Channel 9 commentator, Phil 'Gus' Gould has taken to Twitter in defence of the NRL's decision to postpone Taylan May's suspension until the opening rounds of the 2023 season.
Gould even went so far as to say that the Penrith Panthers winger should not be suspended - but rather commended for his actions.
Gould wrote, "Why argue over when Taylan May suspension should be served? Why was he suspended at all?
"No conviction recorded by court. $1000 fine. Hardly serious matter. Video clearly shows he defused situation before it escalated.
"Why are footballers always wrong? May should be congratulated."
Why argue over when Taylan May suspension should be served? Why was he suspended at all? No conviction recorded by court. $1000 fine. Hardly serious matter. Video clearly shows he defused situation before it escalated. Why are footballers always wrong? May should be congratulated
— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) September 7, 2022
May was charged with assault last week after being caught on camera pulling a fan to the ground after a small confrontation with his Penrith teammates. He was fined $1000 and another $1000 in compensation to the victim but received no conviction from the courts.
For his actions, the NRL handed down another $7,500 fine and a two-game suspension, one that May will not serve until the 2023 season, allowing him to play in both the 2022 finals series and the Rugby League World Cup in October.
May's club mates, Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai also commented on the situation, voicing their relief at having him as part of the team in the finals while also acknowledging the situation as a learning experience for NRL stars.
"You want your best players out there and he has been a big part of our team this year. Itโs good to have him out there,โ Cleary said.
โYou have to be cautious of that, the limelight we are in. As role models as well we canโt fall into that kind of stuff,
โThere are always going to be people who get under your skin but that is the life we live and we have to deal with it the right way.
โI didnโt think too much of it. It was probably the next day, you look back and think something bad could come of it. At the time, I thought he was defusing the situation.
โItโs a learning curve for everyone, not just Taylan, for everyone involved and any NRL player that was watching in that situation,โ stated Luai.
โWe need to be careful out there, we are role models to the youngsters and everyone out there, we canโt slip up.โ
The deferred suspension has been highly controversial, but ARL chairman Peter V'Landys has defended it, stating the decision was made on behalf of the fans.
โWhy penalise Penrith fans for an indiscretion that the player did? The person that should be paying the penalty is the player, and (May) will, because he will miss two matches and a substantial part of his salary,โ V'Landys toldย Channel 9.
May has been named as part of Penrith's lineup to face the Parramatta Eels in the opener to the 2022 finals series this Friday.
