UPDATE: Sydney Roosters player Michael Jennings 300-game milestone will not be celebrated by the NRL.
NRL boss Andrew Abdo on Monday confirmed that the league’s traditional 300-game presentation will not be afforded to Jennings if his milestone eventuates.
“Due to past conduct, Michael Jennings will not receive official NRL recognition on his 300th match,” he said.
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Jennings’ ex-wife criticised the NRL’s decision to allow the disgraced centre to continue his NRL career this season.
Jennings featured in the Roosters’ 30-26 loss to the Bulldogs on Friday night after being brought on as a concussion substitute for Lindsay Collins in the 26th minute.
It was the 35-year-old’s first NRL game after three seasons out of the game serving a ban after testing positive for prohibited substances Ibutamoren and Ligandrol.
During his suspension, Jennings was ordered to pay his ex-wife Kirra Wilden almost $500,000 in damages for personal injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder, following a civil case in the NSW District Court in December 2021.
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In court, Wilden alleged that Jennings had committed multiple instances of rape during their relationship in 2014 and 2015.
Jennings has always denied the allegations and has not been criminally charged.
In March last year, Jennings lost an appeal to reduce the damages awarded to Wilden.
At the end of last season, once his ban had expired, the NRL chose to register Jennings after an application from the Roosters. He was subsequently cleared to train and trial for a spot in the Roosters’ first-grade side.
The controversy has amplified now Jennings is on the verge of playing his 300th NRL game, which could be as early as this week against Newcastle.
“I think it’s disgraceful that they have allowed this to happen,” Wilden told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“It’s upsetting as I feel the NRL doesn’t take the safety of women seriously.
“People wonder why people don’t speak up about these types of incidents, it’s because I feel nothing gets done about it in time.”
According to the Herald, lawyers acting for Wilden said their client has yet to receive any money from Jennings.
“NRL represents our Australian spirit and our international identity,” Moya de Luca-Leonard, the solicitor on the record in the personal injury case, said.
“Our footy players are setting standards and should follow the law.”
Milestones of such nature are normally celebrated with formalities coordinated by the NRL.
A News Corp column urged NRL boss Andrew Abdo to forgo his usual 300-game presentation for Jennings if the milestone eventuates.
Jennings returned to the Roosters for the first time since 2015, having won the 2013 NRL grand final with the club.
Before his doping ban, he had played 298 first-grade games across stints with the Panthers, Chooks, and Eels as well as 18 Origin games for New South Wales, and seven Tests for Tonga and one for Australia.
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