Paul Vaughan has been sacked by the Dragons.Credit:NRL Photos
“The events that took place on the weekend were thoughtless and disrespectful to not only the game that I love,but to all of the sponsors,members and fans as well as the broader community.
“The reality is,I should have known better and I am truly sorry. I have let a lot of people down through my actions,and I hope that this sincere apology shows how deeply sorry I am and that I realise the enormity and stupidity of what I have done.
“To say that I have learnt a lesson from this is an understatement. I hope one day in the future,I can get the opportunity to showcase my remorse through better actions on and off the field. Again,I apologise to my teammates,the NRL,the club,its members,sponsors and fans along with all stakeholders in the game and community.”
TheHerald revealed on Tuesday morning that Vaughan was in the firing line and the club’s directors opted to terminate his contract after a virtual board meeting shortly afterwards. Webb informed Vaughan of the decision via a three-way phone call with the club’s football manager,Ben Haran.
“We’re talking about a guy’s career and he has got a family. It wasn’t an easy decision by any means,” Webb said. “Paul took the news as you would expect,he took it quite hard.
“He was probably quite shocked by the news and that’s how it was. We delivered it as quickly as we could,we didn’t want to drag it out.”
Vaughan was hit with an eight-game ban and a $50,000 fine by the NRL on Monday night. The sanction would have ruled him out for the remainder of the regular season and the suspension will carry over to any other club that signs him. The former NSW and Australian prop will lose around $250,000 this year,on top of the $50,000 fine from the NRL and the $1000 fine from police for breaching the public health order.
The damage will be compounded by the termination of his $800,000 deal next year. He is likely to only attract around $400,000-$500,000 on the open market,which takes the total cost of the party to around $700,000.
The Dragons will also impose its own financial sanctions against the remaining 12 players who attended the house party on top of the $305,000 of fines already meted out by the NRL. The players are also required to front the board and further atone via work in the community or with sponsors.
Dragons coach Anthony Griffin said he was “gutted” by the actions of the individuals involved.
“It’s been a disappointing few days,” Griffin said. “Obviously as a member of the club,just gutted that we are in this situation.
“On the behalf of the club,as a coach,I apologise to our fans,our members and our sponsors that we are in this position.
“I think the club has dealt with it strongly today and fairly and now we get a chance to move on.”
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Jack de Belin allegedly hid under a bed to avoid detection when police arrived at Vaughan’s house,while several other players hid or fled. De Belin later turned himself into police and was fined $1000 for breaching the state’s public health order.
“Obviously Jack’s not proud of what happened over the last couple of days,” Griffin said. “He now needs to perform and repay what the board and the rest of the club have given him to do from here on,with the rest of the players.”
Webb conceded the club’s brand had been damaged.
“I don’t think it’s got a culture problem,but I don’t think the culture is where we want it to be,” he said.
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The Dragons will look for a replacement for Vaughan at a time when Marty Taupau,Aaron Woods,Tevita Pangai Junior,Jaydn Su’A and Dale Finucane are all on the lookout for deals next year.
The NRL will allow the Dragons to stagger the suspensions handed out to the players over a period of several weeks to allow the club to remain in the competition.
“They have made a terrible error of judgement in what they have done,” Griffin said. “We will grow out of this and become stronger.”