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Broncos' Mam set to be suspended for nine games by NRL
Joel Gould, AAP • December 24th, 2024 7:00 am
Photo: AAP
Brisbane star Ezra Mam is set for a nine-game suspension after being sent a breach notice by the NRL for bringing the game and the Broncos into disrepute.
Mam, 22, was fined $850 for drug driving and driving without a licence when he appeared on December 16 in Brisbane Magistrates Court. He was disqualified from driving for nine months and issued with an infringement notice for failing to have proper control of a vehicle.
The NRL has proposed a ban but due to the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) the details of the sanction cannot be disclosed by the governing body until Mam has responded to the notice, which will allege he has breached the NRL's code of conduct.
AAP understands the suggested suspension is nine games.
The breach notice alleges Mam has engaged in conduct which is against the law and has brought the game and his club into disrepute.
The court ruling related to an incident on October 18 when Mam drove his Ford Ranger into the oncoming traffic lane and collided with a car operated by Uber driver Marcel Van Den Camp.
Photo: AAP
Injured in the incident were the driver, his female passenger and her infant daughter.
In court, Magistrate Mark Nolan gave Mam a verbal dressing down.
He chastised the Broncos pivot for his "stupid decision" to drive unlicensed with a "cocktail of cocaine" and other drugs in his system
"At so many levels you are fortunate to stand where you are today given you were involved in a two-vehicle motor accident," he said.
"You could've been ... killed or the other parties could've been ... 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."
The punishment handed down to Mam prompted a public outcry.
"I think it's disgraceful," Queensland's Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said, describing the penalty as "a slap on the wrist".
Queensland's Attorney-General Deb Frecklington agreed, and said the government would consider legislative change.
"I can understand that for many Queenslanders, this outcome doesn't pass the pub test," she said.
"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."
"I will be consulting with my colleagues, in particular the transport minister, and considering what changes can be made to our laws."
Mam issued a public apology.
"This incident isn't a reflection of who I want to be (or) what is expected of me as a role model," he said.
"To the NRL, the Brisbane Broncos, the fans and my family, I'm sorry. I promise to work on being a better person and representative of the club and the game that I love."
The Broncos have a contingency to cover the absence of Mam. They recruited Ben Hunt on a two-year deal after the former St George Illawarra captain secured a release.
Mam has played 57 NRL matches for the Broncos after debuting in 2022. He scored three tries in the 2023 grand final loss to Penrith but was unable to recapture that form last season as the Broncos faded to finish 12th.
