NRL 2022: Chairman responds as Manly message ‘lost in translation’

The chairman has broken his silence and responded to the public backlash after what was supposed to be a proud moment for the Sea Eagles.

Manly chairman Scott Penn says he backs the club’s management but concedes the Sea Eagles have a lot of lessons to learn from their handling of the pride jersey debacle that has left the club in crisis.

Penn released an official statement after he arrived back in Australia on Thursday after some time overseas.

He addressed the controversy that has embroiled the club after seven high-profile players decided to boycott Thursday’s game against the Roosters because they didn’t want to wear the jersey due to their religious and cultural beliefs.

The players won’t be at 4 Pines Park for the game against the Roosters.

Scott Penn isn’t smiling now. Picture: Supplied

He addressed the controversy that has embroiled the club after seven high-profile players decided to boycott Thursday’s game against the Roosters because they didn’t want to wear the jersey due to their religious and cultural beliefs.

The players won’t be at 4 Pines Park for the game against the Roosters.

The decision has divided the club and its supporters in a week in which they were trying to celebrate inclusivity.

“The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles represent inclusiveness,” Penn said.

“We do not discriminate between an individual’s race, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation or anything else that we should be celebrating collectively as an evolved society.

“We respect all individuals.

“These values and beliefs were the motivation behind why we wanted to create a jersey that represented everyone in league.”

But that message was lost on Monday when it was revealed that seven players refused to wear the jersey that features a couple of rainbows on the front.

Daly Cherry-Evans and Des Hasler had to front the media on Tuesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

And while that decision has been questioned, blame has also been directed towards the club for failing to consult the players and key stakeholders about the jersey.

“I stand with the club’s management and the inspiration for why we wanted to do this,” Penn said.

“But whilst the intention of why we wanted to do this was authentic – and still is – we must learn from how the message was lost in translation through the process of implementation.

“I accept that our own genuine narrative of why we wanted to celebrate inclusiveness has been lost.

“Our promotion of inclusiveness – and why we were doing it – needed to start more broadly internally, with all staff and players engaged before it was communicated publicly.

“This is something that is being addressed internally and will be further led by the incoming chief executive officer Tony Mestrov who starts in his role on Monday.

“We have learned lessons from this and we hope others may learn lessons from this also, but we will make no apologies for why we were motivated to do it.

“I have read a lot of the commentary this week before arriving back in Sydney today. Some of it is fair, some is not.

“But I accept that Manly Warringah Sea Eagles now has the job to unite its club, players and supporters and become the leader of inclusiveness that we wholeheartedly desire to be.”

The Sea Eagles owners will match the $100,000 being donated by sponsors Shaw and Partners to Gotcha4Life to support mental health.