The Newcastle Knights have admitted a video that emerged on Monday morning showing Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann exiting a toilet cubicle together is a bad look, however, are yet to determine a punishment.
The club's new head of football Peter Parr, who was previously at the North Queensland Cowboys and is known as a no-nonsense operator, suggested the club are working with the NRL's Integrity Unit and yet to determine whether a punishment is warranted or not as the club continue to investigate to determine the facts.
“We can’t make any decisions until anything is finalised, but it is way too early for that,” Parr said in a press conference on Tuesday morning in Newcastle.
“We contacted the Integrity Unit, they will now run the process and we will support them in that.
“We haven’t discussed any punishment yet because we don’t know if there is any punishment to be had... we don’t have to make any decisions on that yet, we don’t even know if punishment is necessary yet.”
The story told to the club - and by Kalyn's father, Andre, to the media - is that the pair had been out for drinks with mates after a house purchase by Ponga.
Both players are currently injured, with Ponga going through concussion protocols and Mann sidelined by a separate injury.
Parr conceded it was a bad look, but suggested Ponga hadn't been told he couldn't consume alcohol by any club medical staff.
“My information is that he has not been told by any of the medical staff that he couldn’t drink,” Parr said.
“We haven’t established yet how much that he had, once that is finalised I am sure we can make some conclusions on that.
“I wouldn’t say it is a great look, but all the facts haven’t been established yet,” Parr said.
“Then we will make some decisions if we have to.
“Just because it is not a good look doesn’t mean straight away that anybody has done anything wrong.”
The NRL Integrity Unit will continue to investigate, however, no time frame has been placed on a decision being made.
The news continues a horror fortnight for the Knights, with Bradman Best and Enari Tuala also stood down on Tuesday morning after missing the team bus on Sunday after the club's loss to the Brisbane Broncos the night prior.
The club have also had David Klemmer's problem bubbling away in the background after he was stood down for allegedly verbally abusing an on-field trainer less than 24 hours after being linked with a move to the Parramatta Eels on the final day of the transfer window.
