Nelson Asofa-Solomona hit with three-match international ban
Nelson Asofa-Solomona won’t miss any NRL matches for his involvement in an alleged street brawl in Bali while defending teammate Suliasi Vunivalu, but he isn’t getting off scot-free.
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Melbourne Storm front-rower Nelson Asofa-Solomona has been suspended for three Test matches and handed a $15,000 suspended fine for his role in the Bali brawl last weekend.
Despite public opinion polls demanding the giant forward not be punished for protecting teammate Suliasi Vunivalu, who had been king hit, the NRL integrity unit found the Kiwi forward was still at fault.
The investigation revealed Vunivalu has been coward-punched inside the nightclub where security dealt with the incident and removed the attacker from the premises.
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Asofa-Solomona then saw the man outside where the fight took place.
He will miss the Kiwi Test match against Australia and two internationals against Great Britain.
In a statement the NRL said: “The sanctions take into account evidence which showed a degree of provocation contributed to the incident, Asofa-Solomona’s co-operation with the NRL investigation and the remorse he has shown.
“All clubs were advised prior to the start of the off-season that serious penalties would be
imposed for all off-field incidents. The NRL expects exemplary behaviour from all players and any player who falls short of that standard will be sanctioned.”
The penalty has been imposed in conjunction with the Melbourne Storm.
“At the time, I was worried about Suli, who had earlier been coward-punched in an unprovoked attack,” Asofa-Solomona said.
“Suli is one of my closest friends and obviously I would never have reacted that way had he not been assaulted earlier inside the bar.
“The last few days have been very tough obviously, but the support I have had from the Club, the RLPA, my family, friends and the fans has been incredible.
“Looking back on this incident, could this have been handled differently? Yes, I could have picked up Suli and got out of there. Unfortunately, that is not the way this played out.
“I understand that as a Storm and NRL player, I’m a role model for kids and I want them to know that meeting violence with violence is not the solution.”
Storm CEO, Dave Donaghy said the club and all the players involved had fully cooperated with the Integrity Unit after reporting the incident on Sunday afternoon.
Following initial discussions with players in Bali, the club arranged for Asofa-Solomona to return immediately to Melbourne where he was met by the club’s wellbeing team on Monday morning.
Storm officials and the NRL’s Integrity Unit conducted interviews with a number of players on Tuesday and Wednesday, including Asofa-Solomona, as part of an investigation into the incident.
“We want our players to able to enjoy themselves, particularly when they are on leave and in their own private time,” Donaghy said.
“Unfortunately, our athletes seem to have become a target in this instance, as evidenced by Suli being assaulted twice by coward punches.
“I’m thankful they’re all now home, safe and well and there were no major injuries sustained to any party during the events of last weekend, where it could have led to much worse outcomes.
The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) has been informed of the suspension.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, Vunivalu broke his silence following the Bali nightclub brawl, revealing things could have turned fatal if Asofa-Solomona didn’t step in.
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Vunivalu said he “blacked out” and had “no idea” what happened before he was told he was punched to the head at least twice during the end of season trip.
“I didn’t see it coming. I was lucky I didn’t fall and hit my head because people would have been visiting in a coma from my hospital bed,” Vunivalu said.
“The scariest bit was being punched and having no idea it happened. I would’ve defended myself and tried to dodge the punch but I didn’t have time. It was out of the blue that I got punched.”
Asofa-Solomona has found support from all corners of the rugby league playing group. NRL star Andrew Fifita leapt to the Storm forward’s defence, telling News Corp “I’ve been in those situations too. But for me, loyalty is a big thing. And I would never leave my mate alone.”