‘The NRL is cooked’: Fans BLAST the judiciary after James Tamou only cops a ONE-MATCH ban for foul-mouthed spray at referee – allowing veteran one final dance
- James Tamou has only copped a one-match ban after a foul-mouthed spray
- The Tigers veteran, 33, sprayed the referee during their defeat by Canberra
- He was set for a two-match ban which would have ended his NRL career
- However, a one-match ban allows him to end his career on the pitch
- Fans have blasted the decision and fear for the future of player dissent
A relieved James Tamou will be granted a possible Leichhardt Oval farewell after successfully downgrading his contrary conduct charge at the NRL judiciary.
Off contract and fighting to keep his career alive, the 33-year-old Wests Tigers captain will now cop a one-game ban only and is free to play against Canberra in round 25.
But it only came after he was forced to sit through 55 minutes of deliberation, awaiting his fate for telling referee Ben Cummins he was ‘f***ing incompetent’ in the Tigers’ 72-6 loss to the Sydney Roosters.
James Tamou will end his career on the pitch after he saw his two-match ban downgraded
Supported by his wife Brittney and Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe, Tamou admitted on Tuesday night he was ’embarrassed and appalled’ as he was shown footage of his outburst for the first time in an 80-minute hearing.
He also claimed he had never spoken to a referee like that before and had immediate regret upon leaving the field and hanging his head in his hands in the change rooms.
‘In 300 games I have played I have never sworn at a referee,’ Tamou said.
‘I know their job is hard enough as it is. To let players walk up to them makes it twice as hard.
The Tigers veteran will serve only a one-match suspension for his spray against a referee
‘I was very remorseful after the game. I wanted to apologise to Ben after the game because I wanted him to know that’s not what I think of him.
‘It was completely out of character for me with things that were going on around me, the scoreline.’
The judiciary accepted Tamou’s testimony and downgraded his two-match ban to a single match suspension, meaning he is free to play in the Tigers’ final game of the season against the Raiders.
However, fans have taken to social media to lambast the decision and fear it has set a dangerous trend for the future of player dissent.
‘The NRL is cooked,’ one fan posted on Twitter. ‘What a basket case.’
It means Tamou can finish his career on the pitch against the Raiders in two weeks
NRL fans have taken to social media to blast the decision made by the NRL judiciary
Another said: ‘Players will be lining up to spray the ref now, knowing they’ll only cop a week. Not a good call.’
‘It’s the wrong decision,’ a third added. ‘It’s a nice story. But it’s really poor.’
One fan joked: ‘Suitable punishment – not playing for the tigers would be getting off soft.’
Meanwhile, another fan expressed concern for officials at grassroots level after the decision.
‘1 week for ref abuse… yet we carry on about how important it is for young people to respect referees at grassroots level,’ they said.