The NRL has received a formal complaint regarding its judiciary counsel’s failure to correctly identify Spencer Leniu by his name and nationality.
Following Leniu’s eight-week ban for directing a racial slur at Brisbane’s Ezra Mam, the Roosters expressed disappointment with Lachlan Gyles SC, who referred to the forward as “Spencer Luai” and incorrectly stated that he played for Tonga instead of Samoa.
Gyles’ errors were promptly corrected by NRL judiciary chairman Geoff Bellew SC.
Sources familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to speak freely, have conveyed concerns about Gyles’ mistake to the NRL, particularly given the sensitive nature of the hearing.
Leniu has represented Samoa in seven matches and was a teammate of Jarome Luai at Penrith during their three consecutive title wins from 2021 to 2023.
Attendees at the hearing immediately noticed Gyles’ mistake, prompting Leniu’s club to raise the issue with the NRL at the end of a challenging week for the sport. Gyles has privately apologized for the error.
Leniu, 23, received an eight-match suspension for using a racial slur towards Mam, calling him a “monkey,” during the Roosters-Broncos match at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
During the hearing, Leniu stated that he was unaware at the time that the term was offensive to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. He has since apologized for the distress he caused Mam and his family.
He offered to travel to Brisbane before the judiciary hearing to personally apologize to Mam.
However, Mam, the Broncos superstar who scored three tries in last year’s grand final defeat, declined the offer. He was upset about a confrontation between teammates Pat Carrigan and Kotoni Staggs and Leniu hours after the match in the corridor of the same Las Vegas hotel they were sharing.
Mam returned to the field for the Broncos against South Sydney on Thursday night.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson vigorously defended Leniu on Wednesday, stating that his player was not racist.
During the judiciary hearing, Leniu mentioned that he believed it was “one brown man saying something to another brown man” and was unaware of AFL legend Adam Goodes or the “monkeygate” incident involving Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds and the Indian cricket team.
“On Wednesday, Robinson vehemently defended Leniu, stating that calling him a racist is completely untrue. He acknowledged that using such language is never acceptable but emphasized that it occurs frequently. Robinson pointed out that racism involves using power to degrade someone, and he argued that Leniu, with his background as the child of Samoan and New Zealand immigrants growing up in Mount Druitt, does not fit that definition.
Leniu is suspended until round 10, when the Roosters play against the Warriors in May. The Roosters will face the Broncos in Brisbane the week before Leniu’s return.
The NRL and Gyles’ chambers were contacted for comment.”
