arrogance and ignorance to both the NRL biosecurity protocols and the state government's public health order is upsetting and infuriating," Webb says.
"The Dragons hold no reservations over the punishments handed down by the NRL Integrity Unit or NSW Police, given the players' complete disregard for both the game and community's expectations."
Reuters
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