Roosters statement: Leniu suspension

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Spencer Leniu has tonight been handed an eight-game suspension following his Contrary Conduct charge at the NRL Judiciary.

Leniu entered a plea of guilty last Thursday afternoon after being referred to the NRL judiciary following an incident that occurred in the 69th minute of the Roosters' Round 1 match against the Brisbane Broncos.

As a result, Leniu will be unavailable until Round 10.

"On behalf of Spencer and the Sydney Roosters we apologise unreservedly to Ezra and his family for the hurt that has been caused and we extend this apology to the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community," said Roosters CEO Joe Kelly.

"Inclusivity and diversity are key and fundamental values of the Sydney Roosters and we respect equally all backgrounds and cultures and will not tolerate any form of racism.

"We accept the suspension to Spencer of eight weeks and would like to thank our legal counsel James McLeod for representing the Club.

"I would also like to acknowledge Spencer for the character he has shown over the past week. He was totally honest from the outset and wanted to own this immediately. In no way did he mean to direct the term to Ezra in a racial way.

"Spencer has learnt a great deal from the past week and we will ensure that we continue to support him in any way we can and increase his education about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Cultures.

"We will also be supporting all of our Indigenous players at the Club, and across the board, all staff and players will undergo further education of these cultures as well as the Pacifika culture," he added.