NRL to interview Melbourne Storm stars Brandon Smith and Cameron Munster over phone footage
A third Melbourne player is set to be interviewed by the NRL integrity unit over mobile phone footage of Storm stars Brandon Smith and Cameron Munster. WATCH THE VIDEOS.
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A third Melbourne player is set to be interviewed by the NRL integrity unit over mobile phone footage of Storm stars Brandon Smith and Cameron Munster in a room with white powder.
Sources confirmed to News Corp that along with Munster and Smith, unheralded back rower Chris Lewis would be spoken to by the NRL after the grand final lead-up was hijacked by alarming footage that has come to light in recent days.
On Tuesday morning, a second video emerged of Munster dancing on a table. Lewis is one of the club’s lesser lights in comparison to Munster and Smith, two bone fide superstars of the game.
STORM TO COP MASSIVE HIT OVER WHITE POWDER SCANDAL
However, the integrity unit will speak to him given he was in the room at the time and they are keen to get to the bottom of the matter.
Storm officials remain tightlipped, but chair Matt Tripp confirmed he was waiting on guidance from the NRL and had asked the governing body to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
It is understood Tripp has plans in place to address all parties at some point on Wednesday as he seeks a speedy resolution to a damaging chapter in the club’s proud history.
Lewis made his first grade debut for the club last year at the age of 28, having at one stage thought his chances of playing in the NRL were all but over.
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HOW IT STARTED
The initial footage emerged on Monday, just hours before the pair attended rugby league’s Dally M Awards night presentation in Brisbane.
Storm officials declined to comment on Tuesday morning but the club released a statement confirming they were cooperating with the NRL.
“Melbourne Storm is aware of a video provided to the NRL Integrity Unit yesterday,” the statement said.
“The club and players involved are cooperating with the NRL Integrity Unit investigation.
“As the matter is currently under investigation, the club is not in a position to comment further until this process has been completed.”
Storm coach Craig Bellamy on Monday night confirmed the matter had been passed onto the NRL integrity unit and said everybody at the club was hurt by the allegations given Melbourne’s culture of excellence.
Bellamy was speaking just moments after being named the Dally M coach of the year.
“Obviously I know of the incident,” he said.
“I haven’t spoken to those guys yet in detail.
“It’s in front the integrity unit so we will see what happens from there.
“It hurts everybody.
“I don’t know the full details yet. I don’t want to be saying something if it’s not right.
“I don’t know the absolute details and don’t want to comment any further.”
The Daily Telegraph has obtained a copy of the mobile phone footage, which has also been seen by the NRL Integrity Unit, showing the two players in a hotel room with what appears to be a white substance on a coffee table.
The players do not appear to be aware they are being filmed.
The NRL made the decision late on Monday to delay the interview with players because of the awards presentation at the Rivershed.
The footage emerged less than 48 hours after Melbourne were bundled out of the premiership race, going down to Penrith 10-6 in last Saturday’s preliminary final.
Storm CEO Justin Rodski did not take phone calls when contacted on Monday afternoon, while general manager of football Frank Ponissi declined to comment on the video, other than to say “there is a process to go through.”
Senior NRL officials are known to be furious over the interruption to grand final week celebrations ahead of Sunday’s historic decider between Penrith and South Sydney at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
There appears to be up to eight people in the hotel room in the 10-second video, including the two Storm players and the person who filmed the footage.
In the video, Smith is seen sitting at a table in front of the white substance. A shirtless Munster is standing behind his Storm teammate.
Despite the drama, surrounding them, Munster and Smith attended the Dally M awards in Brisbane on Monday night, where Smith was named Dally M hooker of the year.
Approached by News Corp at the Dally M awards, Munster said: “I am sorry, I am not saying anything tonight.”
Smith added: “I have no comment.”
The pair looked visibly shaken and deflated throughout the night.
Storm players rallied around Munster and Smith as they left the venue.
It is the second off-field incident to shock the NRL in two days.
In a separate incident on Sunday morning, New Zealand Warriors rookie Reece Walsh was charged by Queensland Police with one count of possession of a prohibited substance after he was arrested during post-season celebrations on the Gold Coast.
The 19-year-old was spoken to by police at about 12.15am on Sunday morning in Surfers Paradise and told to move on.
About 45 minutes later Walsh was observed by officers in the same area, arrested and taken to Surfers Paradise Police Station, where he was searched and found to be in possession of cocaine. He was then charged and will appear in court next month.
“No-one else is involved in this. It is solely on me. I put my hand up – I should never have done it. It is a mistake I made,” an emotional Walsh said after fronting a press conference.
Warriors CEO Cameron George confirmed that Walsh would begin drug and alcohol counselling and would face further sanctions from the club and potentially the NRL, who have begun their own inquiries into the incident.
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