Roosters will strip Mitchell Pearce of captaincy, issue fine up to $50,000
THE Roosters have stood Mitchell Pearce down from training as fallout from the lewd video continues. Club coach Trent Robinson said the Roosters were working with the NRL and Pearce’s behaviour was ‘unacceptable’.
MITCHELL Pearce has been stood down from training commitments with the Sydney Roosters as the fallout from the Australia Day lewd video continues today.
The move to stand the star playmaker down follows revelations Pearce will likely be stripped of the club’s captaincy, be fined up to $50,000 and be banned from travelling to England next month for the World Club challenge.
And the NRL is likely to impose at least a six-match suspension while The Daily Telegraph can reveal Pearce will also have an ‘immediate sacking’ clause added to his contract should he misbehave again and bring shame to the Roosters.
The Roosters were bunkering down around Pearce on Wednesday night after the NRL’s atrocity-free off-season was left shattered by a booze-fuelled 90-second video from Australia Day.
This morning the club released a statement saying: “The club wishes to advise that Mitchell Pearce has been stood down from all training commitments until the club concludes its internal investigation.
“The club continues to work closely with the NRL Integrity Unit and will be making no further comment at this time.”
Roosters coach Trent Robinson said the club would not stand for the kind of behaviour displayed by Pearce in the video but stopped short of outlining what punishments would be meted out.
“We the Sydney Roosters have found Mitchell’s behaviour was unacceptable and that is why he has been stood down,” Robinson said.
“I know people will have their views but this is between us and the NRL to review.”
A furious Roosters supremo Nick Politis spoke to club officials late Wednesday about the harshest penalties for the former Origin star with a long history of alcohol-related incidents.
A club official told the Daily Telegraph the Roosters would also oversee counselling sessions for the 26-year-old half-back and insist he goes on a permanent booze ban.
“Mitchell obviously needs to be severely punished but he also needs professional help,” the official said. “At this stage he’ll lose the captaincy, be heavily fined and we won’t take him to England.”
The Roosters started Australia Day with the best of intentions with the entire NRL playing roster arranging a harbour cruise fully sanctioned by the club.
When the players walked off the boat after a day of festivities, Tricolours officials even went to the extent of handing out cab charges to every player.
The concept was for the Roosters players to wind-up proceedings after the cruise had finished but Pearce made the call to continue partying with so-called friends.
The video which sent social media into meltdown shows a clearly inebriated Pearce being asked to leave an apartment after one of the female occupants suggested the Roosters halfback had urinated on her couch.
The NRL and the Sydney Roosters both released statements after the report appeared on Channel Nine’s A Current Affair confirming there would be a Roosters-led internal investigation into the incident.
Further complicating the matter, Pearce’s father Wayne Pearce is a respected retired international who sits on the Australian Rugby League Commission and is a renowned teetotaller.
This is why the Roosters are expected to come down on Pearce with a range of hard line punishments.
For starters the Roosters are expected to strip the club captaincy off Pearce along with suspending him from making the club’s pre-season trip to England to play in the World Club Series.
The Daily Telegraph has also been told he will be heavily fined financially by the club.
Most tellingly, powerful club chairman Nick Politis is expected to insert a new clause in his contract stipulating if he sets another foot out of line in terms of committing an off-field offence, the Roosters will rip up his existing deal.
As it stands right now, Pearce is signed until the end of 2017 but he can’t afford another off-field stuff-up.
NRL chairman John Grant telephoned powerful Politis on Wednesday as word filtered around about a video being shopped around containing a shirtless Pearce in a drunk and disorderly state.
With the NRL expected to insist Pearce is suspended for the start of the season, Tricolours coach Trent Robinson could be forced to begin the year with the rookie halves pairing of new recruit Jayden Nikorima and Jackson Hastings.
The NRL released this short statement on Wednesday night: “The NRL has asked the Sydney Roosters for a report into an incident involving Mitchell Pearce.
“A spokesman said the Integrity Unit was aware of the matter, aired on Channel 9 tonight, and has asked the Roosters to investigate.
“The Integrity Unit will work with the Roosters to ensure the matter is dealt with appropriately.”
The Roosters statement read: “The Sydney Roosters are aware of an incident involving Mitchell Pearce.
“The Club has advised the NRL’s Integrity Unit.
“The Club will conduct an internal investigation and will be making no further comment at this time.”
New Roosters signing Dale Copley, who only made the switch from the Brisbane Broncos last week, can also be seen in the video but there is no suggestion the club’s latest recruit was involved in anything untoward.
‘Came into my house’: Star pleads for help
NRLW champion Millie Elliott has appealed for help after revealing a treasured new possession had been stolen from her home.
Roosters star’s plea after premiership ring stolen
Millie Elliott has urged people to come forward if they spot her NRLW premiership ring after revealing it has been stolen from the home she shares with husband and fellow rugby league player Adam Elliott.