Brisbane Broncos star Ezra Mam breaks silence on racism scandal and doesn’t regret stance on slur

Brisbane five-eighth Ezra Mam has no regrets about calling out Spencer Leniu’s racist comments in Las Vegas and says he is willing to meet the Sydney Roosters prop when the time is right.

Mom, a proud Torres Strait Islander, spoke on Tuesday for the first time since Leniu called him a monkey in the first round. Mom filed an official complaint about Leniu’s comments on the field. Leniu was subsequently suspended for eight matches by the NRL judiciary.

When asked if he regretted the way he handled himself, Mom said “no.”

“I just stuck to what my beliefs are and how I was raised to be a strong cultural man,” he said.

The Roosters prop called Mom a monkey in the first round in Las Vegas

‘If there’s one thing I’m proud of, it’s my culture, and I’m going to stand up for that. It’s my identity and that’s why I’m here.”

Mom declined an earlier offer from Leniu to meet him in Brisbane, but said he would be willing to do so in the future.

“I think we’ll have a chat when the time is right,” Mom said.

“I appreciate him wanting to come over and reach out to me. I’ve gotten rid of that now and I’ll probably have a chat with him when I see him, or whenever.’

Mom received huge support from the Broncos club and his teammates following the incident, along with current Indigenous stars Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker and past greats Lote Tuqiri and Steve Renouf.

“It was definitely a huge thing for other players to come out on my behalf and reach out to me,” he said.

“It lifted me up and lifted my spirit. It’s good to see all Indigenous and non-Indigenous players reaching out to me. I’m just going to play good football now, it’s been a long time.

“It was a bit tough, but in saying that I’m looking forward to being in the present. I’m not going to talk about it anymore. I will continue with the season and play good football.’

The Broncos star says he doesn’t regret speaking out about the racist comments

Mom received a lot of support from the Broncos club and his teammates after the incident

The Broncos received a huge boost in training on Tuesday with star quartet Adam Reynolds (hamstring), Payne Haas (knee), Brendan Piakura (ankle) and Deine Mariner (back) all training strongly ahead of Saturday’s away match against Wests Tigers.

“It’s a huge confidence boost for the whole team,” Mom said.

‘It’s always a bit of a responsibility for myself when (halfback) Reyno is not there. It’s a big confidence booster to show the boys around and try to put my best foot forward when he’s not around.

“It’ll be a good game for him to come back, and for the other guys to come back too.”