- Greyhounds NSW employee fired after ‘appalling’ form guidance note
- Featured shocking words about dogs running in Maitland
- The dog was named Ezra Man, after Broncos center Ezra Mam.
Greyhounds NSW has apologized for a guidance note that said punters could ‘go crazy’ over a dog named after Ezra Mam, the Indigenous NRL player who was called a ‘monkey’ by a rival player.
Sydney Roosters prop Spencer Leniu was handed an eight-game suspension by the NRL on Monday for directing the racist abuse at Brisbane five-eighth Mam during the teams’ first round clash in Las Vegas on 3 of March.
The incident has cast a shadow over the NRL’s foray into the United States and the start of the 2024 campaign.
On the same night Leniu stood up to the NRL judiciary, Greyhounds NSW were forced to apologize after a staff member referenced the incident in the online form guide for a dog race in Maitland.
‘Come on, Bananas! Let’s see if we can get some positive headlines tonight. Read runner Ezra Man’s notes, followed by descriptions of the dog’s recent form.
Greyhounds NSW apologized for a form guide note (pictured) which said punters could ‘Go Bananas’ for a dog called Ezra Mam, who Spencer Leniu called ‘monkey’.
Leniu was handed an eight-game suspension by the NRL on Monday for directing the insult at Brisbane five-eighth Mam during the teams’ first round clash in Las Vegas.
On the same night that Spencer Leniu faced the NRL judiciary over his attack on Ezra Mam (pictured), Greyhounds NSW were forced to apologize after a staff member referenced the incident in the form guide on line for a race in Maitland, New South Wales.
The comment was later removed from the Greyhounds NSW website, but the correction did not reach the organisation’s betting partner websites.
“GRNSW is shocked by what was posted and apologizes unreservedly for the comment and the distress it has caused,” a statement from Greyhounds NSW read.
‘GRNSW also apologizes unreservedly to its partners who, unknowingly and through no fault of their own, were caught up in the incident. “GRNSW will not tolerate this type of behavior and appropriate action has been taken.”
The AAP contacted Greyhounds NSW for clarification on what “appropriate action” had been taken and it later emerged the employee had been dismissed.
The Greyhounds NSW websites form guide is distributed to those at betting agencies, who were unable to remove the content from their own channels.
Sportsbet, the country’s largest bookmaker, abandoned betting on the race after being informed of the allegation via social media on Monday night.
The organization has since contacted the NRL to confirm it had not been responsible for the comment, which appeared on its website and app.
“We are extremely disappointed that highly offensive and inappropriate comments provided by a third party have been automatically published on our platforms,” Sportsbet said in a statement to AAP.
‘Sportsbet immediately removed the event and associated comments when we found out.
‘Our partner Greyhound Racing NSW has confirmed that the necessary steps have been taken and we have sought further assurance that adequate controls are in place.
‘We do not tolerate hate speech, discrimination and racism in our organization, on our platforms or from our partners. “We will continue to report this and apologize unreservedly for the distress this has caused.”
