NRL star Dylan Brown has vowed to stop drinking alcohol as he works to regain the trust of those around him after being found guilty of sexually touching a woman without her consent on an alcohol-fuelled night out.
The Parramatta five-eighth pleaded guilty to two counts of unwanted sexual touching following the incident at the Golden Sheaf Hotel in Sydney’s east on June 3.
He received an 18-month community corrections order, a $40,000 fine and seven-game ban from the NRL, and a $20,000 fine from the Eels that will be donated to a charity chosen by Brown and the club.
Brown fronted the NRL media on Tuesday for the first time since his guilty verdict, saying he was glad he had been held accountable for his behaviour.
‘I’m happy that [the woman] went and complained because I shouldn’t be able to get away with things like that,’ he said.
Dylan Brown pleaded guilty to two charges of sexually touching another person without consent at the Downing Centre Local Court last month
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‘It’s not acceptable. It’s not something I’m proud of, it doesn’t uphold my values. It’s embarrassing.
‘I told everyone that I was willing to accept any penalty that came my way.
‘I was apologetic and I still am.’
Half of the fine imposed by the NRL has been suspended, with the league and Parramatta agreeing on what they termed a ‘capability plan’ for Brown that requires him to complete counselling and an alcohol-management course.
During his hearing at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court it was revealed Brown had consumed up to 20 alcoholic beverages on the night in question, which fell during one of the Eels’ NRL byes.
‘Alcohol was sort of a thing on the night,’ Brown said.
‘Not that I’m taking that as an excuse but I shouldn’t […] get to that point or put myself in a position where I can make those bad decisions.
‘I’ve decided to stop drinking until I get back out on the field and prove to myself that I deserve everyone’s acceptance.
Brown was fined $40,000 by the NRL and a further $20,000 by the Eeels
‘I don’t want anything like that to happen again, whether it’s alcohol, female-related, anything.
‘I want to be a player that people look up to.’
As part of his capability plan, Brown will present his lessons from the incident to Parramatta’s pathways players, the Eels said.
Brown became choked up when he spoke about the impact the incident had on his family.
‘I’ve let them down,’ he said.
‘It’s not just me, it’s a lot of other people that are affected by this.
‘When it’s something you’ve done to yourself, it’s fine. When it involves someone else, especially a female, it’s tough because I’ve got a mum, I’ve got a sister.
The Parramatta star has been banned for seven games and will return in Round 23
‘That’s why I was getting emotional because when I think about these people, if something happened to them, I wouldn’t be happy.’
The Eels are satisfied Brown is remorseful for his actions.
‘He has a strong awareness of the severity of what has occurred and is extremely disappointed in his actions,’ chief executive Jim Sarantinos said.
Brown will be available for selection from round 23.
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