England prop Joe Marler has been suspended for 2 matches and fined £20,000 to be paid to a suitable equality charity for "gypsy boy" comment against Samson Lee.
The misconduct charge was brought by World Rugby against Marler in relation to a breach of Regulation 20 and the code of conduct, for comments made towards Lee during their clash with Wales in the 6 Nations.
"Regulation 20 and the code of conduct both cover statements that are unsporting and/or insulting and/or discriminatory by reason of race or ethnic origin, which bring or have the potential to bring the game into disrepute" World Rugby said today in a statement.
The statement provided the following reasoning for the ban:
- That Marler had used unsporting and discriminatory language towards Lee
- That by his actions, Marler had breached World Rugby Regulation 20 and the code of conduct and brought the game into disrepute
- That Marler was proactive in apologising to Lee at half-time during the match and that he subsequently issued a public and unreserved apology for his comments
- That Marler is a person of good character and had no similar misconduct charges
It continues: "In respect of the sanction, pursuant to Regulation 20.10.1 (c), the committee determined the breach was serious and imposed a two-match suspension, and pursuant to Regulation 20.10.1 (b) that Marler pay a fine in the form of a donation of £20,000 to a suitable equality charity in the UK."
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