The National Rugby League will "beef up the powers of its integrity unit" in light of South Sydney's preseason incident in Arizona, which will include "unfettered access to all club records and the right to seize a player's phone or computer," according to Stuart Honeysett of THE AUSTRALIAN. The move came after NRL COO Suzanne Young "admitted the IU had botched its initial investigation into the matter" which saw the Rabbitohs fined A$20,000 ($15,500) on Monday for "not properly investigating the incident themselves." Young: "It would be fair to say the integrity unit has learned lessons out of this incident as well and it will be looking at its processes" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 3/3). In Sydney, Christian Nicolussi reported the NRL integrity unit's "new and revised powers, which will be sent to all 16 NRL clubs this week," include:
- Confiscating computer data or smartphones for the purpose of an investigation.
- Providing the integrity unit "full and free access" to a club premises and "any other place where records are kept."
- Cracking down on breaches in relation to social media, including prohibiting "the display or transmission of any message that vilifies, intimidates or harasses a person," as well as prohibiting "the display or dissemination of sexually explicit or obscene images."
One "high-ranking official at a prominent NRL club was stunned when
informed about the integrity unit's strengthened powers, especially the
rule that dealt with the handover of computers or phones." The official said, "It's basically a breach of the privacy act" (
DAILY TELEGRAPH, 3/3). In Sydney, Michael Carayannis reported South Sydney was fined A$20,000 by the NRL while players John Sutton and Luke Burgess "did not come under further scrutiny for their boozy night out while on a team training camp in November." The Rabbitohs have "flagged the prospect of appealing the fine." Both players were charged with "disorderly conduct, fighting," a misdemeanor offense, while Burgess "also faced an assault charge before the charges were dropped." Leading NRL official Shane Richardson -- then South Sydney's CEO -- "was also cleared of any wrongdoing." The Rabbitohs were fined for "not knowing about the payment" (
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 3/2).