St George Illawarra Dragons break silence on Jack de Belin’s immediate future

St George Illawarra chief executive has finally addressed the Jack de Belin rape allegations and the calls to suspend the Dragons star until his court case.

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ST George Illawara chief executive Brian Johnston has declared the club is standing by Jack de Belin and won’t stand the NSW Origin forward down from training and playing.

Breaking four days of silence from the club to address the rape allegations which have rocked the NRL, Johnston said the club had chosen to allow the legal process to take precedence despite mass pressure from within the code and from fans across the game to suspend de Belin ahead of his April court case.

St George Illawarra is standing by Jack de Belin. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

“I acknowledge the interest and opinions surrounding the Jack de Belin legal proceedings,’’ Johnston said.

“This is a very difficult, complex and polarising issue, particularly for those involved, and as a club we have an obligation for player welfare.

“Aside from various contractual and welfare obligations, advice suggests that any action taken by the club may have significant ramifications and may interfere with the fairness of the judicial process.

“As a club we support the desire and need to improve the standards of player behaviour across the game and our history would suggest that we are not afraid to take action where allegations have been proven.”