The NRL has announced that it has issued Brisbane Broncos star Ezra Mam with a Breach Notice after he pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving.
Mam, 21, was handed a six-month driving ban and an $850 fine after he pleaded guilty to one count of driving while a relevant drug is present in blood and driving without a license.
It came following an incident on October 18, where Mam’s Ford Ranger was involved in a head-on collision with an Uber taxi. The 21-year-old is also alleged to have failed a roadside drug test.
He has avoided any criminal charges.
The sanction gained much scrutiny from many, including the mother of one of the victims of the Oatlans crash, with some branding his punishment a ‘slap on the wrist’.
On Monday afternoon, the NRL issued a statement announcing that the Broncos star had been served a Breach Notice but would not be disclosing his sanction until Mam had a chance to respond.
‘The National Rugby League (NRL) today issued Brisbane Broncos player Ezra Mam with a Breach Notice alleging a breach of the NRL Code of Conduct,’ The NRL said in a statement.
‘Mam pleaded guilty to driving while a relevant drug was present in his blood or saliva and driving without a licence following an incident in October.
‘He was fined $850 and disqualified from driving for a period of nine months by the Brisbane Magistrates Court earlier this month.
‘The player also received an infringement notice for failing to have proper control of a vehicle.
‘The Breach Notice alleges that Mam has engaged in conduct which is against the law and has brought the game and his Club into disrepute.
‘In accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the RLPA, information concerning the NRL’s proposed sanction will not be disclosed until the player has had the opportunity to respond to the alleged breach and the matter is finalised.’
The NRL star had checked himself into a rehabilitation centre after the incident.
He had admitted his remorse to reporters outside a Brisbane court and apologised to those who were also involved.
A mother and her four-year-old daughter were riding as passengers, with the mother later revealing that the girl had suffered a broken hip
‘To the people involved in the accident, I am truly sorry. This incident isn’t a reflection of what I want to be and what is expected of me as a role model,’ Mam had said.
‘To the NRL, Brisbane Broncos, the fans, my family – I am sorry. I promise to work on being a better person.’
When handing his judgement down, Magistrate Nolan had said: ‘On this particular occasion you [Mam] shouldn’t have been driving because of the fact you didn’t have a licence,’ the Magistrate said.
‘Having made that stupid decision to get behind the wheel of the car, as well as use illicit substances as well… a cocktail of cocaine and other matters that were found in your blood on this occasion.
‘At so many levels you are fortunate to stand where you are today… you could have been injured or killed, or the other persons could have been injured or killed.
‘There’s no place for illicit drugs in our community, and there’s certainly no place for a person who is using illicit drugs to get behind the wheel of a car.
‘You’ve got to learn from this.’
But Mam’s sanction left some outraged, with pressure mounting on the NRL to issue a stern sanction to the Broncos player. Radio presenter Mark Levy was one such commentator who urged the league to ban Mam until 2026.
Bridget Sakr, the mother of Veronique Sakr, who tragically passed away in the Oatlands crash in 2020, claimed he should be banned for five years.
‘On Monday, the same day the [Mam] court case [was announced], my daughter celebrated her 16th birthday in heaven. She’s not with us anymore,’ Bridget Sakr said.
‘I don’t want any other family to celebrate their child’s birthday where they can’t blow out the candles themselves. It is the most painful thing a parent can go through.
‘I have a photo of Veronique with a cake with 16 on it – but there’s no Veronique. What would have happened if those in the (Mam) accident had died?
‘And this person [Mam] gets a slap on the wrist – what is that? What does society learn from that penalty? It enraged me, it’s unacceptable. I feel sick because I know what it feels like. I have lived the experience of losing my flesh and blood.’
Mam has not returned to train with his team-mates so far this summer but Broncos boss Michael Maguire stated earlier this summer that Mam’s five-year $4million deal will not be terminated.
Queensland’s deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie has also criticised the leniency of Mam’s punishment, claiming it was ‘disgraceful’.
‘I think the sentence handed down to Ezra does not pass the pub test,’ Bleijie said.
While Attorney-General Deb Freckllington claimed that the government would assess whether potential changes to existing laws needed to be made.
‘Most Queenslanders would expect that the penalty for a driver who’s found to have drugs in their system would be more severe than the penalty for using a mobile phone behind the wheel,’ Frecklington said.
‘I will be consulting with my colleagues, in particular the transport minister, and considering what changes can be made to our laws.’
More to follow…
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