The NRL has launched an investigation over an alleged racial slur that left Broncos superstar Ezra Mam “in tears” following the Las Vegas season opener.
The 21-year-old has launched a formal complaint, alleging Roosters prop Spencer Leniu made the racist remark during a heated on-field incident during the Broncos-Roosters blockbuster at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
While there’s no clear audio evidence that anything was said at this stage, Mam has accused Leniu of calling him a “monkey”.
The off-season recruit, who only joined the tri-colours this season from Penrith, was placed on report by referee Adam Gee immediately after Mam made the claim.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters said during the post-game press conference that the club was fully behind Mam.
“Ezra is pretty upset, we will leave that in the hands of the NRL to police and adjudicate on… But we certainly support Ezra and rightly so,” Walters said.
Skipper Adam Reynolds also backed his star five-eighth.
“We certainly don’t stand for racism and we’ll support Ezra, get around him and make sure he’s alright and leave it in the NRL’s hands,” Reynolds said.
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The matter is now being dealt with by the NRL’s integrity Unit.
“The NRL is aware of an on-field matter and is reviewing the incident,” the NRL said.
