Club Statement
The Brisbane Broncos have welcomed the NRL’s decision not to take any action against David Fifita in relation to last month’s alleged incident in Bali.
The NRL found the actions of the Broncos were appropriate in the circumstances, after the NRL Integrity Unit found evidence relating to the incident outside a Bali nightclub was “inconclusive”.
Brisbane Broncos CEO Paul White welcomed the NRL’s decision, and confirmed the Broncos would not be handing down any club-based penalty to Fifita.
Mr White said the club had cooperated fully with the Integrity Unit as soon as the issue came to light, with all players and club officials involved in the incident participating in lengthy interviews, and willingly providing a range of material including mobile phone records.
“We are satisfied with the NRL’s decision on this matter – David will pull on a Broncos jersey to play Round 1 and we feel that is a fair result for him and for the club,” said Mr White.
“We trust David’s version of events in that he did not commit an assault, but we understand that the Integrity Unit had a job to do. We have respected that process from the very start and cooperated every step of the way.
“As a club, our main focus was to ensure David returned home safely and we were able to work together to achieve that – and the NRL has found that we acted appropriately in at-times challenging circumstances.”
In the interests of corporate governance, the Brisbane Broncos Board also commissioned an independent review of the club’s handling of the incident, including the actions of the players and club officials involved.
The review, conducted by an independent Brisbane law firm, also endorsed the club’s handling of the issue – and that report was handed on to the Integrity Unit as part of the investigation.
Mr White said the club would take time to consider the Integrity Unit’s report on the matter before making any further comment.
