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Rebel lock Adam Byrnes fined $7500 for attack on character of Waratahs centre Tom Carter over gouging claim
Iain Payten
MELBOURNE lock Adam Byrnes has been slugged with a $7500 fine for slamming the character of NSW centre Tom Carter in The Daily Telegraph in March.
SANZAR handed down the penalty yesterday after finding Byrnes had committed an act of misconduct for publically criticising Carter in the wake of the Rebel being cleared of eye-gouging him in March.
Byrnes was initially banned for 10 weeks for scratching Carter’s eye in a game but the suspension was subsequently thrown out on appeal.
The Russian international then teed off on Carter in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
“To be falsely accused with such a slanderous tag as Tom has said is extremely poor form,” Byrnes said.
“I give him credit as a player, but to carry on in terms of bringing another player down and potentially ruining their livelihood, it is a very poor quality to have as a human being.”
SANZAR opened an investigation to a possible breach of their code of conduct, in which players are forbidden to impugne the “integrity and good character” of an official or player.
A SANZAR release today said judicial officer Nigel Hampton “found that the interview contained an unwarranted and serious verbal attack by Mr Byrnes on the integrity and good character of another player [Waratahs player Tom Carter], an attack such as well might impair public confidence in that other player’s character and integrity.”
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1226344576115
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Originally Posted by jargan83
