After Victor Radley was exposed for his involvement in former Sydney Roosters teammate Brandon Smith's drug case, many expected him to be shipped out of Bondi by season's end.
Despite not being charged for any wrongdoing, the Roosters have a strict no-drug policy, which Radley seemingly broke after text exchanges revealed he had requested cocaine from a third party drug dealer.
Roosters boss Nick Politis has since revealed why he opted to keep the star forward, and was fairly straightforward.
“Option one was to sack him,” Politis told The Daily Telegraph.
“But while he has brought the club into disrepute, there is no proof that Victor snorted cocaine.
“He hasn't been charged with anything.”
Many fans criticised Politis for backpedalling on his zero tolerance policy, to which the Roosters supremo challenged with his own question.
“What is zero tolerance?” Politis asked.
“You have to weigh all this up very carefully with your lawyers.
“Zero tolerance means you punish a player more severely than we ever have before.”
Radley was handed down a 10-match suspension and a $30,000 fine, a hefty punishment, but one that Politis believes to be appropriate.
“He didn't want to leave and he's copped his penalty which is the heaviest we've ever handed down to a player,” he said.
“Ten games, no pay, and $30,000 to cancer research at St Vincent's Hospital.”
Radley's $750,000 annual salary means that the 10-game suspension without pay will equate to around $140,000 in lost wages.
“Why should we pay him?” Politis asked.
“That only hurts the club and the fans.
“It was a hard decision.
“What do some other clubs do? Nothing.”
Politis also revealed that the North Queensland Cowboys asked for his services in the form of a loan deal, to which the Roosters declined.
“The Cowboys wanted to take him on a loan,” he said.
“But what's the point of that? Victor doesn't get punished. He just gets a start up there.
“More importantly, he loves our club and didn't want to leave.”
