St George Illawarra prop Paul Vaughan has been sacked after he hosted an illegal house party attended by 13 players.
The Dragons Board will officially ratify the decision when they meet at an emergency meeting on Tuesday afternoon. The move comes after the NRL on Monday handed down a raft of sanctions to the 13 players who attended the party at Vaughan’s house on Saturday night.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the only reason why Vaughan wasn’t sacked on Monday was because the club was unsure of its legal position.
Jack de Belin and other players are also facing further punishment on top of the one-game suspensions and the $305,000 worth of fines handed out to the group by the NRL on Monday.
Vaughan’s party was his second breach of the NRL’s biosecurity rules after he attended a cafe while in the NRL bubble last season.
Dragons chief executive Ryan Webb on Monday night expressed his disappointment at the actions of the 13 players involved, at that stage signalling further club sanctions were possible.
“The 13 players’ arrogance and ignorance to both the NRL biosecurity protocols and the state government’s public health order is upsetting and infuriating,” Webb said.
“Every member of the club’s Apollo register were communicated their responsibilities and limitations under level four protocols on numerous occasions.
“All 13 players have let the rest of their teammates, the entirety of our hard-working staff, their families, the wider community and most importantly our Red V members, partners and fans, down.
“The entire club and our stakeholders will now be punished as a result of the combined 20-week suspension procured between the 13 players.
“The Dragons hold no reservations over the punishments handed down by the NRL Integrity Unit or NSW Police given the players’ complete disregard for both the game and community’s expectations.”