‘How wrong we’re getting it’: Paul Kent unloads on Spencer Leniu ban

NRL 360’s Paul Kent has called the NRL out over its handling of the Spencer Leniu drama after the Roosters prop copped an eight-week ban.

Paul Kent has hit out at Leniu's penalty – and those calling for heftier penalties. Photo: Fox Sports and Jonathan Ng

NRL 360’s Paul Kent has slammed the NRL’s handling of the Spencer Leniu racism saga.

The NRL judiciary handed Leniu an eight-week ban on Monday night after he admitted to calling Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam “a monkey”.

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Leniu, 23, had already pleaded guilty to the contrary conduct charge from the season-opening clash in Las Vegas on March 3.

The Roosters continued to stand with Leniu, reaffirming its belief that “Spencer did not use the word – the subject of tonight’s hearing – in a racially derogatory way”, according to Roosters boss Joe Kelly.

Leniu was asked about the racial vilification aimed at AFL legend Adam Goodes which ended his career, but the Roosters prop claimed he didn’t know who Goodes was.

Leniu told defence counsel James McLeod that he took “100 per cent responsibility” and that he would “never” use the slur again, adamant that he didn’t know Mam’s background when he made the comment.

Leniu took the ban on the chin. Picture: Jonathan Ng

But despite Leniu taking the ban on the chin, NRL legend Johnathan Thurston hit out that the ban was too short, telling Nine’s Today Show that the game should have drawn a line in the sand of 12-game bans for all racial slurs.

“The NRL had a great opportunity to make a stand, not only for the game but for society as well,” Thurston said.

“I think the game has failed in this instance.

“I don’t think the eight weeks is sufficient for what has been said and the mental scars that have been brought up with what our culture has endured since colonisation.

“It was a great opportunity to go 12 weeks as a blanket ban for all racial vilification if you are found guilty.”

However, speaking on NRL 360, Kent argued the eight-week suspension “revealed the confusion in the game”.

After a week where some claimed the suspension was worth “half the season” — or more in the case of Latrell Mitchell — Kent argued it was too harsh a penalty when weighed up against other incidents which had attracted similar bans.

Most were for spear tackles, kneeing and biting, while John Hopoate’s 12-week ban for sticking his finger up the bottoms of three rival players.

Kent called out the players once again for commenting on the situation, but that the NRL “allowed without any sort of penalty against them, without even a warning to them, which in any other case wouldn’t have been tolerated”.

Kent said it shows “how wrong we’re getting it”.

“We lose all the reason to emotion all the time — and we’ve done it in this case,” Kent said. “Eight weeks, you go back to the severest penalties in the NRL era, they’re all violent offences for this sort of penalty. For a 12 week penalty, they are all violent penalties. This isn’t that.

“No one is justifying what he did but I also think a little bit of perspective is lost in all this because people are so emotional about it.”

Paul Kent was animated over the issue. Photo: Fox Sports

David Riccio argued the eight weeks “sends a message”.

“Four weeks sends a message,” Kent hit back. “What message?”

“That the game won’t stand for it,” Riccio replied.

“When has the game ever stood for it,” Kent said.

Riccio argued that both the fact it was in one of two Las Vegas games and that it took over a week to sort out both played a part in the penalty.

“It should have been wrapped up in 72 hours,” Riccio said.

Kent said: “I thought he (Leniu) was walking into eight-weeks no matter what he said”.

“I think there’s so much pressure on the NRL to be politically correct and please the greater public and give the impression they’re a game that doesn’t stand for this when rugby league has always been at the forefront of fighting racism,” Kent continued.

“No one denies that it exists and that it has existed in the game as it has everywhere else. But rugby league has been the game that’s led the way as the first Indigenous player ever to play for their country was a rugby league player, first Indigenous player to ever captain the country was a rugby league person.”

Braith Anasta said: “It’s not a racist game, it p**ses me off when I hear that.”

He continued, hitting out at those calling out the suspension as being too short.

Thurston called for the NRL to draw a line in the sand. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Kent said as for Thurston’s call, why 12 weeks is more of a deterrent than eight weeks, which is already the biggest suspension for racism.

“Give us a reason why,” Kent said. “He’s already copped the strongest, yet for some people it’s not enough. Give us a reason why. I’ll cop a reason, come on the show and tell us why.

“But don’t just sit there because it’s a moment to complain and make your stand and push your cause so you’ve got to make a noise that whatever happens is not good enough.”

The panel also called out that eight week ban just coincidentally ending the week after the Roosters and Broncos play in round 9.

“So you think that was intentional?” Anasta asked Riccio.

“Well they gave him eight,” Riccio said.

As they discussed the whether the NRL could have done more to silence the critics who were calling for massive bans straight off the bat, Kent had a simple solution: “Fine them”.

“A coach can’t say ‘s**t’ at a press conference without getting fined,” Kent said.

“C’mon. Show some guts, seriously. If you’re going to stand for something, if you’re going to be a game that’s going to push all these values that you keep telling us in the good times, stand for it in the bad times too.”