Footy star holds crunch talks with club as career hangs in limbo after he was stood down following alleged domestic violence charges
- TAylan May’s NRL future is at stake
- He made his case to the Penrith council on Tuesday
- Now the Panthers will decide whether to fire him
Taylan May faced the Penrith board on Tuesday as the Panthers now deliberated the 22-year-old’s future with the help of club lawyers.
May was invited to argue before the board as to why he should not be dismissed by the club after being served with a notice for a series of offenses spanning several years.
According to Fairfax, the board is expected to take two to three weeks to reach a decision after considering May’s submission.
The 22-year-old has been suspended for the remainder of the season under the NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy while he faces charges of domestic violence against his wife, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
The show-cause notice does not relate to these charges.
Taylan May was chairman of the Penrith board on Tuesday, with the Panthers now deliberating the 22-year-old’s future with the help of club lawyers.
The club board is expected to take two to three weeks to reach a decision after reviewing May’s submission
Some of the violations include the use of profanity on social media and a recent video post by May in which he was a passenger in a car that appears to be going 60 mph in a school zone.
‘It was a long meeting. There were many issues that needed to be discussed with the show-cause announcement,” Panthers Group CEO Brian Fletcher told the BBC Herald.
“You just have to tick all the boxes legally with these things. They are not a cut and dry thing. The board is a bit afraid of that, to make sure that we can check all the boxes before we make a decision. We should be able to make a decision within two to three weeks.’
When asked if May had played his last game for the three-time premiers, Fletcher said: “I can’t say he has or not because the process is only half way at the moment.”
May is alleged to have attacked his wife Jessica by punching her in the face during an altercation on the night of April 8, before being arrested 24 hours before Penrith’s Magic Round match against the Warriors in Brisbane.
In August 2022, May was found guilty of assaulting a teenage football fan at the Duporth Tavern in Queensland following Penrith’s 2021 grand final victory at Suncorp Stadium.
The returnee made his NRL debut the same season before missing the 2022 NRL Grand Final win over the Eels and last year due to injury.
In March, May signed a contract extension worth almost $1.2 million to keep him at Penrith until the end of 2026.
He is due to appear in court on March 10 next year, where May will defend one charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, as well as two charges of stalking or intimidating another person with intent to put him or her in fear of bodily harm or mental injury.
May’s older brother Tyrone was sacked by the Panthers in November 2021 following a provocative Instagram image he posted after the club’s grand final win over South Sydney.
At a club board meeting, May was suspended over the post, which was eventually deleted after an angry backlash.
The controversial post appeared to argue that May had been proven right, despite pleading guilty to filming sex tapes without consent, narrowly avoiding a prison sentence.
“As a club we understand our responsibilities to the game, our corporate partners, our members and fans, and the wider rugby league community,” Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher said at the time.
“The board followed due process in this matter and considered all relevant factors before reaching its final decision.
“Panthers will work with the NRL to ensure Tyrone has access to all the support services he needs in the future.”