http://www.smh.com.au/news/League/R...est-sex-scandal/2005/02/10/1107890350316.html
NSW Rugby League officials have banned two referees for life and suspended another three for the rest of the season after a drunken sex romp at a referee development camp last Saturday night.
A referee brought a woman back to the weekend camp at the Sydney Academy of Sport residences in Narrabeen in the early hours of Sunday.
That was a breach of the league camp's rules.
While the couple had consensual sex in the open bunk-style accommodation, a number of other referees looked on. A second referee was said to be "intimately involved," according to a witness.
"It was a one-night stand," said one of the referees, who asked not to be named.
"She even came back the next day asking for the same gentleman. There weren't any complaints or anything. She was very provocative.
"A lot of blokes that did nothing at all have been dragged into it because the league has to be seen to be acting on these kinds of issues. Blokes are absolutely devastated."
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AdvertisementIt has been suggested that some men took pictures of the act on their mobile phones, and they made a pact to destroy the images after being questioned by referee officials.
One of the men in the room had objected to the behaviour and reported it to referee officials.
Officials told the referees of their punishment on Wednesday night during a training session.
The general manager of the NSW Rugby League, Geoff Carr, said the behaviour of the camp participants was disappointing, especially because they had been warned by two league officials on the Friday night about expected standards of behaviour.
The referees had a full program from 6am until 10pm on Saturday and a 6.30am start on Sunday.
"They were clearly warned to be on their very best behaviour, but it is obvious that they can't go out all night and then turn up the next morning not in their best shape.
"This hasn't been perfect and the referees are like the [league] players, they have got to be pristine."
The referees are all in their early to mid 20s and some hold responsible career positions.
They regularly officiate at club level. The camp was designed to upgrade their skills to enable them to control junior representative games.
A police spokeswoman said there did not appear to be any current inquiry in progress.
Mr Carr said the NSW Rugby League was looking at allocating funding for young referee programs similar to a recent rookie camp for league players.
