Knights Injury and Suspension Updates

Article in the Herald has what he said, which seems at the lower end of possible expletives.
It seems harsh to send him off and nearly cost us the game and give him well over the base 4 weeks as well.
The guy had just tackled Aoake in the air and put him in a lot of danger.
Anyway - 6 weeks seems harsh for a term that used to be acceptable in sit coms on TV
 
Billy said:
Article in the Herald has what he said, which seems at the lower end of possible expletives.
It seems harsh to send him off and nearly cost us the game and give him well over the base 4 weeks as well.
The guy had just tackled Aoake in the air and put him in a lot of danger.
Anyway - 6 weeks seems harsh for a term that used to be acceptable in sit coms on TV
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I just read that. What a weak ars&$ reason to be sent off and suspended for. It’s totally ridiculous
 
Billy said:
Article in the Herald has what he said, which seems at the lower end of possible expletives.
It seems harsh to send him off and nearly cost us the game and give him well over the base 4 weeks as well.
The guy had just tackled Aoake in the air and put him in a lot of danger.
Anyway - 6 weeks seems harsh for a term that used to be acceptable in sit coms on TV
Click to expand...
Exactly “used to be” back when they were treated as barely human seen as not “normal” by many and treated differently.

Just because something used to he accepted doesn’t make anything right, slavery used to he accepted by many as well.

There is no excuse for those words, not even tackling someone in the air, lot of other words you can say, shows his character by going right for that one.
 
KPGreatness said:
Exactly “used to be” back when they were treated as barely human seen as not “normal” by many and treated differently.

Just because something used to he accepted doesn’t make anything right, slavery used to he accepted by many as well.

There is no excuse for those words, not even tackling someone in the air, lot of other words you can say, shows his character by going right for that one.
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Its accepted today by a vast majority of regular people in the world. And if you leave the cities of Western nations, its accepted by practically everyone, unconditionally. If you want to call Japan or South Korea 'backwards' or anachronistic go ahead but you wont persuade many people.

Just accept that not everyone will agree with your very recent opinion that emerged exclusively in the last 0.001% of civilisational history. And stop being so absolutist, people are allowed to be frivolous, or irresponsible with their language from time to time, even at risk of harming others, it doesnt have to immediately qualify them as some bigoted idiot. Otherwise you'll be stuck trying to explain why everyone in culturally conservative countries like Japan are bigoted idiots, and to the extent that they may be, why that is a bad thing considering the state of their societies.

Maybe you're allowed to have your opinion and they're allowed theirs and things will be ok
 
Exactly what Montoya got suspended from the NRL for a month for several years ago, so it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone.

Knights statement:

Statement - Asu Kepaoa

Wed 24 Jun 2026, 07:24 pm

The nib Newcastle Knights can confirm that forward Asu Kepaoa has been suspended for six matches following a guilty plea to a charge of Contrary Conduct, after using a homophobic slur during Round 16 of the NSW Cup.

Kepaoa appeared before the NSWRL Judiciary this evening, where he issued a personal apology acknowledging the harm caused by his choice of words. The Club accepts the outcome and fully supports the process.

The Newcastle Knights are an inclusive club and pride ourselves on being a welcoming place for all players, staff and supporters.

Language that causes harm to individuals or communities has no place in our Club, in the NRL, or in our community.

The Club will work closely with Kepaoa to ensure he receives appropriate education around the impact of language and the responsibilities that come with representing the Newcastle Knights and the values we stand for.
 
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Les Misérables said:
Its accepted today by a vast majority of regular people in the world. And if you leave the cities of Western nations, its accepted by practically everyone, unconditionally. If you want to call Japan or South Korea 'backwards' or anachronistic go ahead but you wont persuade many people.

Just accept that not everyone will agree with your very recent opinion that emerged exclusively in the last 0.001% of civilisational history. And stop being so absolutist, people are allowed to be frivolous, or irresponsible with their language from time to time, even at risk of harming others, it doesnt have to immediately qualify them as some bigoted idiot. Otherwise you'll be stuck trying to explain why everyone in culturally conservative countries like Japan are bigoted idiots, and to the extent that they may be, why that is a bad thing considering the state of their societies.

Maybe you're allowed to have your opinion and they're allowed theirs and things will be ok
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No offense Les, but this is a very weird argument you’ve come up with. You’ve ended up saying how good it is that there’s bigoted idiots in Japan?! 😂
 
KPGreatness said:
Exactly “used to be” back when they were treated as barely human seen as not “normal” by many and treated differently.

Just because something used to he accepted doesn’t make anything right, slavery used to he accepted by many as well.

There is no excuse for those words, not even tackling someone in the air, lot of other words you can say, shows his character by going right for that one.
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Last time I heard the term was a few weeks ago on national television when a well known comedian from Newcastle used it to describe himself. He used it to shock a bit, but it obviously wasn't a term that had the censors shutting him down.
On the other hand, if Kepaoa had loudly called him a vulgar term for a female body part, it would have been bleeped on TV, but not led to any suspension - maybe a fine.
If we are using a base 4 week suspension to change the culture - it seems harsh - but OK.
6 weeks and a send off feels like they are using a fringe player to make a point - over the top.
 
He should have used the bundle of stick defence. Sorry, bad joke. But honestly it doesnt need to have special characters as its a legitimate word, just one that has been twisted to become a slur.

A Bi mate of mine once got in an argument with other gay men for using that term about the club they were going to. Almost got into a fight over it. So there is a lot of stigma surrounding it for sure.
 
Treadly said:
He should have used the bundle of stick defence. Sorry, bad joke. But honestly it doesnt need to have special characters as its a legitimate word, just one that has been twisted to become a slur.

A Bi mate of mine once got in an argument with other gay men for using that term about the club they were going to. Almost got into a fight over it. So there is a lot of stigma surrounding it for sure.
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Wouldn't want to hurt peoples feelings with a few soft words.
 
Honestly I see both sides of the coin. A few words, maybe. But those words have been used to attack people for decades (or longer). People have killed themselves over the continuous use of 'a few soft words'.

I can see the, we have gone soft argument. Its hard to know what you can and cant say now especially in public and work settings. It can feel like anything you say could set some population off. Hopefully it will settle into a happy middle ground where people arent getting attacked for their beliefs/life style, but also others arent getting attacked for comments not meant to harm.

Mental resilience is 100% needed so we need some adversity to build that toughness. But it doesnt have to come in the shape of racism and sexism. That stuff is getting old. Need to move past it.

Geezez that was too much for 7:20am
 
Sentence seems a bit harsh, my only concern was the sending off which could have cost us the game.
Plenty of offences get put on report so don’t know why that couldn’t have happened and he could have stayed on, the degree of sentence could have been dealt as it was
 
Treadly said:
Mental resilience is 100% needed so we need some adversity to build that toughness. But it doesnt have to come in the shape of racism and sexism. That stuff is getting old. Need to move past it.
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Yes it's much easier to just not say it, and realising there are times and places where you can't say those things. In a perfect world, people wouldn't ever. Majority of people are smart enough to know and do that.

Privately in their own spaces, we can't control what people say.
Treadly said:
I can see the, we have gone soft argument. Its hard to know what you can and cant say now especially in public and work settings. It can feel like anything you say could set some population off.
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Yes. Just a matter of observing and reading the room. As much as people want to believe we've come a long way from using those sorts of words, we really haven't, especially with blokes. And again, no judgement because no one's perfect.
 
I get it from both sides and there are codes of conduct within the NRL and NSWRL that state any particular comments will not be tolerated. It’s not what was said to that player that may cause damage but what is heard by the community that may.
However what I don’t agree with is someone getting 6 weeks suspension from playing yet players such as a Jermaine McKewen can get 1 week from the club and told to say sorry? Not only did he lose his licence for whatever reason, then make a decision to drive .. and under the influence, regardless of the range. So again, that could have caused significant damage to the community and a message sent out to young fans that if it happens, there’s not too big of a consequence. It’s too inconsistent for me.
 
jamesgould said:
Exactly what Montoya got suspended from the NRL for a month for several years ago, so it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone.

Knights statement:

Statement - Asu Kepaoa

Wed 24 Jun 2026, 07:24 pm

The nib Newcastle Knights can confirm that forward Asu Kepaoa has been suspended for six matches following a guilty plea to a charge of Contrary Conduct, after using a homophobic slur during Round 16 of the NSW Cup.

Kepaoa appeared before the NSWRL Judiciary this evening, where he issued a personal apology acknowledging the harm caused by his choice of words. The Club accepts the outcome and fully supports the process.

The Newcastle Knights are an inclusive club and pride ourselves on being a welcoming place for all players, staff and supporters.

Language that causes harm to individuals or communities has no place in our Club, in the NRL, or in our community.

The Club will work closely with Kepaoa to ensure he receives appropriate education around the impact of language and the responsibilities that come with representing the Newcastle Knights and the values we stand for.
Click to expand...

Good to see the club come down hard.
 
Disliking people and calling them a name that you think is derogatory to try and belittle them is wrong.
Some people dont understand what they say and the history behind it. Kepaoa didn't understand the gravity of his words but does now. His lesson is a hard one but it wasn't ment for just him.
People have to understand that the hatred they have for other people through lack of exposure to a culture or lifestyle is wrong.
Hopefully people learn from this experience and the hatred that is spread through misinformation and ignorance stops.
 
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