NRL's egotistical 'blokey' culture needs sin-binning

Attention NRL players: You're not god's gift to earth, not superheroes, rein in the ugliness and grow up, writes Matty Holdsworth

Penrith Panther Tyrone May was arrested and charged on Tuesday over the sex tape scandal, one of which was allegedly filmed in Coffs Harbour. Picture: Brett Costello

OPINION:

RUGBY League, they say, never sleeps.

Twenty-four rounds plus finals and rep games makes for a long season - too long.

Every year we seem to go into the off-season in hope for a break from the headlines.

And this off-season was arguably the worst on record.

NRL players, who we're meant to be looking up to as role models and community champions, are being busted time and time again.

From Jack de Belin on rape charges, the Ben Barba beat-up, Dylan 'Big Papa' Napa and now Tyrone May's sex tape saga.

Penrith Panthers star May was charged yesterday after he allegedly featured in two sex tapes that were leaked last week.

One of the leaked revenge porn videos shows a man calling the woman a "f**king ratbag" and pushing the back of her head during the act.

The gross actions humiliated the poor woman in a major breach of trust.

The NRL's full book of misconduct turned over a new chapter of shame.

Why can't these egotistical flogs step down from the mantle - albeit one made by us (the fans) - and rein it in.

Why must their sexual exploitations be so celebrated? It's like they're cave men dragging their conquests back to the den and they belong in the stone age.

It's just a further sign of how the code remains in the past and still needs drastic changes to its culture and conduct.

This old school "blokey" culture must go - it's 2019.

Time to grow up.

No sport quite has as infamous a history like league.

Yesterday May became the first person to be stood down by the new "no fault stand down policy" - finally a sign the NRL is slowly improving.