Spencer Leniu-Ezra Mam racial slur incident: Broncos star breaks silence, audio development before judiciary hearing

A dejected Ezra Mam has made a brief statement on arrival to Brisbane Airport as Spencer Leniu’s judiciary hearing now hinges on evidence of Broncos players.

Broncos star Ezra Mam has broken his silence on the racism saga that’s engulfed the NRL’s Las Vegas venture as Roosters rival Spencer Leniu’s judiciary hearing hinges on evidence of Brisbane players.

The Broncos touched down in Brisbane on Tuesday morning following Sunday’s NRL season-opening loss to the Roosters in the United States.

The success of the NRL’s historic double-header in Sin City was somewhat overshadowed by allegations Leniu called Mam a “monkey” during the Roosters’ 20-10 win.

A proud Indigenous Australian, Mam made an official on-field complaint to referee Adam Gee in the 69th minute which was supported by his Broncos teammates who claim to have heard Leniu.

Leniu will face the NRL judiciary, most likely next Tuesday night following the completion of this weekend’s round 1 matches, after being charged with contrary conduct.

However the prosecution case will hinge on the evidence of Mam and his teammates who heard the alleged comment after on-field microphones failed to capture audio of the incident.

A dejected Mam made a brief statement at Brisbane Airport to thank his supporters.

Ezra Mam lands in Brisbane. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

“I just want to say thank you for the support from everyone that’s reached out,” he said.

“That’s all the comments I have for now.”

The Mam-Leniu showdown at Allegiant Stadium was followed by a late-night confrontation at Resorts World – where the rival teams were staying on the same floor.

Broncos stars Pat Carrigan and Kotoni Staggs are believed to have gone into bat for Mam after he was again targeted by Leniu, who claimed the on-field incident was “fun and games” in a post-match interview.

Broncos coach Kevin Walters praised his players for supporting Mam, who was left visibly upset by the alleged racial taunt.

“That’s part of being a Bronco,” Walters said.

Kotoni Staggs (C) reportedly stepped in to defend Mam in a hotel confrontation with Spencer Leniu (R). Picture: Getty

“All clubs are like that. They support their peers and mates when they’re under pressure.

“They’ve had an incident happen that’s just not tolerable. We’re a tight group here at the Broncos and we support each other in every way.

“Just speaking with our players, it’s great they supported Ezra in the way they did.

“It’s never going to come to anything more (than a verbal altercation).”

With no audio being captured of the alleged comment, eyewitness accounts are likely to be the determining factor in the verdict.

Mam, 21, has remained adamant that he was racially abused and Broncos teammates are willing to testify as witnesses in the hearing.

It’s unclear if any Roosters players will be asked to testify against their teammate Leniu.

Billy Walters and Spencer Leniu exchange words before the formal complaint was made.

“It’s just not tolerated anymore anywhere in the community and rugby league is part of the community,” Walters said.

“Ezra has every right to be upset and stand up for himself as an Indigenous player.

“It has somewhat (taken the gloss of Vegas). It’s not something you can plan for, it just happens.

“He’s okay but it was a tough night for him.

“I won’t go into the punishments of it all. We’ve done what we need to do as a club, now it’s handballed on to the NRL.

“We respect everything the NRL is doing and will leave it in their hands to make a good decision on the outcome.”

Meanwhile, the Broncos have been left licking their wounds after failing to collect the two competition points on offer in Las Vegas.

Kevin Walters has praised his players for standing up for teammate Ezra Mam. Picture: Steve Pohlner

They will have a weekend off before hosting South Sydney, who lost to Manly in Vegas, in a round 2 blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday week.

Walters said backrower Brendan Piakura was recovering well from a head knock and was expected to play against the Rabbitohs.

But he would likely shake-up his bench rotation after the Broncos were exposed by Piakura’s exit from the game in the fourth minute.

Dragons recruit Jaiyden Hunt or rising forward Xavier Willison could force their way onto the interchange after Kangaroos star Carrigan had to shift from lock to cover Piakura on the left edge.

“We’re a little bit tired but it was a great experience for us over there,” Walters said.

“I know we didn’t get the result we wanted but a lot of the things that happened will have great benefits for us over the season.

Brendan Piakura is expected to be fit to face the Rabbitohs in Round 2. Picture: NRL Photos

“It’s not just the one week. We lost round one but there’s 26 to go plus finals.

“(Piakura) seems to be okay. That’s out of my hands. It’s in the doctors’ hands but Brendan seemed pretty good post-game and also in his travels.

“We’re looking at a reshuffle there, we missed Patty in the middle. We were just a bit off in a few areas and that was one of them.

“Losing one of your key players early is never great then there’s the reshuffle of everything. I thought we did really well to stay as close as we did given the changes.

“We’ll have a rethink of that for game two and make sure we get it right.”

While the Broncos were thrilled to be part of the NRL’s inaugural Vegas venture, Walters said he would happily pass the baton on to another club in 2025.

“We’re happy to send four new teams,” he said.

“We’ll be right in a couple of weeks against Souths, particularly at Suncorp.

“The stadium we played at was great but there’s no place like home.”

Originally published as Spencer Leniu-Ezra Mam racial slur incident: Broncos star breaks silence, audio development before judiciary hearing