NRL change mind over Scott Bolton’s Magic Round punishment

North Queensland veteran Scott Bolton was due to address senior players at all 16 clubs in Brisbane this week as part of his punishment over a common assault last year. But the NRL is now taking a different tack.

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The NRL has revised its penalty to North Queensland veteran Scott Bolton which would have seen him address senior players at all 16 NRL clubs in Brisbane this week.

Bolton was hit with a 10-game ban after pleading guilty in January to common assault involving a woman last year. His ban was reduced to five matches if he agreed to show CCTV footage of the incident to the captains and senior players from every NRL side during this week’s Magic Round in Brisbane.

Instead, The Daily Telegraph has learned Bolton will focus on the game’s future first graders.

The NRL believes Bolton would have more impact on young players and has suggested he speaks about his experience at the next rookie camp.

Bolton will use his experience to guide young players. Image: AAP Image/Jeremy Piper

The first NRL rookie camp was held in 2006 and is generally scheduled for December where players are spoken to about a range of subjects. The Cowboys and Bolton have agreed to the switch.

An NRL spokesman said Bolton had shown genuine remorse after being found guilty of common assault earlier this year.

“Until this incident Scott had an unblemished record and we believe he is ideally placed to warn young people about how one poor decision can impact your career,” the spokesman said.

The veteran Cowboys is now back on the field. Image: Zak Simmonds

Bolton was at a Bondi nightspot with teammates about 10.30pm on May 5, last year when he touched a woman on the upper thigh as she moved away from a couch. Bolton was drunk when he high-fived the woman sitting alone on a sofa at Bondi Beach Public Bar before slumping over towards her.

As the victim stood up and tried to leave Bolton then touched her upper thigh, which was all captured on CCTV footage, agreed facts stated.

Bolton was not convicted and was given a 12-month good behaviour bond.

“I am sorry my actions on that night have caused distress to so many people including the lady, my wife and family,” Bolton said in a statement at the time. “I also want to apologise to the club including my teammates, members, partners and fans of the game I love.”

The Cowboys were severely disappointed with the severity of Bolton’s NRL suspension with chairman Laurence Lancini in March labelling it a “disgrace”.

In a move billed as the biggest crackdown on poor behaviour, NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg in March announced Bolton’s punishment along with a series of sanctions including the no-fault stand-down policy, former Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan’s ban for breaching his 2014 peptide scandal ban, the Sharks’ and Wests Tigers’ fines for salary cap breaches and Dylan Napa’s penalty for his lewd video controversy.

Greenberg is trying to help players navigate very modern challenges. Image: AAP Image/Peter Rae

“Hopefully the action we have taken over the last two days will act as a reminder to every player in our game to make the right choices and ensure they do not bring the game into disrepute,” Greenberg said.

After missing the opening five games of the season the 31-year-old premiership winner has returned to North Queensland’s side.

He has played the past three matches off the interchange bench and will again line-up for the Cowboys against South Sydney on Sunday.