Scott Bolton’s walk of shame to educate players as NRL begins toughest crackdown in history

The biggest crackdown on player behaviour in rugby league history begins today with North Queensland Cowboys veteran Scott Bolton facing the game’s most bizarre punishment.

The NRL will come down hard on player misbehaviour.

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The biggest crackdown on player behaviour in rugby league history begins on Thursday with North Queensland Cowboys veteran Scott Bolton facing the game’s most bizarre punishment.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Bolton not only faces a six-week suspension but an embarrassing tour of shame around the 16 NRL clubs to show the CCTV footage of him assaulting a woman in a bar last year.

Scott Bolton will miss six to 10 weeks for his incident. (AAP Image/Jeremy Piper)

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The unique penalty is about the Cowboys enforcer taking ownership and responsibility for his actions which will now be used to warn other players of the perils of bad behaviour.

However embarrassing, Bolton’s tour of shame will save him from a much heftier NRL imposed 10-match ban. He is still, however, facing the six-week suspension.

Bolton pleaded guilty in January to the common assault of a female in a Bondi bar where he was drinking with teammates. The 31-year-old escaped a conviction.

It’s expected the NRL will stand down Jack de Belin indefinitely. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and the integrity unit have watched the CCTV footage and believe there is an educational opportunity across the game about the treatment of women.

Bolton will on Thursday become the game’s first victim of tougher disciplinary measures in light of the code’s off-season of shameful behaviour.

A meeting of the independent commission is expected to rub accused rapist Jack de Belin out of the game indefinitely.

Dylan Walker’s future remains uncertain. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Greenberg met with the St George Illawarra forward on Wednesday to see whether the Blues Origin forward would stand down of his own accord. De Belin — who has pleaded not guilty to the charge — declined.

The situation got uglier when lawyers acting for de Belin threatened legal action against independent commission chairman Peter Beattie over his comments on the case.

Beattie was served with a legal letter from Wollongong lawyer Craig Osborne, accusing the ARLC boss of potential contempt of court and defamation against de Belin.

Beattie would not comment when contacted by The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday night.

Dylan Napa is likely to avoid any suspension. Picture: Dylan Robinson

The NRL is still considering its position on Manly Sea Eagles centre Dylan Walker, who faced court on Tuesday on domestic violence charges in which he allegedly pulled his fiancee Alexandra Ivkovic’s hair, causing her to fall down onto concrete. She then called police and fled to a neighbour’s house.

Walker has not been at Manly training since his court case. He too could be rubbed out until his court proceedings have been completed.

Canterbury Bulldogs new signing Dylan Napa is expected to start the season despite his lewd ‘Big Papi’ sex tape scandal. Instead the former Roosters star is facing a fine of more than $50,000.

Originally published as Scott Bolton’s walk of shame to educate players as NRL begins toughest crackdown in history