Broncos quartet facing axe
By Dan Koch
September 16, 2008
BRISBANE'S charge towards an unlikely premiership was thrown into turmoil on Monday, with four senior players facing the axe over allegations of sexual assault.
Karmichael Hunt, Darius Boyd and Sam Thaiday are alleged to be the players helping police in their investigations into the claims, following a reported incident in a Brisbane nightclub on Saturday.
The club has opened an internal investigation into the player's conduct after what was a booze-fuelled night of controversy at the weekend.
Saturday evening's Broncos-Melbourne finals blockbuster, which will double as Wayne Bennett's Brisbane farewell, has been overshadowed by revelations three Broncos players were being investigated by Queensland Police over the alleged sexual assault of a young woman in the toilet of a Brisbane nightclub. While police and the Broncos have refused to confirm the identities of the players involved, star full-back Karmichael Hunt told reporters at training early on Monday that he had been out drinking on Saturday night.
It can be revealed that Bennett addressed the entire Broncos squad before Monday's training session, ordering the players to close ranks and declaring the subject off limits at the club's training headquarters at Red Hill.
However, it seems unlikely the drama will fade away after police interviewed the players on Monday afternoon, shortly before the club announced the start of its own investigation into the evening.
"As soon as the Broncos were made aware of the allegations, an internal investigation team was formed," Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen said.
"The main focus of the internal investigation team is to co-operate fully with the Queensland Police and collectively ensure all the relevant facts are recorded."
Cullen said the players were co-operating with the police investigation, which is still several days away from a conclusion.
On past experience, however, the club's independent investigation is unlikely to drag on. The club acted quickly and decisively on the findings of its investigation team's look into repeated breaches of the players' code by Brett Seymour and Neville Costigan in 2006.
The pair had their contracts terminated immediately, as did Ian Lacey and John Te Reo at the end of the 2007 season for their involvement in a brutal assault on a Brisbane street.
Fears the club could again wield the axe for Saturday night threw betting agencies into turmoil, with bookmakers across the country suspending grand final betting and all wagers involving the Broncos.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24352181-23214,00.html
4 players??
