Canberra coach Ricky Stuart facing one-week suspension and $25,000 fine for ‘weak-gutted dog’ remark

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has been hit with week’s suspension and a $25,000 fine by the NRL after calling Panthers five-eighth Jaeman Salmon a “weak-gutted dog”.

The league has served Stuart with a breach notice, which he has accepted, with his seven-day suspension to take impact from 4pm on Tuesday.

It has also mandated that Stuart, not the Raiders, must pay the fine personally.

The decision marks the first time in NRL history that a coach has been suspended for comments at a press conference. 

“The period of suspension prohibits Stuart from performing any duties as head coach of the Raiders, including attendance at team or individual training or coaching sessions or the Raiders’ facilities,” the NRL said in a statement. 

“Furthermore, he cannot provide instruction or direction to the team, individual players or Club Officials during the period of suspension including before, during or after any matches within this period.”

This means Stuart will miss Canberra’s match against the Dragons on Sunday and will not return to the Raiders until next Tuesday. 

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo slammed Stuart’s comments, which are believed to have stemmed from an incident between Salmon and Stuart’s son when they were Under-12s teammates in 2010. 

“Leaders need to set the standard in the game. The comments are completely unacceptable from any individual, let alone an official of such experience and standing,” Abdo said. 

“This is a highly unusual case, and we have taken the significant step of proposing a suspension from his duties for one week.

“This will be a full suspension, precluding Ricky from having any involvement with any club activity, either in person or remotely.

“Furthermore, the fine must not be paid by the club but by Ricky himself.”

Earlier, Raiders chief executive Don Furner accepted that Stuart had done the wrong thing, and said it was important the club supported their long-time coach.

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“It’s just like waiting for a suspension of a player … we’ve said publicly that we’ll accept what punishment and what decision they hand down and then move on from there,” he told reporters.

“It’s a very public job and it’s a hard job. He’s obviously very disappointed and he’s embarrassed, and he’s just going to have to put it behind him and move on and we’ll all support him.”

Furner said he hadn’t discussed which assistant coach would step into the main role for Sunday’s game, but the former Raiders prop is tipped to take the role. 

Canberra skipper Elliott Whitehead also went into bat for Stuart. 

“We’ve got his back. He had his reasons,” Whitehead told reporters on Tuesday.

“I’m not going to go into them, but we’re all supportive of Ricky and he knows he probably shouldn’t have said it on that platform.

“He’s upset he let his emotions get the better of him.”

AAP/ABC