Many figures of the game, both players and officials, have found themselves in hot water with the law at one point or another.
However, very few have been found guilty of charges as disturbing as one former referee, who was charged after assaulting multiple children.
Former NRL referee Gavin Morris, who once officiated more than 140 first-grade matches, has been found guilty of multiple counts of aggravated assault following a judge-only trial in Alice Springs Local Court.
Morris, who refereed during the 2014 and 2015 NRL finals series, previously made headlines when he was fined and suspended for punching a fellow referee during an altercation.
On Wednesday, Morris was found guilty of four counts of aggravated assault against students, though he was acquitted on a fifth charge.
Among the allegations, the court heard that Morris choked one student, placed another in a chokehold, and dragged two pupils by their ears.
The former referee's defence argued he had been attempting to restrain students who were fighting or misbehaving at the time.
In recent years, he served as the principal of Yipirinya School, an independent school for Indigenous children in Alice Springs.
Morris is set to be sentenced on December 8.
