Parramatta NRL star Dylan Brown cops long suspension and fine after pleading guilty to groping woman

Eels star Dylan Brown could be back for Parramatta’s finals campaign despite the NRL hitting the playmaker with a breach notice proposing a seven match suspension and a hefty fine following an incident in Double Bay last month.

Brown pleaded guilty to two charges of sexually touching another person without consent at the Downing Centre Local Court last week for an incident that occurred at the Golden Sheaf Hotel.

The 23-year-old was handed a community corrections order and is now facing a lengthy ban following an investigation by the NRL integrity unit which has proposed a seven game ban and a $40,000 fine, with half of that suspended. 

Given Brown was unable to play for the Eels for three games under the NRL’s discretionary no-fault stand-down policy, it’s been proposed that those matches should be counted towards the ban which means he will miss another four games.

He could return by Round 23.

The Parramatta star could be banned for seven games and return in Round 23

‘The NRL does not tolerate unlawful conduct of any nature let alone offences against women’, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said.

‘The education and training requirements will be specifically targeted at rehabilitation and prevention.

‘It will also reinforce Dylan’s responsibilities as an NRL player, particularly the responsible consumption of alcohol and the impact his behaviour has had, most importantly on the victim, but also on others, his club and the game as a whole’.

The NRL also proposes that Brown ‘is directed to engage in and complete such education and training as advised by the NRL’.

If he fails to complete the training or breaches the code of conduct in the next 12 months then Brown will have to pay the full fine.

Parramatta responded to the notice with a statement saying he club would ‘work with the NRL in the coming days in finalising this matter’.