bjw
bjw
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25158517-421,00.html
THE NRL has served 2008 premiers Manly Sea Eagles with a "please explain" notice and may take action against the club following the latest controversy involving star fullback Brett Stewart.
Manly has now been ordered to provide a report explaining why it should not be disciplined after Stewart was allegedly involved in a sexual assault after the club's launch party on Friday night and Anthony Watmough allegedly slapped a club sponsor.
Both were reportedly drinking heavily at the function.
The function held at the Manly Wharf Hotel was attended by sponsors, fans, players and officials and doubled as a celebration of the Sea Eagles' 2008 premiership and recent World Club Championship success.
It has been alleged that Stewart sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl in the hours after the function.
Stewart, who denies the allegations, is the subject of a police investigation.
"Part of what the situation has thrown up has certainly raised some serious questions around the club function that was held at Manly," NRL chief executive David Gallop said.
"We are expecting a report from Manly, we are conducting our own investigation into that, but clubs need to know that where they are holding team functions and they are serving alcohol they need to manage that appropriately and if they don't manage it appropriately they can expect to get penalties from the league."
Asked if the NRL was considering fining Manly, Gallop replied: "Like I said, we're expecting a report from them.
"We're conducting our own inquiries but clearly there are some serious questions being thrown up about how alcohol was managed at that function."
Earlier, Manly CEO Grant Mayer admitted it may not have been a good decision to hold the function at a public bar.
"Of course you second guess yourself a fair bit but I guess for the time I have been at the club it has been applauded by journalists from around the country in regards to our off field performance and attitude and culture and there was no reason to believe anything like this could happen," Mayer said.
"You look back and and perhaps it wasn't a great decision and there is no doubt the drinking that took place on Friday was unacceptable."
Mayer said the club would take its own action over the drinking later this week.
However he did not rule out imposing alcohol bans on certain players after admitting the level of alcohol drinking by some players had been "unacceptable" at the function.
Manly, however, are not prepared to drop Stewart from its line-up while no charges have been laid and Stewart today joined team-mates for training.
DNA swabs taken from Stewart are being tested by police.
Yesterday, the family of the 17-year-old who says she was attacked by Stewart said the alleged assault had turned their life into a "living nightmare''.
No charges, if any, will be laid until the tests are completed and more witnesses interviewed, including the girl's mother and sisters who claim to have seen the incident.
Clearly distressed, the father said the allegations, which came after Manly's season launch last Friday, had left his family traumatised.
"They're terrified. This is a nightmare for our family," he said yesterday.
Contradicting a police statement issued on Friday, the teenager's father stressed the alleged incident had not occurred in a stairwell but at the gated entrance to a neighbouring townhouse apartment shortly after Stewart arrived home in a taxi.
The father also wanted to end speculation Stewart and his daughter knew each other.
After hearing his daughter screaming, he said he clashed with Stewart, whom he claims was aggressive.
"I'm disgusted by the whole thing - as any father would be," he said.
The father, who fears a backlash from Manly supporters, is today expected to provide police with a statement. He also said his family would leave the complex after moving in only three weeks ago.
"We didn't ask for any of this," he said.
"But now it's happened, we have to deal with it, for what? It just isn't right."
THE NRL has served 2008 premiers Manly Sea Eagles with a "please explain" notice and may take action against the club following the latest controversy involving star fullback Brett Stewart.
Manly has now been ordered to provide a report explaining why it should not be disciplined after Stewart was allegedly involved in a sexual assault after the club's launch party on Friday night and Anthony Watmough allegedly slapped a club sponsor.
Both were reportedly drinking heavily at the function.
The function held at the Manly Wharf Hotel was attended by sponsors, fans, players and officials and doubled as a celebration of the Sea Eagles' 2008 premiership and recent World Club Championship success.
It has been alleged that Stewart sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl in the hours after the function.
Stewart, who denies the allegations, is the subject of a police investigation.
"Part of what the situation has thrown up has certainly raised some serious questions around the club function that was held at Manly," NRL chief executive David Gallop said.
"We are expecting a report from Manly, we are conducting our own investigation into that, but clubs need to know that where they are holding team functions and they are serving alcohol they need to manage that appropriately and if they don't manage it appropriately they can expect to get penalties from the league."
Asked if the NRL was considering fining Manly, Gallop replied: "Like I said, we're expecting a report from them.
"We're conducting our own inquiries but clearly there are some serious questions being thrown up about how alcohol was managed at that function."
Earlier, Manly CEO Grant Mayer admitted it may not have been a good decision to hold the function at a public bar.
"Of course you second guess yourself a fair bit but I guess for the time I have been at the club it has been applauded by journalists from around the country in regards to our off field performance and attitude and culture and there was no reason to believe anything like this could happen," Mayer said.
"You look back and and perhaps it wasn't a great decision and there is no doubt the drinking that took place on Friday was unacceptable."
Mayer said the club would take its own action over the drinking later this week.
However he did not rule out imposing alcohol bans on certain players after admitting the level of alcohol drinking by some players had been "unacceptable" at the function.
Manly, however, are not prepared to drop Stewart from its line-up while no charges have been laid and Stewart today joined team-mates for training.
DNA swabs taken from Stewart are being tested by police.
Yesterday, the family of the 17-year-old who says she was attacked by Stewart said the alleged assault had turned their life into a "living nightmare''.
No charges, if any, will be laid until the tests are completed and more witnesses interviewed, including the girl's mother and sisters who claim to have seen the incident.
Clearly distressed, the father said the allegations, which came after Manly's season launch last Friday, had left his family traumatised.
"They're terrified. This is a nightmare for our family," he said yesterday.
Contradicting a police statement issued on Friday, the teenager's father stressed the alleged incident had not occurred in a stairwell but at the gated entrance to a neighbouring townhouse apartment shortly after Stewart arrived home in a taxi.
The father also wanted to end speculation Stewart and his daughter knew each other.
After hearing his daughter screaming, he said he clashed with Stewart, whom he claims was aggressive.
"I'm disgusted by the whole thing - as any father would be," he said.
The father, who fears a backlash from Manly supporters, is today expected to provide police with a statement. He also said his family would leave the complex after moving in only three weeks ago.
"We didn't ask for any of this," he said.
"But now it's happened, we have to deal with it, for what? It just isn't right."
