Michael Maguire breaks silence as Broncos speak on Ezra Mam car crash

Broncos coach Michael Maguire has fronted the media as Ezra Mam’s future hangs in the balance after his car crash.

Brisbane Broncos new coach Michael Maguire and CEO Dave Donaghy has refused to rule out terminating star half Ezra Mam’s five-year, $4 million deal after his car crash over the weekend.

Mam was hospitalised after he was involved in a two-car head-on collision with an Uber driver in Brisbane on Friday night.

The 21-year-old reportedly returned a positive result from a roadside drug test, however, no charges have been laid.

On Monday night it was revealed Mam had admitted himself to a rehab facility.

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Mam only signed the five-year extension earlier this year, but the situation has left Mam’s future up in the air after club Donaghy revealed on Monday that the club hadn’t made any decisions on the young gun’s future.

On what is Michael Maguire’s first official day in the Broncos’ top job, the new coach faced the tough questions as he fronted the media.

“It’s never nice obviously when you have to go through things like this but we are where we are,” Maguire said.

“I’ve got to look at everything around the club and build off what I started to see right now.”

Maguire said he was eager to get behind the desk and try to sort out some of the club’s “well documented” issues.

Ezra Mam in action for the Broncos. Photo: Scott Davis/NRL Imagery.

Maguire said he had spoken to Mam but that he’d keep the details conversation to himself.

“I’ve got to find out more about what the situation actually entails but I have spoken to him and it’s more about the safety of everyone involved in that situation,” Maguire said.

“I’ll find out the details — I’ve only just landed — I’m not going to talk about those over the phone. But I’ll definitely find out how one of our players gets to that point.”

Asked if Mam would be sacked, Maguire said: “I’m not even going to touch on that at the moment.”

Maguire said Mam had “to go through a process with the police and the game and the organisation itself”.

However, in a positive sign for Mam, Maguire said he believed the youngster could rehabilitate himself.

“People will make mistakes but they’ve also got to own them,” Maguire said. “I think his actions moving forward are very important.

“I know he’s getting some help at the moment about where he’s at and once he works through that, I’ll get some time with him and assess everything that’s going on.”

Maguire added the process “could take quite some time to get to where we want to get to”.

Michael Maguire fronted the media. Photo: Fox Sports

Donaghy also spoke to the media and said the club was “working through a process”.

However, when asked about the potential of terminating Mam’s contract, Donaghy refused to rule it out.

“We haven’t spoken in depth of it but it’s obviously a serious matter and we’re treating it like that,” Donaghy said.

“Once we’ve got all the information, we’ll be able to work through from there and work out the next course of action. But I don’t think it’ll be a fast process.”

Donaghy was also asked if Mam would get a second chance.

“I’m not going to pre-empt the process, but what I will say about Ezra, he’s a very decent man,” Donaghy said.

“I feel like he had lost his way over the course of what has been a big 12 months.

“When you reflect back on his performance in the grand final, it’s been career-changing but also life-changing with how well he’s known now.”

Another reporter asked about Maguire having to “walk into a s**t storm” as he started the job.

Donaghy said Maguire had “hit the ground running” before even walking through the door, adding it was up to everyone at the club to “support him on driving the standards”.

The press conference comes after the people travelling in the Uber have gone public with some of the injuries they suffered.

Uber driver Marcel van den Camp told 9News Brisbane on Tuesday night he will need help and has experienced anxiety since hopping back into a car.

The head on smash. Photo: 9News Brisbane.

The 64-year-old told the broadcaster how he was able to rescue a four-year-old girl trapped in the car after the incident.

It had emerged on Monday night a woman passenger and her young daughter were both hospitalised after the incident.

The mum told the Sydney Morning Herald: “She has a fractured hip. She has really bad burns from the friction of the seatbelt”.

Van den Camp said the mum and daughter were “shaken to say the least”.

“In a flash, there was this truck that’s hit us. It was an almighty crash. I blacked out for a little bit.

“The lady was saying, ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe’. And I went, ‘Holy, moley, I’ve got to do something’. I tried the back door, they were locked. So I went back to my door, reached over to the back door on my side. Unlatched it. I got the girl out. They were pretty shaken, to say the least.”

He also showed off a bruise on his torso.

“I’m going to need some help getting over the mental hurdles that I’m experiencing,” he said.

“Like a bit of anxiety when I’m sitting in the car.”

He said he has not been contacted by Mam or the Broncos.

Mam has admitted himself to rehab. Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images

The mum earlier said the NRL club had contacted her, but she had not heard from Mam directly.

On Monday night Mam’s management released a statement confirming he had sought help.

“Ezra is extremely remorseful,” the statement read.

“He is concerned, first and foremost, for the other parties involved and understands the enormity of the current situation.

“He acknowledges he’s facing some personal challenges and, following these recent events, has taken a proactive step by seeking immediate professional treatment.

“We will continue to support him throughout this process and will not make any further comments at this time.”

Originally published as Michael Maguire breaks silence as Broncos speak on Ezra Mam car crash