Accused of assaulting at least four people, Jack Wighton will continue playing in the NRL for Canberra in the lead-up to his next court appearance in July.
Wighton is expected to return to the fullback role for the Raiders against Parramatta on Saturday night after pleading not guilty to all nine charges against him when he briefly fronted the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
He was a late withdrawal when Canberra claimed a much-needed first win of the season in their last game against Canterbury after his partner gave birth to their second child on the morning of the match.
Wighton was supported in court on Wednesday by coach Ricky Stuart, along with the club's football manager Matt Ford and media manager Ben Pollack.
A one-day hearing has been set down for July 10, where Wighton will contest the charges stemming from alleged incidents in Canberra's CBD in the early hours of February 3.
The 25-year-old didn't comment as he left court, but the Raiders issued a brief statement making it clear they planned to continue playing him while the case remained before the court.
"The club will allow Wighton to continue to train and play with the club during this period. As the matter is before the court the Raiders will not be making any further comment on the issue," it said.
"The Raiders continue to work with the NRL Integrity unit and have informed them of the latest developments."
The charges against Wighton are three counts of reckless or intentionally inflicting actual bodily harm, five of common assault, and one of urinating in a public place.
The maximum penalty for assault occasioning actual bodily harm is a five-year jail sentence.
The exact number of people Wighton is accused of assaulting is not clear and could be as many as six, with three of the charges read out in court referencing an unknown male.
The court didn't clarify if those charges relate to three assaults on a single person, or separate assaults on three people.
No statement of facts or footage was tendered in court and the defence complained it had not yet received the prosecution's brief.
Wighton is contracted to the Raiders until the end of the 2020 season and has played 121 NRL games since making his debut in 2012
