NRL chief Dave Smith has defended incoming head of strategy Shane Richardson and the code’s integrity unit after an investigation into the US bar brawl involving two South Sydney players was reopened.
The probe will look further into the incident that saw John Sutton and Luke Burgess arrested following an altercation at an Arizona nightspot last November.
The integrity unit was initially satisfied the incident, that according to a Arizona police report left a bouncer with a cut head, was closed after the pair were released from custody without charges being laid.
But on Tuesday, the NRL announced it had reopened its probe, leading to accusations of a Richardson cover-up.
Richardson will join the NRL from Souths later this month.
However, Smith defended the way the Rabbitohs dealt with the situation which was kept under wraps until a sketchy statement from the club was released last Sunday.
“We were satisfied with the process up until this point,” Smith told reporters on the Gold Coast on Wednesday morning.
“At the end of the day, its a judgment call. By and large, if something has gone wrong, we are in a position where clubs do get in contact.
“They tell us what’s going on. There’s a distinction between internal matters within a club and what is in the best interest of the fans and the general public.
“We ask the clubs to err on a side of caution and let us make the judgment call. You can’t know everything about every minor detail.”
Smith also said the issue has no bearing on his decision to bring Richardson on board at Rugby League Central.
“Shane is a very experienced administrator,” Smith told reporters on the Gold Coast on Wednesday.
“He’s been in the game a lot longer than I have and he’s a good guy and a big thinker.
“This isn’t about individuals. This is about a specific issue. It’s happened a long way away, we have to get to the bottom of it.”
Smith also denied the integrity unit should have investigated the incident, which led to Sutton’s axing as skipper and Burgess being offloaded to Manly, more rigorously.
“We’ve got a track record in the last couple of years for sure in dealing with these issues,” he said.
“They’re complex. As new information comes to light, we’ll deal with it.
“The integrity unit will look at it and look at it independently and strongly.
“There are lots of ways of investigating things. You don’t have to always physically go and investigate things.
“The integrity unit will look at it and gather all the facts, within the rules of our game. We’re not a police force.”
