Ezra Mam has accepted a nine-match suspension and will be fined $120,000 by both the NRL and the Brisbane Broncos.
The 21-year-old received $90,000 from the Broncos, in addition to the $30,000 penalty from the NRL.
He had been served with a default notice on Monday after the rider pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving over an incident that took place in Bardon, Brisbane, on October 18. Mam pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while a relevant drug was present. with blood and a second offense of driving without a license.
The runner accepted both punishments and, according to the Broncos, will now have to complete a safer driving training program.
You will also participate in continuous work or study practices, which will be designed by the Club's Welfare and Education department. Brisbane will also design an ongoing wellbeing support program for the football star.
In a statement issued online, the club said: “While we are extremely disappointed to have been placed in this position, we believe that both the sanctions imposed by the NRL and the Club adequately reflect the seriousness of what occurred and should act as a deterrent. from this”. type of risky and antisocial behavior.
Ezra Mam has been fined a total of $120,000 by the Brisbane Broncos and the NRL.
Mam will be fined $90,000 by the Broncos and will also be fined $30,000 by the NRL; He will also be suspended for nine games.
'Ezra clearly did the wrong thing, but he took responsibility for his actions and showed genuine remorse towards those involved. He understands the impact this has had on everyone around him and the game.
'Ezra has taken steps to get his life back on track since this incident and that must continue. We have been very clear about this.
“We believe the additional measures implemented are important and will go hand in hand with integrating Ezra back into the work being done at the Broncos.”
The punishments are increases to the $850 fine and a six-month driving ban imposed on him by a Queensland Magistrates Court, a sentence that drew widespread criticism online for being a “slap on the wrist”.
Following the new sanctions from the NRL and the Broncos, some fans again criticized the new punishments, adding that he should have been suspended for more than nine games.
Mum's Ford Ranger is believed to have collided head-on with an Uber taxi during the road traffic incident. He allegedly failed a roadside drug test after the incident.
A mother and her four-year-old daughter were traveling in the passenger seats of the taxi when the incident occurred, and it is understood the daughter suffered a broken hip.
'It's still not enough!' A social media user wrote on X in response to the new sanctions imposed on Mam. 'What happens to the poor victim? I bet you are in a world of pain after the accident, not to mention financial difficulties.
“It makes a mockery of the whole situation.”
Mam pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving after his Ford Ranger crashed head-on into an Uber taxi on October 18.
Some had claimed Mom's initial $850 fine and her six-month driving ban was too lenient.
Another added: 'Still not enough, minimum six month suspension!'
“For what he did, they hit him with a feather duster.”
Speculation had arisen about the 21-year-old's future at the football club, with Mam agreeing a new five-year, $4 million contract to remain at the football club in February.
The Broncos will support their player, with new manager Michael Maguire previously stating the club would take no steps to terminate his contract.
After her court hearing, Mum said: 'To the people involved in the accident, I am so sorry. This incident is not a reflection of who I want to be and what is expected of me as a role model.
'To the NRL, the Brisbane Broncos, the fans, my family, I'm sorry. “I promise to work to be a better person.”
Handing down his sentence in the Brisbane court, Magistrate Nolan declared Mam's actions were “stupid” and told the footballer he “had to learn from this”.
“On this particular occasion you (mum) should not have been driving because you did not have a licence,” the magistrate said.
The runner accepted both punishments and, according to the Broncos, will now have to complete a safer driving training program.
'Having made that stupid decision to get behind the wheel of the car, in addition to consuming illicit substances as well… a cocktail of cocaine and other materials that were found in his blood on this occasion.
'On many levels you are lucky to be where you are today… you could have been hurt or killed, or the other people could have been hurt or killed.
'There is no place for illicit drugs in our community, and there is certainly no place for a person who uses illicit drugs to get behind the wheel of a car.
“You have to learn from this.”
But Mam's $850 fine and driving ban had drawn criticism from some, including Bridget Sakr, the mother of Veronique Sakr, who tragically died in the Oatlands crash in 2020.
'On Monday, the same day (Mom's court case was announced), my daughter celebrated her 16th birthday in heaven. He is no longer with us,” said Bridget Sakr.
'I don't want any other family to celebrate their child's birthday without being able to blow out the candles themselves. It is the most painful thing a parent can go through.
'I have a photo of Veronique with a cake with 16, but Veronique is not there. What would have happened if those who suffered the accident (Mam) had died?
Multiple social media users have criticized the NRL and Broncos' sanctions, claiming they were like “being hit with a feather duster”.
'And this person (mom) gets a slap on the wrist, what is that? What does society learn from that pain? It made me angry, it's unacceptable. I feel bad because I know what it feels like. I have lived the experience of losing my flesh and blood.'
Attorney General Deb Frecklington also questioned the punishment.
“Most Queenslanders would expect the penalty for a driver who had drugs in their system to be more severe than the penalty for using a mobile phone while driving,” Mr Frecklington said.
“I will consult with my colleagues, particularly the Minister for Transport, and consider what changes can be made to our laws.”