The NRL has officially addressed reports a high-profile player in the code has been accused of rape after the shocking allegation came to light.
The player is currently contracted to a Queensland NRL club and has also represented his state in the prestigious State of Origin, The Courier Mail reported on Wednesday.
According to Nine News Queensland, the allegation was made by a woman after officers attended the residence of a player on Tuesday night. No charges have been laid at this stage and investigations are continuing.
CEO of the NRL, Andrew Abdo, spoke to media on Thursday and revealed the governing body would deal with the situation appropriately when it had more information.
Yeah obviously, very serious allegations. We are working with the relevant bodies to find out more,” Mr Abdo told reporters.
“And obviously as we find out more then we’ll say more, but at this stage all I can say is it’s very disappointing to hear about these allegations.
“They are very serious. We have policies in place to deal with these, should they eventuate. We’ll deal with the facts once we know a bit more.”
In 2019, the NRL announced the introduction of a “no-fault stand down” policy for players charged with serious criminal offences.
Current St George Illawarra Dragons lock forward Jack de Belin missed more than two years of rugby league from 2019 to 2021 after becoming the first player stood down under the policy, when he was faced with sexual assault allegations he pled not guilty to.
He later returned when one of the six charges he faced returned a not guilty verdict before the remaining charges were dropped.
Then-CEO Todd Greenberg stressed that the no-fault stand down policy was not a judgment on the guilt or innocence of the player stood down under the rule.
Criminal offences that apply to the rule are serious offences with a maximum jail term of 11 years or more.
