Mike Brown, a back for Leicester, received a two-week suspension for cursing at match officials after receiving a red card during their 21-19 home loss to the Bristol Bears.
The 38-year-old former England footballer received a five-week penalty, with three of those weeks suspended till the conclusion of the season. He was sent off in the 71st minute after making head contact during a tackle. “A presentation on the values of the game which is to be recorded and shared for educational use and to help demonstrate why such behaviour will not be tolerated in rugby” was another directive issued to Brown.
The 27th April loss to Bristol put an end to Leicester’s chances of making it to the Premiership play-offs at the end of the season.
Brown acknowledged that he had disregarded the authority of the match officials, which was behaviour detrimental to the game’s interests.
On May 10, the Premiership match against Sale Sharks, he is unable to travel. Georgia Black Lion and the Tigers will play a friendly match on Friday.
An independent panel concluded that Brown “intended to be disrespectful about all the match officials” and that he had sworn as he departed the Welford Road ground.
Their ruling read: “Such offending is a direct undermining of the authority of the match officials and an attack on the game’s ethos and core values.”
