- NRL’s nine-week sanction has been leaked
- Mam has five days to respond to the league
NRL fans have slammed the NRL as gutless and week over the leaked nine-week ban due to be handed down to Brisbane Broncos star Ezra Mam after he pleaded guilty to being on a cocktail of drugs when he crashed into another car and seriously injured a four-year-old girl.
Mam was sent an NRL breach notice on Monday for bringing both the game and the Broncos into disrepute, after his high-profile driving charges in October.
Mam received a six-month driving ban and an $850 fine after pleading guilty to driving with drugs in his system and without a licence, following a head-on collision with an Uber.
A four-year-old girl was hospitalised with a broken hip as a result of the crash.
The NRL issued a Breach Notice but withheld details of further sanctions pending Mam’s response.
However, it has been leaked that the NRL intends on handing down a nine-match suspension – a punishment many think is nowhere near good enough.
Mam will not get to play in front of Broncos fans again until at least round 10 next year after the NRL’s nine-game suspension was leaked
The Broncos playmaker, pictured in Bali earlier this year, has five days to respond to the NRL
‘It’s so hard to be an nrl fan. Ezra Mam getting off with a fine for nearly killing someone.. Embarrassed.. I ain’t watching it anymore. I’m done,’ one fan wrote.
‘The Ezra Mam 9-week ban by the NRL is not harsh enough for drug-driving and putting a 4-year-old in hospital with a broken hip while unlicensed. SHOULD HAVE BEEN 12-15 WEEKS MINIMUM,’ veteran journalist Buzz Rothfield posted on X.
The NRL’s stance has also been compared to the ban handed to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu, who received eight games for allegedly calling Mam a racial slur during their match in Las Vegas to open the 2024 season.
‘Spencer Leniu got suspended for 8 games for name calling . Ezra Mam is facing 9 weeks for unlicensed drug driving , causing an accident . Has had his licence suspended 3 times. Seriously, the NRL are an absolute joke if he only gets 9 weeks,’ a fan fumed on X.
‘Kid glove treatment from @andrewabdo & the NRL. Shame,’ posted another.
‘Ezra Mam puts a 4 year old in hospital after a drug binge. He is a disgrace to the NRL and his team and should be banned for life,’ said another.
After a court sentence and NRL sanction perceived as lenient, others are calling for NRL crowds and even opposition players to take the law into their own hands.
‘I hope every single forward steam rolls and f***s up Ezra Mam from round 10. If he won’t get a proper punishment off the field then every player with children should go at him,’ an engaged NRL supporter suggested.
‘Let the people speak on this one. Any time Ezra Mam comes NEAR. The play, crowds should boo him ferociously. Nothing personal, definitely nothing racist. Just boo him to let him, his team, & the NRL know that he is not welcome,’ posted another.
Footy fans have taken to social media to complain about what they see as a disgracefully soft suspension for Mam
Fans noted that Spencer Leniu (pictured far right) was outed for eight weeks after he allegedly racially abused the Broncos playmaker in round one this season
The NRL will not allow Mam to serve part of his ban in the pre-season All-Stars clash, meaning the entire suspension must be taken with Brisbane.
Players can ordinarily apply to have representative matches counted towards bans, including the pre-season All-Stars fixture.
Both Latrell Mitchell and Josh Addo-Carr currently have applications in with the NRL to do precisely that, as a result of their current bans relating to off-field matters.
But it is understood he will not have the ability to count the game to his ban, with the five-eighth having never previously featured in the representative fixture.
It means that if he does accept the ban, Mam will be unable to return for Brisbane’s Magic Round clash with Penrith.
Instead, he will have to wait another week to come back against South Sydney in round 10 on May 9 at Accor Stadium.
Mam has five days to respond to the breach notice.
