Eels hand Dylan Brown new $20k fine over pub incident

Jasper Bruce | July 11, 2023

Parramatta five-eighth Dylan Brown has received another $20,000 fine after being found guilty of sexually touching a woman without consent on an alcohol-fuelled night at a Sydney pub on June 3.

Late last month, Brown received an 18-month community corrections order after pleading guilty to two counts of unwanted sexual touching following the incident at the Golden Sheaf Hotel in Sydney’s east.

The NRL fined him $40,000, suspending half of that, and banned him for seven games.

On Tuesday, the Eels imposed their own punishment, an additional $20,000 fine that will be donated to a charity agreed upon by the club and Brown.

Brown will address the incident in the media for the first time when he fronts reporters at the club’s Kellyville headquarters on Tuesday afternoon.

Parramatta and the NRL have also agreed on what they have termed a “capability plan” for Brown, who admitted to consuming up to 20 alcoholic beverages prior to the incident that took place during a bye week earlier in the season.

Brown will be required to complete an alcohol management plan and counselling, present his lessons to the club’s pathways players and re-engage with “club stakeholders”.

“Dylan has displayed genuine remorse for his actions towards the victim, and the impact on his family, his network, the club and the game,” Eels chief executive Jim Sarantinos said.

“He has a strong awareness of the severity of what has occurred and is extremely disappointed in his actions.

“The sanctions and initiatives that the NRL and the club have taken not only reflect the seriousness of what took place but also reflects the importance our club places on its values, whilst also ensuring that we provide the support to help Dylan become a better person moving forward.”