Wests Tigers player Tim Simona has had his NRL registration terminated with immediate effect.
An Integrity Unit investigation found that Simona had:
- Breached the NRL rules by betting on Rugby League matches
- Bet on opposition players scoring – and against his team winning
- Sold Rugby League jerseys through online auctions without passing on the full proceeds to the nominated charities
- Been untruthful in his interviews with the Integrity Unit
- The Integrity Unit was also presented with other information, relating to his interaction with a third party, which has been considered.
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg has admitted that Simona clearly had serious personal issues and was remorseful.
While sad to see an elite athlete thrown away the opportunities presented to him, Greenberg said the breaches were at the high end of the integrity scale and the NRL had no alternative but to deregister him.
“Based on the evidence we have identified it is very hard to imagine that Tim Simona will be registered with the NRL at any time in the future,” Greenberg said.
“There is nothing more important than the integrity of our game.
“Our fans have a right to expect that every player on every team is doing his best to win each game and we will be relentless in dealing with anyone who attempts to breach this trust.
“At the end of the day he has deliberately flouted the laws of the game for his own gain and there is no place for him in the NRL.
“This is a warning to everyone in our game that if you try to meddle with the integrity of the game you will be caught and the consequences will be harsh.”