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The NRL has received an appeal from sacked Canterbury Bulldogs player Jayden Okunbor in relation to his sacking over the schoolgirl sex incident in Port Macquarie last month.
Okunbor, as well as Bulldogs teammate Corey Harawira-Naera, were last week deregistered by the NRL for bringing schoolgirls back to the team hotel during the club's preseason trip to Port Macquarie.
Okunbor has this week appealed the NRL's decision, despite meeting the girl during a visit to the school on the same day she visited him at the hotel and engaged in consensual sex.
The appeals committee, led by Ian Callinan QC, will discuss the matter in the coming weeks.
The pair were initially handed show-cause notices by the NRL and had several weeks to put forward their respective cases, however the NRL deemed their behaviour to be "very serious breaches" of the game's code of conduct.
"The behaviour of both players was inexcusable and a very serious breach of the code of conduct," NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said.
"The game will not tolerate such conduct and as such both players have had their registrations cancelled. This decision should send a very clear message to all players of our stance on such behaviour."
In a statement, the Bulldogs supported the NRL's call to cancel the pair's contracts, effective immediately.
"Our club acted swiftly and was proactive in relation to the incidents in accordance with the expectations of our club and the NRL guidelines," the statement read.
"Accordingly, our club fully supports the determination made by the NRL in defence of the reputation of our game and the conduct of the majority of players who represent their respective clubs in the right way."
Okunbor, as well as Bulldogs teammate Corey Harawira-Naera, were last week deregistered by the NRL for bringing schoolgirls back to the team hotel during the club's preseason trip to Port Macquarie.
Okunbor has this week appealed the NRL's decision, despite meeting the girl during a visit to the school on the same day she visited him at the hotel and engaged in consensual sex.
The appeals committee, led by Ian Callinan QC, will discuss the matter in the coming weeks.
The pair were initially handed show-cause notices by the NRL and had several weeks to put forward their respective cases, however the NRL deemed their behaviour to be "very serious breaches" of the game's code of conduct.
"The behaviour of both players was inexcusable and a very serious breach of the code of conduct," NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said.
"The game will not tolerate such conduct and as such both players have had their registrations cancelled. This decision should send a very clear message to all players of our stance on such behaviour."
In a statement, the Bulldogs supported the NRL's call to cancel the pair's contracts, effective immediately.
"Our club acted swiftly and was proactive in relation to the incidents in accordance with the expectations of our club and the NRL guidelines," the statement read.
"Accordingly, our club fully supports the determination made by the NRL in defence of the reputation of our game and the conduct of the majority of players who represent their respective clubs in the right way."