Broncos forward fined and suspended for four games

Brisbane Broncos forward Payne Haas has been fined $20,000 and stood down for the opening four rounds of the NRL after failing to co-operate with the NRL’s Integrity Unit regarding an incident involving his family.

Broncos CEO Paul White said the 19-year-old hadn’t committed any violent acts himself, or broken the law, but had simply not co-operated with the Integrity Unit to a level expected by the club.

Haas starred in the Broncos’ 42-0 trial win over Souths-Logan over the weekend and is expected to be a key player for Brisbane in 2019 after breaking into the first team last year.

“We are not happy with Payne’s level of co-operation with the Integrity Unit in relation to the matters involving his family,” White said.

“We have a duty to protect the reputation of our club and our game – and that is why we have handed down the significant sanctions that we have.

“He will miss the opening rounds of the competition and that is a heavy price to pay, but we see this as a mistake made by young man and we are confident that Payne will learn his lesson.

“We do hope this sends a strong message that the values and integrity of everyone here at the Broncos is of utmost importance to our club.”