NRL Media Release on Brett Stewart - they can;t even be gracious, the schmuks

The National Rugby League welcomes the ‘Not Guilty’ findings in favour of Manly’s Brett Stewart in the NSW District Court today.

“This has no doubt been a traumatic time for all involved and hopefully Brett and indeed everyone connected with the case are now able to move on with their lives,” NRL Chief Executive, Mr David Gallop, said today.

“Nothing can undo the pain that people have felt through this time but hopefully everyone can now work towards the future.

“NRL players and clubs must continue to respect the importance of their role in the community but this decision also underlines the importance of ensuring that everyone is entitled to a proper legal process and the presumption of innocence.

“The NRL has maintained that where after any major incident involving police charges there is serious dispute in relation to matters of fact, that those matters should be determined by the appropriate authorities.

“It is for this reason that the NRL confined its actions regarding the evening to the conduct outside of those matters being investigated by police and that the NRL resisted calls to stand Brett down until the court case was determined.

“The NRL will continue to determine any incident on the individual circumstances and will continue to respect the legal process at all times.”