Penrith Panthers sack troubled winger James Roberts effective immediately
PENRITH was left with no choice but to sack talented speedster James Roberts after he smashed a taxi window during the off-season.
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PENRITH was left with no choice but to sack talented speedster James Roberts on Friday, having given the serial bad boy one last chance after he smashed a taxi window during the off-season.
The 21-year-old nephew of former Dragons star Amos Roberts was given his marching orders for failing to comply with strict conditions imposed by the club in response to the alcohol-fuelled incident.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal Roberts was on a night out with Panthers players in January and shared an altercation with a team mate. It’s understood he smashed the window of a taxi during the exchange, and left the scene. Roberts was on crutches at the time, having broken his ankle in training a few weeks beforehand.
The other player was cleared of wrongdoing.
Having already given Roberts the benefit of the doubt over several drunken incidents, Panthers boss Phil Gould was inclined to sack him immediately. Gould had first offered him a lifeline from South Sydney, which sacked him in 2012 for trashing a late night venue. Roberts confirmed his potential last season, posting six tries from as many NRL appearances and winning the Jack Gibson medal for his starring role in Penrith’s Holden Cup grand final win.
But Gould relented when Panthers players pleaded for one last chance. Roberts was ordered to complete a 90-day training and education course before he could resume duties with the club. It’s understood he recently failed to comply with that directive, triggering the termination of the final 18 months of his contract.
Penrith yesterday declined to comment on the details, but the NRL confirmed its Integrity Unit had been monitoring the players’ progress.
“The club had put a program in place and we were working with Penrith,” Integrity Unit boss Jim Doyle said. “Clearly, it has not worked.”
Doyle said there had been no request from Penrith to keep Roberts in exile for an extended period, opening the door for rival clubs to negotiate with him immediately.
“Our responsibility is to look at any application for registration on the merits,” Doyle said.
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