The NRL career of Parramatta forward Peni Terepo is on the line after he was escorted off a flight for being drunk and abusive and stood down by the club.
Terepo on Monday became the latest in a long line of players to give the NRL a black eye following an off-season in which the game has lurched from one crisis to the next.
It's understood the 27-year-old was met by police at Auckland Airport on Saturday after becoming argumentative with Air New Zealand airline staff over the consumption of alcohol which he had brought on to the flight.
Terepo was returning from Tonga, where he had spent the weekend visiting family, and was en route back to Sydney.
The airline called ahead and when the flight landed in Auckland, he was met by police.
He was not charged over the incident and put on a connecting flight to Sydney.
After being informed of the incident on Monday, Eels officials took a dim view of his actions and stood him down, making him unavailable for their NRL season opener on Sunday.
"The Parramatta Eels have been made aware of an alcohol-related incident involving Peni Terepo from the weekend in New Zealand," the club said in a statement.
"The club has stood Peni down immediately, including this week's round-one game against Penrith.
"The club will now work with the relevant authorities in New Zealand, the NRL Integrity Unit and the RLPA to investigate the incident thoroughly."
Terepo is now facing the prospect of being sacked over the incident, in large part because of his delay in informing the club.
In 2017, he was fined $15,000 and suspended for three games after failing to inform the club he had pleaded guilty to careless driving and refusing a blood-alcohol test in Auckland.
The court heard he was thrown into his windscreen after driving drunk and crashing before refusing a blood alcohol test.
The club only learned of the incident after reading an online report in a New Zealand newspaper.
