Paul Kent blasts NRL over Spencer Leniu’s racism ban and claims governing body buckled under pressure ‘to be politically correct’

Paul Kent has hit out at the NRL’s handling of the Spencer Leniu racism scandal, claiming the Rooster’s star was harshly handed an eight-game ban.

Leniu, 23, was handed the lengthy ban following an NRL court hearing on Monday where he pleaded guilty to calling Broncos rival Ezra Mam a ‘monkey’ in Las Vegas earlier this month.

The case has sparked debate in the football world, with Souths star Latrell Mitchell calling for Leniu to miss half the season over the slur – in what would have been one of the most serious punishments in the game’s history.

Johnathan Thurston echoed those sentiments, arguing that Leniu should have served a 12-game suspension.

But Fox League pundit Kent said the saga ‘exposed the confusion of the game’ and said a harsh punishment would be too harsh a sanction compared to some of the sport’s most egregious acts.

Spencer Leniu received an eight-game suspension for his “monkey” tantrum

“We lose ground on emotion all the time – and we’ve done that in this case,” Kent said on NRL360.

‘Eight weeks, you go back to the toughest penalties in the NRL era, they’re all violent offenses for this type of punishment. For a 12 week sentence they are all violent sentences. It is not.

“No one is justifying what he did, but I also think a little bit of perspective is lost in all of this because people are so emotional about it.”

Fellow researcher David Riccio pushed back on Kent’s view, arguing that eight weeks ‘sends a message’.

But Kent was not convinced: ‘Four weeks sends a message. What message?’

Riccio replied: ‘That the game will not stand for it.’

‘When has the game ever stood for that?’ Kent replied.

‘I thought he (Leniu) went in for eight weeks, regardless of what he said.

“I think there is so much pressure on the NRL to be politically correct and please the wider public and give the impression that they are a game that doesn’t stand for this when rugby league has always been at the forefront of fight racism,” Kent continued.

But Kent says it wasn’t right for people like Latrell Mitchell to air their views freely

He also argued that Lenius’ suspension was harsh and four weeks was more appropriate

‘No one denies that it exists and that it has existed in the game as it has everywhere else. But rugby league has been the game that has led the way as the first indigenous player to ever play for their country was a rugby league player, the first indigenous player to ever captain their country was a rugby league player person.’

In response to Thurston’s disappointment at Lenius’ eight-match ban, Kent said: ‘Give us a reason why.

‘He’s already been the strongest, but for some people that’s not enough. Give us a reason why. I’ll find a reason, get on the show and tell us why.

‘But you don’t just sit there because it’s a moment to complain and make your case and press your case, so you have to make noise that whatever happens isn’t good enough.’

Kent also called for players to be fined for sharing their thoughts on direct NRL litigation.

“A coach can’t say ‘s***’ in a press conference without getting fined,” Kent said.

‘Come on. Show some courage, seriously. If you’re going to stand for something, if you’re going to be a game that’s going to push all these values ​​that you keep telling us in the good times, stand for it in the bad times.’