THE RFL has explained why it has rejected Mark Aston’s appeal to be heard by Sports Resolution.
The RFL refused to agree a reference to that body, which has a record of mediating in sporting disputes across a range of sporting bodies, on the grounds of ‘procedure and precedent’.
A spokesperson for the RFL told League Express: “A request for Sports Resolution turned down on grounds of procedure and precedent, ie the channel for an appeal is to an Operational Rules Appeal Tribunal – a new three-strong panel (one judge, two side members).
Aston’s advisers are hoping that the RFL will reconsider its position, but in the meantime he is likely to appeal against the RFL Tribunal decision last month to suspend him for 18 months because he played Eagles fullback Matty Marsh in the Challenge Cup against Wigan in March when the player hadn’t been properly signed off from a concussion that he had suffered in a league game thirteen days earlier.
The original tribunal decision and the severity of the sentence imposed on Aston has garnered support for him from a variety of observers from within the game and, led by former Eagles Chairman Ian Swire, there is a growing movement to have the tribunal decision modified.
Part of their concern is that the Eagles’ club doctor informed the RFL by email on the morning of the game that she hadn’t signed off Marsh in accordance with the regulations, although she didn’t copy Aston himself into that email.
That was seven and a half hours before the game was due to kick off, but the RFL apparently took no action to stop Marsh from playing in it, either by contacting Aston direct or by entering the information on its Gameday system so that the Match Commissioner would be aware that Marsh shouldn’t play.
Since then the RFL has refused to reveal what it did with that email and what other email messages were sent following its receipt.
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