ZCZC
BSP-13
RUGBYL-AUS-PANTHERS
Sex tape issue ‘widespread’ in Australia rugby league: Panthers boss
SYDNEY, March 6, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The shattered boss of embattled
Australian rugby league side Penrith Panthers has warned a sex tape scandal
plaguing his club is not isolated, with the scourge “widespread” across the
sport.
Penrith has been rocked over the past few days by the emergence of lurid
videos on social media allegedly featuring its players, overshadowing their
build-up to the new National Rugby League season, which kicks off in barely a
week.
Young playmaker Tyrone May was charged by police on Tuesday for allegedly
filming and sharing images of sexual acts with two separate women on
different occasions without their knowledge.
He became the third player in a week to be suspended indefinitely under a
stringent new regime against NRL stars accused of serious crimes introduced
after a spate of off-field incidents.
Previously, they could continue playing while they awaited the outcome of
their court cases.
Panthers boss Phil Gould, a former Penrith captain and NSW State of Origin-
winning coach, said he believed the sex-tape issues haunting his squad were
not isolated.
“It’s extremely widespread (across the game), and talking to people in
circles who deal with this every day… we’re dealing with this in all walks
of life,” he told the Nine Network late Tuesday.
“The real worrying thing is this is conditioned into kids in the schools.
This age of mobile phones and cameras, it is commonplace.”
Last week, Canterbury Bulldogs star Dylan Napa was fined 10 percent of his
2019 salary for appearing in several sex tapes.
According to the NRL’s official news site, Penrith are bracing for the
potential release of more videos.
Asked if he was disappointed in his playing group, Gould replied: “I think
that, at the bare minimum, is how I feel at the moment.
“We have a very strong club, and I’m shattered that this has happened to
our club but we’ll get through it,” he added.
The Panthers kick off their season against the Parramatta Eels on March 17.
BSS/AFP/GMR/1008 hrs