Brad Fittler has called for the NRL to sanction players who have commented on the Spencer Leniu racism saga, saying they have broken the league’s protocols.
Leniu will front the NRL judiciary on Monday night, having pleaded guilty to using a racial slur against Brisbane five-eighth Ezra Mam in Las Vegas last week.
The Sydney Roosters recruit is expected to be handed the heaviest ever sanction against an NRL player for a racial slur, with a lengthy ban anticipated.
The hearing will also bring to a head a week-long drama for the league, with Leniu’s “monkey” slur having dominated headlines out of the Las Vegas venture.
In the days since, Indigenous All Stars captain Latrell Mitchell was among those to post to Instagram, with the South Sydney star stating “NRL better deal with this s**t”.
But speaking on The Footy Show, former NSW State of Origin coach Fittler said it was wrong that players had spoken on the matter.
“Why doesn’t everyone ring Ezra? Why does everything have to be done on social media?” Fittler said.
“The NRL has rules where you can’t come out and make comments about situations that are going to judiciary, so they should be in trouble.
“If you want to support Ezra, ring him up. Go and see him. That’s how you support someone.”
There is no plan for the NRL to sanction any player who has commented on the matter.
Fittler also questioned why the hearing had not been held earlier or while still in Las Vegas, in a bid to avoid the sensitive debates that have followed.
Spencer Leniu in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
His comments came as Paul Gallen claimed “hysteria” over the incident would prompt Leniu to receive a longer ban than he believed the Roosters forward should.
“The hysteria around this has been crazy,” Gallen said. “If he had pleaded not guilty, he would never have received a fair treatment. Could you imagine a judiciary panel finding him not guilty?
“They would have been destroyed themselves. I think eight weeks is too much … I think five or six weeks is enough.”
The NRL has had a limited history with on-field slurs in recent years.
Warriors winger Marcelo Montoya was banned for four weeks in 2022 for a homophobic slur, but that was picked up on microphone and was not the subject of a player complaint.
Tyrone Peachey claimed Mitchell Barnett made a slur against him in 2020, but the investigation was closed when reviews of audio and visual footage uncovered no evidence.
Gallen was fined $10,000 by the NRL for a racial slur against St George Illawarra’s Mickey Paea in 2009, prompting him to step down as Cronulla captain and issue a public apology.
Bryan Fletcher was also suspended for one match and lost the captaincy of South Sydney for a racist remark in 2005.
In other sports, the AFL suspended Adelaide star Taylor Walker for six weeks in 2021 for a racist comment against a Crows clubmate at an SANFL match.
Leniu’s early guilty plea can be taken into account by the panel when finalising his ban, with the Roosters prop having claimed he did not realise the racial connotations of his remark.
Once upon a Knight
Roar Rookie
Unfortunately, this is Fittler showing his true colours. Happy he isn't NSW coach anymore, and I bet so are the Indgigenous players wanting to represent the blues.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
Yes, true. Give him 5-6 then for that. But 8 weeks would be wrong. The NRL cannot be seen to be ranking discrimination (and even if they were to, homophobia must rank higher. It's a far bigger issue in the game).
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Montoya would have got 6 weeks but it was reduced to 4 because he immediately admitted to making the slur and provided a fulsome and comprehensive apology to Kyle Feldt and for using the word at all. Leniu’s post slur conduct has been terrible.
Dan
Roar Rookie
Not to mention, does anyone think Lenui is actually a racist? Yeah he stuffed up and people need to be made aware that what he said is not on. But they don’t need to crucify the guy to make a point. How long he gets may depend on whether the tribunal believes him when he says he didn’t mean it in a racial manner. I call people who screw up at my work monkeys, I call my kids monkeys when they’re being pains in bot - none of them are black. Hopefully that was the case with Lenui. But that’s for the judiciary to decide, not ball aches like Mitchell.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
:laughing:
Robbo
Roar Rookie
Nemesiseses
Robbo
Roar Rookie
Most employees can experience consequences for discrediting their employer
Robbo
Roar Rookie
Except that it's apparently a term of their engagement
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
Nope. That's over the top. Marcelo Montoya got a month not two years ago for homophobic comments. That's the precedent and standard. You cannot give more because then it sends a message that racism ranks higher than homophobia, sexism, religious, intelligence, disabled discrimination etc etc. They are all the same and need to be punished accordingly
Gary Russell-Sharam
Roar Rookie
I totally agree with Freddy and Gallen. I do not condone racial slur at all but the media has just gone overboard with this and the other players especially Mitchell (who is not the perfect ideal to be commenting anyway) should but out of this and if they support Mam by all means ring him up and talk, but pumping yourself up in front of the media is rather self gratuitous. But we should be used to this by Mitchell. I just wish he would put this much effort into playing when he is on the field then he might be really good.
Ben Lewis
Roar Pro
I know I'm a broken record, but anything less than eight weeks tonight will be insufficient. This is something the NRL cannot afford to drop the ball on.
Ben Lewis
Roar Pro
Fittler is a flog, and Gallen seems like the exact type of person who would try and downplay racism.
Monorchid
Roar Rookie
Very good description of events TB. I agree.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
Maybe he should have done more of it when he was coach. Might have avoided the spoon that way.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
This is the type of dumb comment that really turned me off NRL punditry. Freddy thinks he’s being smart having a go at the players. But really he’s saying the judiciary aren’t smart enough to not be swayed by the comments of a few players. Obviously as a coach I assume Freddy has never tried to play down an incident by one of his players was going to be heard by the NRL judiciary - because that would have been trying to influence the judiciary after all…
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
We know Lenui directly publicly known racial slur at another player.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Totally irrelevant. The concern was influencing the jury pool. The NRL judiciary is the equivalent of a judge trial.
Horses for Courses
Roar Rookie
You think the judiciary is going to be influenced by a few players comments on social media?
Dan
Roar Rookie
I actually agree with Freddy on this, not sure who appointed Mitchell to the judiciary (aside from his own continent sized ego). At the very least someone in NRL HQ should be telling him to shut his trap – because god knows no one at the bunnies will do it. Mitchell has no place trying to influence the results of the judiciary. You think if someone from the roosters had of jumped up and demanded he got 8 weeks for breaking Joey Manu’s face that he would have sat there and copped it. I don’t think Paul Gallen has anything to say here given his past record and general lack of brain power, but the rest of the commentators were correct in saying that a player who is not on either team and wasn’t involved has no right to influence proceedings. Lenui will get some time on the sidelines and rightly so, but I can wait to see the next bunnies roosters game when Mitchell takes it up and Lenui is waiting for him.
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
You want to be critical of anyone Fittler, ask why we have had to let the most divisive topic in social discord, to drag out for over a week, instead of addressing it 5 days ago and putting it all to bed. But that would mean being critical of NRL hierarchy, and when you work for a broadcaster it is all about protecting the Shield (and the broadcast contract).