Wests Tigers centre Tim Simona has had his NRL registration terminated after he was found guilty of a number of gambling offences.
The NRL said that there was evidence the 25-year-old placed bets on opposition teams and players to score and he also failed to give money to charity from auctioned playing items.
NRL Chief Executive Todd Greenberg released the following statement:
“Based on the evidence we have identified it is very hard to imagine that Tim Simona will be registered with the NRL at any time in the future. There is nothing more important than the integrity of our game.
“Our fans have a right to expect that every player on every team is doing his best to win each game and we will be relentless in dealing with anyone who attempts to breach this trust.
“At the end of the day, he has deliberately flouted the laws of the game for his own gain and there is no place for him in the NRL.
“This is a warning to everyone in our game that if you try to meddle with the integrity of the game you will be caught and the consequences will be harsh.”
Any hopes of Simona salvaging his career in Super League are gone with an RFL source stating on Wednesday: “If a player is suspended or banned by the NRL, that would carry on into Super League.”
