Did Spencer Leniu judiciary hearing expose greater cultural language problems within the NRL and beyond?
Spencer Leniu was unflinchingly raw in his submission to the tribunal, but what he uncovered was a whole new issue for the NRL to investigate, writes PAMELA WHALEY.
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The NRL made a stance against racism on Monday night, but it’s not the end of the issue by any means.
And if Indigenous leaders in the game like Johnathan Thurston say the eight-week sentence handed to Spencer Leniu isn’t long enough, then theirs is the only opinion that matters.
As the dust settles, we must ask ourselves how to avoid another week like this.
The answer lies in Leniu’s raw and candid evidence to the judiciary, where he unintentionally shone a light on a something that needs considering.
Is there a wider cultural problem within the NRL?
Sitting in the tribunal hearing at NRL headquarters, it was almost startling, the nonchalant way the Samoan-born Roosters forward recited names he’s been called in the past – slurs like ‘coconut’ and ‘blackie’, while insisting he’s never taken offence.
Leniu plainly stated he and his friends commonly call each other ‘black c***’, words that don’t belong in a civilised society (and cynically, could get you banned for two months if said to the wrong person).
To a room full of predominantly white people, including an all white panel, the words were uncomfortable to sit with.
None of us could honestly relate to the feeling of being racially abused, and hopefully no one has ever used the same kind of language so casually.
But as he spoke, we all learned a little more than we bargained for. Perhaps the NRL too.
Leniu was attempting to give context to his behaviour, but instead he’s opened up a can of worms that needs to be discussed.
The language that exists in some rugby league clubs is no longer acceptable and that’s been an open secret for some time now.
It happens on the training field, during games and in casual conversations.
Let’s face it, that’s part of the reason why many players and coaches don’t want microphones anywhere near the game.
Players have been caught out before, like Warriors outside back Marcelo Montoya, who was handed a four-match ban for a homophobic slur on the field two years ago.
No complaint was made, but it was picked up by the on-field microphones.
These kinds of instances have mostly been dismissed as men doing macho things while playing an aggressive sport that isn’t always pretty, nor politically correct.
By no means is it an issue confined to this sport. It happens everywhere.
And it’s true, offensive words are commonly claimed by the people they intend to disparage as a way to take the power out of them.
But it’s time to have a conversation about whether that causes more harm than good.
Does that give permission for them to be used too casually by people who shouldn’t?
In this instance at least, it’s caused nothing but trauma to Ezra Mam and an entire Indigenous population who didn’t deserve it.
Never have.
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