A lack of evidence has allowed Brisbane star James Roberts to keep his NRL career after the governing body opted not to take action over an alleged assault on a female earlier this month.
Roberts' career was hanging by a thread following reports he pulled the hair of a young woman at a Gold Coast nightclub and was later issued with a drunk diversion notice.
After undergoing its own investigation into the incident, the governing body on Wednesday announced that it was unable to gain access to nightclub footage of the night in question.
NRL Head of Integrity Nick Weeks said he was disappointed nightclub owners had turned the governing body away, however the case will remain open should developments come to light.
"We need to judge the case on the facts available to us and, at this time, there is insufficient evidence to take disciplinary action against James," Weeks said in a statement.
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The development comes after former Brisbane captain Corey Parker on Wednesday joined fellow ex-teammate Justin Hodges in urging Roberts be put on an alcohol ban.
Asked if placing the Broncos centre on a booze ban would be a good move, Parker said: "If it's the main reason he gets himself into trouble, the easy answer's yeah."
It is not the first time Roberts has been in trouble for off-field indiscretions.
He was released from South Sydney in 2012 for breaches of playing contract, and let go by Penrith two years later for off-field misbehaviour.
Roberts was then thrown a lifeline by Gold Coast where he won Dally M Centre of the Year, but was also investigated for an incident in Surfers Paradise at the end of 2014.
A contract bungle led to him moving to the Broncos in 2016, where he was fined $20,000 by the NRL for public nuisance at a Brisbane hotel.
