St George Illawarra have decided not to appeal the NRL’s punishments and have instead accepted a $50,000 fine for violating the NRL’s concussion policy.
The Dragons were first penalised $100,000 for their handling of an incident involving Josh Dugan during last month’s win over Cronulla at Southern Cross Group Stadium, Woolooware.
The Dragons were said to be upset with how they were treated, claiming privately that the first six-figure fine and public shaming effectively threw their medical staff under the bus.
Despite the lowering of their penalties, St George Illawarra were found to have violated the concussion rules in respect to Dugan obtaining a head-injury evaluation. According to reports, the Dragons were adamant that they should have been cleared.
The Dragons were given five days to determine whether or not to appeal, but despite seeking independent legal counsel, they accepted the sanction.
The club said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that while the legal opinion reinforced the club’s unhappiness with “the process, particularly “procedural fairness” – the club accepts there may have been a technical breach of the HIA rule.”
“However, it believes that there were numerous mitigating factors, including conflicting information from the NRL regarding rule interpretation and the NRL’s technology at the game.”
“The Dragons have always placed player well-being first, and we want to reiterate our support for the integrity and professionalism of our staff, who look after our players on a daily basis.”
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