Penrith Panthers utility Tyrone May will be free to resume his NRL career from round 5 this season.
The NRL confirmed this afternoon it would impose an additional four week Ban on May, who was last week sentenced over charges relating to the filming of sex tapes without consent.
May must also agree to participate and complete a Secondary Prevention Program.
The Penrith Panthers will also fine May 25 per cent of his 2019 salary.
NRL Chief Executive Todd Greenberg said he had factored in the lengthy amount of time May had been stood down.
“Tyrone May has effectively served a 12-month suspension from the game, which reflects the seriousness with which the game treats these offences,” he said.
“Providing he participates and completes what we have asked of him, he will be allowed back in the NRL during the first quarter of the season. May’s case should send a clear message to all of our players about the severity of such conduct.”
May received a three-year good behaviour bond and 300 hours of community service work for his part in the sex tape scandal that engulfed the Panthers last year and left his promising career hanging by a thread.
The 23-year-old was stood down during the 2019 pre-season after leaked footage taken in Coffs Harbour in February 2018, and a second video filmed at Kingswood in May 2018 surfaced, resulting in his arrest on May 5. The sex was consensual.
May will be available to play in Penrith’s match against Canberra at Panthers Stadium on Sunday, April 12, but it is more likely he’ll make his return through the lower grades.
Troy Dodds is the Weekender’s Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.
