‘An expensive lesson’: Brisbane Broncos are fined $140,000 for fateful pub lunch after 10 players breached biosecurity protocols
- Club have been fined $140,000 after ten players breached biosecurity protocols
- Ten Broncos players attended the Everton Park Hotel in Brisbane on August 1
- The team were allowed to dine at restaurants but not sit in pubs or gaming areas
- David Fifita, Jake Turpin, Kotoni Staggs are some of the players that were fined
The Brisbane Broncos have been hit with $140,000 in fines after ten players breached biosecurity protocols to have lunch at a pub.
The team has been fined $75,000 by the NRL and each of the ten players were fined five per cent of their salary – totalling $65,000.
The group had gone for lunch at the Everton Park Hotel in Brisbane on August 1 and were at the time allowed to dine at restaurants but not to sit in pubs or gaming areas.
The ten athletes have all been named and shamed with fines going to David Fifita, Jake Turpin, Kotoni Staggs, Cory Paix, Keenan Palasia, Sean O’Sullivan and Corey Oates.
David Fifita (left) is just one of the ten players fined by the NRL after breaching biosecurity laws
Jake Turpin is another Bronco penalised during the breach. Players were at the time allowed to dine at restaurants but not permitted to sit in pubs or gaming areas
Three development players, Ethan Bullemor, Josh James and Tyson Gamble will have a portion of their fines suspended.
Acting Chief Executive Andrew Abdo said the breach was a ‘failure’ of the club.
‘We have taken our time to thoroughly investigate this matter so we could gather as much evidence as possible to determine exactly what happened at the venue,” he said.
‘It is our view that this breach involved a significant failure of the club to properly administer the League’s biosecurity protocols.
‘Today’s sanctions send another clear message to all players, officials and clubs that breaching protocols will not be tolerated.’
Broncos CEO Paul White said it was an ‘expensive lesson’ but the club would accept the penalties.
The club was cleared by Queensland Police of breaching the Chief Health Officer’s public health directions.
It’s the latest in a string of COVID-19 related breaches by the Broncos including Tevita Pangai Jnr’s visit to a barber shop which was subsequently attended by police amid suspected outlaw motorcycle gang links.
The Brisbane Broncos have been hit with $140,000 in fines after ten players breached biosecurity protocols to have lunch a pub in Brisbane earlier this month
While Pangai Jnr wasn’t accused of anything illegal, he has since been stood down indefinitely by the NRL and fined $30,000.
Former Brisbane player and current assistant coach Allan Langer was among three staff members to be fined and stood down after attending a private function at the Caxton Hotel.
The Broncos have suffered a wealth of off-field scandals and terrible on-field performances this year, leaving them languishing at second last on the NRL ladder.
Fans appeared to turn their back on the club as one threw their jersey on the ground and walked away outside the club’s headquarters in Brisbane last Thursday following Pangai Jnr’s breach.
Broncos’ legend and board member Darren Lockyer described last week as a ‘trainwreck’ with the side considered the worst in the club’s proud 32-year history.
Coach Seibold was previously told he must win five of the Broncos last ten games in order to keep his job next year, while former captain Darius Boyd quit the leadership group.
The club have estimated an $8.8million drop in revenue in the wake of COVID-19 and poor merchandise figures from the players abysmal performances.