Vodafone Warriors winger Marcelo Montoya said he is “fully remorseful” for the comment he directed at North Queensland winger Kyle Feldt which tonight resulted in the NRL judiciary handing him a four-match suspension.
Montoya had pleaded guilty to a contrary conduct charge following an incident in Friday night’s match against the Cowboys.
He joined a judicial hearing by video link from Redcliffe north of Brisbane while club CEO Cameron George was on a link out of Auckland.
"I acknowledge and accept that the comment I made on Friday night is completely unacceptable,” said Montoya.
“If you know the person I am you would know this is completely out of character. I am fully remorseful for my actions.
"In saying all of this I would like to apologise to Kyle Feldt, to the NRL and to the gay community, and anyone else that I have offended, as I know and respect the work that the NRL has done to ensure inclusiveness and diversity within the NRL community.
"Moving forward I can only assure you that I have learned from this lesson and this will never happen again."
Vodafone Warriors CEO Cameron George said the club accepted the penalty.
“We know how disappointed Marcelo is with himself. He’s devastated and we really feel for him and what he has been going through,” he said.
“As a club we don’t condone such behaviour in any circumstances and nor does Marcelo. He will learn from this and will use it to move forward from this episode and be the best person he can be. We’ll offer him all the support he needs.”
Montoya made his 77th NRL appearance in the Vodafone Warriors’ 25-24 win over the North Queensland Cowboys last Friday night. He will miss the Vodafone Warriors’ next four games against the Sydney Roosters, Melbourne, Canberra and Cronulla Sutherland
