Leniu brushed off the slur in a post-game interview,telling Triple M the angry exchange with Brisbane players was “fun and games”.

He was later involved in a verbalconfrontation with Brisbane stars including Kotoni Staggs and Pat Carrigan in the corridor of the Las Vegas hotel they were sharing.

Mam lodged a formal complaint with the referee Adam Gee during the match,won 20-10 by the Roosters,but the NRL couldn’t detect audio of the incident.

Mam’s Brisbane teammates Billy Walters and Payne Haas had indicated they would testify against Leniu if needed at the judiciary. Now that Leniu has entered an early guilty plea,the hearing will determine how long the Roosters star will spend on the sidelines.

Warriors winger Marcelo Montoya was the last player to front the judiciary over an on-field remark,banned for four matchesover a homophobic slur directed at a Cowboys rival.

No Brisbane players will give evidence as they prepare for their crunch round two clash against the Rabbitohs,who also lost in Las Vegas. The Broncos were made aware of Leniu’s plea shortly before it became public.

Leniu was playing his first game for the Tricolours having featured in Penrith’s last three grand final-winning sides.

“Spencer has been completely open and honest throughout this process,and we will continue to support him,” Roosters chief executive Joe Kelly said. “We extend our deepest apologies to Ezra,his family and the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and offer our support to all parties during this time.”

Indigenous NRL stars led by Latrell Mitchell had earlier in the week taken to social media to urge the NRL judiciary to hand Leniu a lengthy ban,including for up to half a season. Mitchell published a lengthy post on Instagram in support of Mam on Thursday,signing off with #IstandwithEzra.

In a statement on Thursday,Brisbane said:“The Broncos acknowledge Spencer’s apology to Ezra and the importance of taking that step. There is no place for racism in our game or in our society.

“Ezra’s wellbeing has been our primary concern from the start. He has been well supported within our club and we will continue to focus on that in the time ahead.”

More reading

• Eels star Shaun Lane has made a doco on mental health. Every athlete must watch it
• The Las Vegas moment I knew James Tedesco was back
• Manly think they deserve to go back to Las Vegas. Will the NRL let them?

NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9&9Now

Sports news,results and expert commentary.Sign up for our Sport newsletter.