Penrith Panthers star Jarome Luai has landed himself in hot water over a now-deleted Instagram post that included a racial slur.
In the wake of the Grand Final, the two-time Premiership-winner posted an image with teammate Jaeman Salmon with the caption: “My N****.”
The post has been referred to the NRL integrity unit according to Nine News, with Luai potentially facing sanctions that would see him miss some World Cup fixtures.
It was taken down on Sunday night (October 2).
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NRL 360 panellist Paul Kent slammed the post, saying: “It’s a well-known racial term which Penrith claim is a term of endearment, which is ridiculous.
“Honestly, at some point these blokes have got to be asked to act like men. They’re carrying on like 16-year-old schoolboys the way they’re carrying on with this victory.
He added: “(Luai) runs the risk, he’s a proud Samoan and he’s going to play for Samoa in the World Cup and he’s a big chance of missing games now because again he got carried away with his own greatness.”
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During the Grand Final itself, officials appeared to miss a moment where the five-eighth seemingly kicked Parramatta Eels forward Isaiah Papali’i.
Luai acted as a dummy half as Papali’i and Eels teammate Will Penisini were lying on Brian To’o after tackling the winger.
Luai then appeared to kick out at Papali’i with a short right foot to the body, in a move that was slammed by fans on social media.
One fan said: “Jarome Luai claims he isn’t a grub yet lays the boot into Papali’i that’s just made a tackle.”
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Another commented: “Panthers wonder why people dislike them. Luai just kicked a Parra player while he was on the ground.”
A third added: “Luai literally kicks a bloke on the ground and donuts from ref and commentary.”
The Panthers have gone from Premiership heroes to being heavily criticised by the wider NRL community following their championship celebrations.
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Wests Tigers-bound hooker Apisai Koroisau took an ‘unnecessary’ dig at his future employer in the midst of a fan day on Monday morning.
The Fijian international grabbed a microphone on stage and said: “Just to go out on a high like that, it’s pretty incredible, and I’ll probably do the same thing at the Tigers.”
The 29-year-old then proceeded to snigger into the microphone with what has been labelled an ‘unnecessary’ fake laugh.
The actions were labelled ‘tasteless’ and lacking ‘class’.
Topics: Australia, Rugby League, NRL
Jayden Collins