The National Rugby League (NRL) has completed its disciplinary process concerning an incident involving St George Illawarra Dragons player Corey Norman on Friday 22 January.
The NRL issued Norman with a provisional breach notice after he was involved in a fight on a Cronulla street. Norman was given 5 working days to respond to the proposed sanction.
After considering Norman's written response and meeting with Norman in person the NRL has determined Norman was not acting in pure self-defence and could have avoided the violence that ensued. He will be fined $10,000 and suspended for one match, he must also complete education and training as directed by the NRL.
NRL Chief Executive Andrew Abdo said he had considered both Norman's written response to the proposed penalty and information provided during a face to face meeting.
"This week I met with Corey and gave him the opportunity to talk me through the video footage and his decision making step by step as the incident happened.'' he said.
"There's no doubt the initial incident involved a degree of provocation, but ultimately I do not accept that Corey had no other option than to have participated in a street fight."
"After listening to Corey and his views, and considering all the material provided, I have determined that the provisional sanction should be adjusted. This is how our system works. We issue a provisional breach notice with a proposed penalty and then we allow the player time to respond before finalising the matter."
"We have been clear and consistent that provocation is not an excuse to engage in any form of violence. Corey is a high-profile player who was involved in a street fight, we expect better decision making from him."
"It is important to say that abuse of our players of any kind is unacceptable and the NRL will take whatever action is possible to ensure players are protected from unwarranted abuse. We will continue to invest in educating players on how to deal with difficult situations off the field."
Norman has been advised of his rights in seeking leave to appeal to the NRL Appeals Committee.
