The NRL was plagued by a player behaviour scandals on an average of once every 22 days from 2015-18, court documents have revealed.
The claim was made by the NRL and ARL Commission in submissions to Jack de Belin’s appeal following his loss in the Federal Court earlier in the year.
In a 32-page response, the game’s governing bodies detail the damage wrought on the game by the “summer from hell” in their defence of the “no fault” stand down rule.
St George Illawarra lock de Belin was stood down indefinitely after being charged with five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman in a Wollongong apartment.
He has pleaded not guilty with an arraignment set for August 20.
De Belin lost his Federal Court case against the NRL and ARLC after Judge Melissa Perry found a spate of off-field scandals over last off-season represented a “clear and present danger” to their interests.
De Belin has appealed the finding and in response the NRL and ARLC argued that bad player behaviour caused brand and reputational damage.
“Over the last three years, the elite men’s rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand … has been beset by scandals involving player misconduct, or allegations of player misconduct,” the submission said.
“On average, between 2015 and 2018 an NRL player was implicated in an off-field scandal every 22 days.
“Many of these incidents have involved (or allegedly involved) violent assaults, particularly against women.”
The NRL said that between 2015 and 2018 there had been 66 incidents relating to behaviour including 21 allegations of assault and 11 allegations of assault against women.
The NRL said that major sponsor Telstra had complained of brand damage as a result of its association with the game, which prompted Rugby League Central to implement its hardline policy.
Under the rule, any player charged with a serious criminal offence, which carries a jail term of 11 years or more, can be stood down automatically.
“Telstra, the naming rights sponsor of the NRL, having a week earlier complained of reputational damage and demanded tough action, publicly congratulated the NRL ‘on their strong stance, reflecting community standards and moving closer to the values that Telstra upholds’,” the submission said.