Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Newcastle Knights back-rower Asu ‘AJ’ Kepaoa is facing at least four weeks on the sidelines after being referred straight to the judiciary for a homophobic slur.
Kepaoa was sent off during Friday night’s NSW Cup clash against St George Illawarra after he allegedly called a Dragons’ rival a “f—ing f—-t”.
Sources from both clubs not authorised to speak publicly confirmed the slur Kepaoa is alleged to have used.
NSW Rugby League officials issued the charge sheet on Monday afternoon, with Kepaoa hit with the most serious offence. His case will be heard on Wednesday.
A NSWRL spokesperson confirmed Kepaoa has until midday Tuesday to enter a plea to the charge.
The penalty for using a homophobic slur in community competitions in NSW ranges from six to ten weeks. But the NRL judicial code applies when it comes to players in the NSW Cup.
The last NRL player to be charged with a homophobic slur was Marcelo Montoya, who was then playing with the New Zealand Warriors in 2022.
It emerged at the official hearing that Montoya called North Queensland winger Kyle Feldt a “f—-t”. Montoya conceded the word was “completely unacceptable” and “completely out of character”, admitting he had wanted to “get under his skin” of Feldt. He was banned four matches.
The game has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to homophobia.
The issue was thrust back into the spotlight earlier this month when former NRL player Kane Evans revealed he was gay, detailing his battles with substance abuse and suicidal thoughts while wrestling with his sexuality.
“I’ve carried [hiding my sexuality] around my whole life,” Evans told James Bracey during the extraordinary interview on Nine, the owners of this masthead. “I’m here today to show people that you don’t have to live like that; even now I feel a bit more free, just by saying it out loud, I’ve brought it to the light.”
In 2022, Manly introduced a rainbow jersey, only for seven players to refuse to wear the one-off strip because of their religious views. The Sea Eagles introduced the concept in good faith but it drove a further into the playing group.
The Kepaoa incident comes in the same week the Knights will promote Beanies for Brain Cancer Round, which features club legend Mark Hughes as one of the main faces of the successful concept.
Kepaoa played 40 NRL games over four seasons at the Wests Tigers, featured in two more games for the Panthers last season, before inking a two-year deal with the Knights. He is yet to play first grade this season.
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