Brisbane Broncos in eye-opening response to Ezra Mam saga after uproar over star’s NRL ban
The Brisbane Broncos insist the NRL sanctions imposed on Ezra Mam and the club’s own penalties for the five-eighth “adequately reflect the gravity” of his indiscretions. That’s despite many across the league world insisting the 21-year-old should have been suspended for the season or at least 12 weeks, rather than the nine he got for a drug-driving saga that injured three other people and left a four-year-old girl with a broken hip.
The Broncos released a statement on Friday evening to say they’ve accepted the NRL’s reported nine-game ban and $30,000 fine for the player. And the club also revealed they’ve hit the young playmaker with their own penalties which include a separate $90,000 fine (making it $120,000 in total), and the requirement for him to undergo a safe-driving program, work or study placement and commit to ongoing wellbeing support.
“Whilst we are extremely disappointed that we have been placed in this position, we believe both the NRL and club-imposed penalties adequately reflect the gravity of what’s transpired and should act as a deterrent from this type of risky and anti-social behaviour,” Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy said in a statement. “Ezra clearly did the wrong thing, but he has taken responsibility for his actions and shown genuine remorse towards those involved.
“He understands the impact this has had on everyone around him, and the game. Ezra has taken steps to get his life back on track since this incident and that must continue. We have been very clear about that. We believe the additional measures in place are important and will go hand in hand with integrating Ezra back into the work underway at the Broncos.”
Mam was this month slugged with an $850 fine and disqualified from driving for six months, but had no conviction recorded in a sentencing that outraged the community and left Queensland’s Attorney-General calling for changes to the state’s laws. Mam caused a crash after driving unlicensed and with a cocktail of drugs in his system. But his $850 fine was significantly less than the penalty for driving a car while talking on a mobile phone and Queensland Premier Jarrod Bleijie described the sentence as “a slap on the wrist.”
