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NRL player Dylan Brown has vowed to stop drinking alcohol as he works to regain the trust of those around him after being found guilty of sexually touching a woman without her consent on an alcohol-fuelled night out.
The Parramatta five-eighth pleaded guilty to two counts of unwanted sexual touching following the incident at the Golden Sheaf Hotel in Sydney’s east on June 3.
He received an 18-month community corrections order, a $40,000 fine and seven-game ban from the NRL, and a $20,000 fine from the Eels that will be donated to a charity chosen by Brown and the club.
Brown fronted the NRL media on Tuesday for the first time since his guilty verdict, saying he was glad he had been held accountable for his behaviour.
“I’m happy that (the woman) went and complained because I shouldn’t be able to get away with things like that,” he said.
Dylan Brown. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
“It’s not acceptable. It’s not something I’m proud of, it doesn’t uphold my values. It’s embarrassing.
“I told everyone that I was willing to accept any penalty that came my way.
“I was apologetic and I still am.”
Half of the fine imposed by the NRL has been suspended, with the league and Parramatta agreeing on what they termed a “capability plan” for Brown that requires him to complete counselling and an alcohol-management course.
During his hearing at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court it was revealed Brown had consumed up to 20 alcoholic beverages on the night in question, which fell during one of the Eels’ NRL byes.
“Alcohol was sort of a thing on the night,” Brown said.
“Not that I’m taking that as an excuse but I shouldn’t … get to that point or put myself in a position where I can make those bad decisions.
“I’ve decided to stop drinking until I get back out on the field and prove to myself that I deserve everyone’s acceptance.
“I don’t want anything like that to happen again, whether it’s alcohol, female-related, anything.
“I want to be a player that people look up to.”
As part of his capability plan, Brown will present his lessons from the incident to Parramatta’s pathways players, the Eels said.
Brown became choked up when he spoke about the impact the incident had on his family.
“I’ve let them down,” he said.
“It’s not just me, it’s a lot of other people that are affected by this.
“When it’s something you’ve done to yourself, it’s fine. When it involves someone else, especially a female, it’s tough because I’ve got a mum, I’ve got a sister.
“That’s why I was getting emotional because when I think about these people, if something happened to them, I wouldn’t be happy.”
The Eels are satisfied Brown is remorseful for his actions.
“He has a strong awareness of the severity of what has occurred and is extremely disappointed in his actions,” chief executive Jim Sarantinos said.
Brown will be available for selection from round 23.
He has only played nine games this season but a fresh and rejuvenated Jason Taumalolo is satisfied with his NRL minutes as North Queensland look to continue showcasing their forward depth in a September finals charge.
The Cowboys have gone undefeated through the State of Origin period, beating Melbourne, Penrith, South Sydney and Wests Tigers while enjoying two byes.
A maximum 12 competition points and 177 points scored in that period has helped lift them to sit outside the eight only on for-and-against.
The run has come largely without inspirational co-captain Taumalolo, who only featured against the Panthers and Tigers.
He spent from round eight to 16 sidelined with a knee issue – the longest injury break of his career – and is now raring to lead his side to a deep finals push as the NRL season enters its pointy end.
Asked if his extended break had helped his body, Taumalolo said: “Yeah it has. This late in my career any sort of break is needed, but I’ve missed a lot of footy the last two-to-three months and it’s good to be back out there trying to get some game time under my belt heading into the important part of the year.
“I’m happy with the game time I’m getting and everyone seems to be playing well.
“It’s going to be hard to manage guys’ minutes when people all across the team are playing well.”
In his absence, players like Zac Laybutt, Jamayne Taunoa-Brown, Luciano Leilua and Jeremiah Nanai have all found patches of form, while 19-year-old edge-forward Kulikefu Finefeuiaki continues to illustrate why coach Todd Payten will struggle to leave him off the team sheet.
Jason Taumalolo. (Photo by Andy Jackson/Getty Images)
Imposing forward Heilum Luki is also set for a return in the coming weeks after suffering a facial fracture against the Panthers.
“We have a lot of young players that are slowly coming through the ranks and have managed to pick up a fair bit of minutes,” Taumalolo said.
“It’s going to help them develop and develop their careers eventually, and it’s good to see guys like Kuli, Laybutt come in (who are) strong boys and play really well too.
“That always makes it very competitive amongst the playing roster.”
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