The NRL have addressed the recent guilty verdict received by Panthers winger Taylan May regarding an incident in Maroochydore in October last year.
May was found guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm by a Maroochydore court, with no conviction recorded but a fine of $1000 handed out, plus another $1000 in damages.
After a brief deliberation, the NRL has decided to hand May a breach notice that proposes a two-match ban along with a number of other measures. But despite the rush to decide on a punishment, the proposed sentence would see May miss the first two games of the 2023 season, leaving him free to play finals football despite the guilty verdict.
The notice also proposes a $7,500 fine (half suspended) and a requirement that May attend counselling, education and training as recommended by the NRLโs Education and Wellbeing team.
The NRL claims that the delayed suspension was decided upon after considering a number of factors including โwhen the incident took place, the date at which proceedings were finalised and the impact of a match suspension at this time of year.โ
May now has five days to respond to the notice, which is sure to earn a mixed reception given the inconsistent tone of the punishment in the wake of years of stern measures that began with the NRLโs no-fault stand-down policy.
Itโs not the first unwanted attention the May family has received either, with Taylanโs older brother Tyrone found guilty on two counts of intentionally recording an intimate act without consent back in January 2020.
