Tongan rugby league player Peni Terepo has been stood down by the Paramatta Eels for allegedly abusing Air New Zealand staff in an alcohol-fuelled incident on a flight from Tonga to Auckland on Saturday night.
Police had been called to escort him off the plane.
The Parramatta Eels has released a statement today saying they have been made aware of an alcohol related incident involving Terepo from the weekend in New Zealand.
It said the Club has stood Terepo down immediately, including this week’s Round 1 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.
This process will then guide our next steps.
The Club will make no further comment until the investigation is completed.
At the end of 2011, Terepo won the Eels NYC Player’s Player award.
The news came two years after the Eels had stood down Terepo in 2017 after he pleaded guilty at Auckland District Court to careless driving and refusing to give a blood alcohol test.
Terepo was later fined $500 and $130 in court costs as well being disqualified from driving for seven months. He was almost sacked from the club for not reporting the incident but instead was fined $15,000 for the club.
