Castleford Tigers have released a statement after a video involving Joe Westerman circulated on social media over the weekend.
The Tigers short statement on Twitter revealed that the situation is being addressed internally, with the incident occuring less than a week out from their first Super League game of the new season.
The club tweeted: “Castleford Tigers are aware of a video involving a player that circulated on social media yesterday afternoon.
“This issue is currently being dealt with internally and the Club will make no further comment at this time.”
Castleford have since confirmed that Westerman has been issued a substantial fine and will also be required to undertake community service to educate young people on the effects of alcohol.
This will also involve Westerman educating individuals on the dangers of social media when in the public eye, with the player himself releasing the following statement following the decision:
“Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly apologise to my family and friends for my actions. I’d also like to apologise to the supporters, sponsors, staff, and directors of Castleford Tigers as well as my teammates.
“I’d like to extend this apology to the game of rugby league, and I have realised that I need to work on my decision-making around alcohol.”
Castleford also stated that the club and its Welfare Officers, in conjunction with Rugby League Cares, will support Joe and his family throughout this difficult time and will now make no further comment.
It’s an incident that is undoubtedly an unwelcome distraction for Castleford head coach Lee Radford and his players in what is now officially the first week of the 2023 Super League season.
The Tigers start their season with a trip to face Westerman’s old club Hull FC at the MKM Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Westerman had two stints at Hull, making 159 combined appearances for the Black and Whites between 2011 and 2018.
