NRL grand final: Panthers star Jarome Luai uses racial slur in controversial Instagram post

A controversial social media post, made in the wake of Penrith’s massive grand final win, has been wiped from Instagram after being brought to the attention of the NRL’s Integrity Unit.

3/10/22: Jerome Luai and Brian To’o Penrith Panthers fan day at BlueBet Stadium after winning the 2022 premiership. John Feder/The Daily Telegraph

The NRL integrity unit says it is aware of a controversial social media post where Panthers star Jarome Luai used a derogatory term.

Luai posted an image on Instagram himself alongside teammate Jaeman Salmon in the Penrith dressing room after their 28-12 Grand Final win over the Eels.

The five-eighth used the term which News Corp will not publish.

The 25-year-old deleted the post seven hours later but issued no acknowledgment of it.

Panthers did not respond to The Daily Telegraph’s request for comment.

A censored version of the Instagram post

Luai (R) with teammate Brian To’o. Picture: John Feder

Some teammates claim the word, which has racial connotations, is colloquially used to describe a friend.

“The NRL Integrity Unit is aware of the post,” said an NRL spokesman.

NRL management is yet to launch an investigation.

It remains to be seen what sanctions he could face.

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Originally published as NRL grand final: Panthers star Jarome Luai uses racial slur in controversial Instagram post