After Roosters prop Spencer Leniu claimed at the judiciary that players of colour in NRL squads are regularly called each other names including “blacky”, “monkey” and “black c—“, Manly star Haumole Olakau’atu has voiced his support for the banned Samoan international.
Leniu admitted on Monday night he told Mam to “f— up you monkey” during a verbal stoush in the Las Vegas season-opening double-header against Brisbane.
During a 90-minute hearing, Leniu said he thought he was “one brown man saying something to another brown man” and did not realise the racial connotations of the comment.
Olakau’atu has backed up Leniu by saying such talk is common place in the NRL while saying he thought the former Panther should not have copped a lengthy suspension for the Mam incident despite the likes of Latrell Mitchell and Johnathan Thurston saying he should have been banned for 12 weeks.
“We do use those words for banter, and for a laugh. We don’t use it for anything else or have any emotions behind it,” the Tongan international told reporters on Tuesday.
“We’ve been called everything growing up. Us Polynesians have it tough growing up. Was the eight weeks too long? For me, personally, yes. It was way too long. At the end of the day he apologised, right? He got charged. That is it.
“Four weeks would have been more than enough. You don’t know what’s going through his head now.
“Spencer said what he said, he didn’t mean it, and I believe him. I can see where he’s coming from [in his belief that terms were not racist]. We do know some of the history of the Aboriginals on this land. For him to say that word, I didn’t think it was that big of a thing until it happened.”
Olakau’atu, like Leniu at the hearing, said he was unaware of former Sydney Swans AFL star Adam Goodes’ experience in dealing with racism a decade ago when the Indigenous player was called an “ape” by a Collingwood spectator.
“I was even called coconut growing up in school. I got used to it. To me they are just words now,” the Manly forward said.
(Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Greyhounds NSW has fired the person responsible for a form-guide note that said punters could “go bananas” over a dog named in honour of Ezra Mam, the Indigenous NRL star called a “monkey” by a rival player.
Sydney Roosters prop Spencer Leniu was handed an eight-game ban by the NRL on Monday for directing the slur at Brisbane five-eighth Mam during the sides’ round-one clash in Las Vegas.
The incident has cast a long shadow over the sport’s foray into the US market and the start of the 2024 season.
On the same night as Leniu faced the NRL judiciary, Greyhounds NSW was forced to issue an apology after the incident was mocked in the online form guide for a race in Maitland.
“Go Bananas! Let’s see IF we can get some positive Headlines, tonight?” read the notes for the runner Ezra Man, followed by descriptions of the dog’s recent form.
The comment was later removed from Greyhounds NSW’s website but the change did not flow through to the websites of the organisation’s wagering partners.
The organisation (GRNSW) confirmed the contractor responsible for the comment had been dismissed.
The organisation’s chief executive Robert Macaulay has reached out to Mam and his family to apologise directly, a spokesperson said.
“GRNSW is appalled by what was published, and apologises unreservedly for the comment, and the distress it has caused,” a statement from Greyhounds NSW read.
“GRNSW also apologises unreservedly to its partners who were unwittingly and through no fault of their own, caught up in the incident.
“GRNSW will not tolerate this kind of behaviour and appropriate action has been taken.”
The form guide from Greyhounds NSW’s websites syndicates to those of betting agencies, which were unable to remove the content from their own channels.
Sportsbet abandoned betting on the race after the complaint was brought to its attention via social media on Monday night.
The organisation has since been in contact with the NRL to confirm it had not been responsible for the comment, which appeared on its website and app.
with AAP
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