The NRL has asked the Sydney Roosters to investigate and report on a drunken incident involving the club’s co-captain Mitchell Pearce.
A video apparently taken on a smartphone was aired by the Nine Network’s A Current Affair. The incident was said to have taken place on Australia Day while Pearce was heavily intoxicated.
The club issued a terse statement after the news broke:
The Sydney Roosters are aware of an incident involving Mitchell Pearce.
The Club has advised the NRL’s Integrity Unit.
The Club will conduct an internal investigation and will be making no further comment at this time.
An NRL spokesman said the Sydney Roosters had been asked for a report on the incident, adding “The Integrity Unit will work with the Roosters to ensure the matter is dealt with appropriately.”
Pearce was dropped from the NSW team in 2014 and fined $20,000 by his club after an alcohol-fuelled incident at Kings Cross.
With the NRL season kick-off just six weeks away, both the club and the NRL will likely move swiftly to resolve the matter. The club may need to rebuild and the League will want to counter any negative publicity in the pre-season lead-up. – The Newsroom Team
Photo of Mitchell Pearce playing in the Auckland Nines last year from the Sydney Roosters’ Twitter feed.
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