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.
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It was taken down on Sunday night (October 2).
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.
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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.”
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.
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One fan said: “Jarome Luai claims he isn’t a grub yet lays the boot into Papali’i that’s just made a tackle.”
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