Footy legend Lote Tuqiri blasts Roosters coach Trent Robinson’s response to Spencer Leniu’s alleged racist slur: ‘It’s gaslighting rubbish’
- Brisbane Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam claimed he was racially abused
- Sydney Roosters prop Spencer Leniu has been referred to the judiciary
- Robinson downplayed the allegations and angered Tuqiri
Former dual-code international Lote Tuqiri has lashed out at Roosters coach Trent Robinson over his handling of Spencer Leniu’s alleged racial slur.
Leniu has been referred directly to the NRL judiciary and faces a lengthy ban if he is found guilty of allegations from Broncos players that he made racist comments, including calling young Indigenous five-eighth Ezra Mam a “monkey” on Sunday.
The incident cast a shadow over the historic NRL season double-header in Las Vegas and puts Leniu’s immediate availability for the Roosters in jeopardy.
Despite several players and commentators condemning Leniu after the match, his coach took a different approach to handling the situation.
“I can’t have an opinion on it, I don’t know what happened,” Robinson said.
When told that Mom was adamant the comment was made, Robinson said, “He obviously made the complaint, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.
“It will go through the formal process, as it should.”
Tuqiri formerly played for the Brisbane Broncos (pictured) and has spoken out strongly in defense of five-eighth Ezra Mam, who claimed he was racially abused
Tuqiri (pictured center during his Wallabies days) called on Roosters coach Trent Robinson to put forward a stronger view on the issue
The Roosters coach played down Mam’s complaint and said the process will take its course
Now former Wallabies and Kangaroos star Tuqiri has fired back at Robinson’s comments.
‘If a player says he has been racially abused on a football field, then it happened!!’ he posted on X.
“You can mask it and say it’s in the heat of the moment and so on. But I don’t understand how Trent Robinson sits at a post-game press conference and accuses Ezra of not being right.
“(The ‘doesn’t mean it’s right’ comment) is some kind of gaslighting nonsense that I didn’t think would come out of Trent Robinson’s mouth.
‘Especially after the amazing way he handled Latrell’s abuse from his own fans last year.
“I stand by Ezra all the time and call out things like this.”
Mom (pictured) is convinced Roosters forward Spencer Leniu used racist slurs at him during their match at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
Broncos teammates are pictured confronting Leniu on the field during the game
Robinson remains close friends with former Rooster Latrell Mitchell and defended him when the Souths full-back was racially abused by a fan in the stands last year.
It comes after Robinson personally took the initiative to apologize to two-time Roosters premiership winner Latrell Mitchell, who has since become a star player for South Sydney.
The gesture came in response to a disturbing incident where a fan wearing a Roosters jersey racially abused Mitchell in March 2023.
The incident took place during a match between the Rabbitohs and Panthers in Penrith, but the person responsible for the abuse is said to have been dressed in a Roosters kit at the time.
“Whether we like it or not, they wore our colors. We have to accept that, but that doesn’t make them a Rooster,” Robinson said at the time.
“If you want to behave like that, abuse people and do it in a racist way, then that’s not who we are and that’s not who we want to be. We have to get better than that.
“It’s pretty standard for some people to be superficial racists, and some people to be overt like last night. That’s still where we’re at.”