Ezra Mam has accepted a nine-match ban and will be fined $120,000 by both the NRL and the Brisbane Broncos.
The 21-year-old copped a $90,000 from the Broncos which came on top of the NRL’s sanction of $30,000.
He had been handed a breach notice on Monday after the halfback had pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving for an incident that took place in Bardon, Brisbane, on October 18. Mam pleaded guilty to one count of driving while a relevant drug is present in blood and a second offence of driving without a license.
The halfback accepted both punishments and according to the Broncos, will now be required to undertake a Safer Driving Training Program.
He will also partake in an ongoing work or study placement, which will be designed by the Club’s Wellbeing and Education department. Brisbane will also design an ongoing Wellbeing Support Programme for the footy star.
In a statement issued online, the club said: ‘Whilst we are extremely disappointed that we have been placed in this position, we believe both the NRL and Club-imposed penalties adequately reflect the gravity of what’s transpired and should act as a deterrent from this type of risky and anti-social behaviour.
Ezra Mam has been slapped with fines totalling $120,000 by the Brisbane Broncos and the NRL
Mam is set to be fined $90,000 by the Broncos and will also cop a $30,000 fine from the NRL – he will also be banned for nine games
‘Ezra clearly did the wrong thing, but he has taken responsibility for his actions and shown genuine remorse towards those involved. He understands the impact this has had on everyone around him, and the game.
‘Ezra has taken steps to get his life back on track since this incident and that must continue. We have been very clear about that.
“We believe the additional measures in place are important and will go hand in hand with integrating Ezra back into the work underway at the Broncos.’
The punishments are increases on the $850 fine and six-month driving ban he was given by a Queensland Magistrates court, a sentence that copped widespread criticism online as being a ‘slap on the wrist’.
Following the new sanctions from the NRL and Bthe Broncos, some fans again criticised the new punishments, adding that he should have been suspended for longer than nine games.
Mam’s Ford Ranger is understood to have struck an Uber taxi head-on during the traffic incident. He is alleged to have failed a roadside drugs test following the incident.
A mother and her four-year-old daughter were riding in the passenger seats of the taxi when the incident took place, with the daughter understood to have suffered a broken hip.
‘Still not enough!’ One social media user wrote on X in response to the new sanctions being imposed on Mam. ‘What about the poor victim, I’ll bet she’s in a world of pain following the accident, let alone any financial hardship.
‘Makes a mockery of the whole situation.’
Mam pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving after his Ford Ranger struck an Uber taxi head-on on October 18
Some had claimed Mam’s initial $850 fine and his six-month driving ban was too lenient
Another added: ‘Still not enough, minimum six months suspension!’
‘For what he did, he’s been hit with a feather duster.’
Speculation had arisen over the 21-year-old’s future at the football club, with Mam agreeing a new $4million five-year deal to stay at the footy club back in February.
The Broncos will stand by their player, with new coach Michael Maguire previously stating the club would not be moving to terminate his contract.
Following his court hearing, Mam had said: ‘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.
‘To the NRL, Brisbane Broncos, the fans, my family – I am sorry. I promise to work on being a better person.’
Handing down his judgement in the Brisbane court, Magistrate Nolan had stated that Mam’s actions were ‘stupid’ and told the football player that he ‘had to learn from this’.
‘On this particular occasion you [Mam] shouldn’t have been driving because of the fact you didn’t have a licence,’ the Magistrate said.
The halfback accepted both punishments and according to the Broncos, will now be required to undertake a Safer Driving Training Program.
‘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 $850 fine and driving ban had garnered criticism from some, including Bridget Sakr, the mother of Veronique Sakr, who tragically passed away in the Oatlands crash in 2020.
‘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?
Multiple social media users have hit out at the NRL’s and Broncos’ sanctions, claiming they were like ‘being hit with a feather duster’
‘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.’
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington had also questioned the punishment.
‘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.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .