Jacob Saifiti in altercation with Dane Cordner

Club statement: Jacob Saifiti update


Newcastle Knights
Thu 6 Dec 2018, 03:00 PM


Newcastle Knights player Jacob Saifiti has been exonerated by the police investigation from any culpability following an incident outside the Greenroof hotel last week.

Saifiti attempted to defuse a situation involving other innocent bystanders, which led to his assault and charges have been laid.

As such, this matter will be resolved in the courts and the Club will make no further comment until the court case has run its course.


https://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news/2018/12/06/club-statement-jacob-saifiti-update/


Statement from Knights CEO Phil Gardner

It’s understood he will face a hefty fine but won’t be sacked by the club.

“Jacob has no memory of the incident after being knocked out but the CCTV footage is very clear which absolved him of any wrongdoing,” Gardner said.

“But regardless of the rights or wrongs, it has brought the game and the club into a level of disrepute so that is not something we can let go.

“I’ll be sitting down with Jacob at the appropriate time and we’ll be meeting with the rest of the playing group.

“It’s another chance to make sure these things don’t happen. Culturally, it’s just not acceptable to put yourself in that situation fullstop.

Gardner said the whole episode had left Saifiti 22, “distraught”.

“He’s home and very distraught by the whole process,” he said.

“The injury itself is a minimum of 12 weeks but it could be longer depending on how it heals.”


https://www.theherald.com.au/story/...being-cleared-by-police-over-assault/?cs=2503
 
Toohey article in Herald says out for 12 weeks and had screws inserted - remembers nothing - very distraught.
Club will not sack him, but some punishment for bringing club into disrepute.

He should be back in training just before the season I think, but will struggle for fitness because he won't be able to run for months.
 
On the plus side, he can spend a couple of months working on his upper body and get the shoulder 100%
 
Kurriboy said:
Very tough to fine him for doing nothing wrong.
Click to expand...
These club fines are nearly always just for show. They get a newspaper headline about how tough they are on bad behaviour, and a few months later they quietly reduce it to just about nothing and no one notices.
 
But in all seriousness professional footballers should not be out and about semi/fully intoxicated at 2:30am! Absolute huge target on your back for drunken idiots, whether or not you are in the right or wrong, you are wrong unfortunately! He should have filled up early and gone back to a friend's place at a reasonable hour and tried to have sex with a dog! BTW Cordners name around town, especially on the drink, is not crash hot! Disclaimer: I was a complete imbecile when I was his age, but I never hurt people!
 
Safiti should be in line for a fair chunk of victim compensation, but probably not enough to make up for his lost earnings.
 
From the Herald

Newcastle Knights frontrower Jacob Saifiti has been slapped with a $25,000 fine for bringing the club into disrepute following an incident outside a Newcastle hotel early last month that saw him knocked unconscious and left with a broken leg.

The Newcastle Herald has learned Saifiti was forced to front the Knights’ football committee, headed by chairman Geoff Coburn, a week prior to Christmas where he was handed the hefty fine.

It comes despite police clearing the 22-year-old prop of any criminal involvement in the December 2 incident.

There have been suggestions Saifiti may have been fined as much as $50,000 with 50 percent of it suspended but neither Knights CEO Phil Gardner or the club’s Director of Football Brian Canavan could be contacted to verify it.

The decision to come down heavy on Saifiti, whose contract this season is worth more than $250,000, is further proof of Wests Group’s desire to stamp out poor off-field behaviour.


https://www.theherald.com.au/story/...th-25000-fine-following-pub-incident/?cs=2503
 
We dont know the real story of what happened, but its harsh to fine a player for what appears to be no wrong doing.

I wonder if that was Pearce or Ponga would the fine still happen.
 
Shouldn't matter which player fine is fair. It is hoped that it will teach Jacob and others that going out on an all nighters and ending up in altercation is not a good look for them or the club even if not the instigator of the altercation.
 
This pisses me off something fierce why should a guy get fined at all for doing nothing wrong that's not only wrong its UnAustralian . I will be sending the Knights an email saying so too , the guy has lost enough from being knocked out and breaking a leg and just the fact that he will be entitled to VICTIMS compensation says it all imo. If people think he shouldn't have been there at 2.30 am why arnt they saying anything about the other players that were there. Its further proof of Wests Group’s desire to stamp out poor off-field behaviour. Thing is he didn't have poor of field behaviour according to the police and security. If I was him I would be very angry and would ask for a release and if I was Daniel I would ask for a release as well if they did that to my brother when he did NOTHING wrong ...
 
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