Rugby Club Fined After Fans Taunt Gareth Thomas With Homophobic Chants
A British rugby team has been fined £40,000 after its fans taunted openly gay star Gareth Thomas with homophobic chants.
The Yorkshire club was punished by the Rugby Football League (RFL) for the abuse Thomas received from its supporters at a March 26th match against the Crusaders. A statement from the RFL said: "Castleford were found guilty of unacceptable behaviour, of breaching the RFL's respect policy, of misconduct by their supporters and of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the sport. "The tribunal was chaired by his Honour Judge Rodney Grant, who criticised the club for failing to take steps to stop the homophobic chanting, for failing to identify the perpetrators, for failing to challenge the chanting and for their failure to undertake a meaningful inquiry afterwards." The March game was Thomas' second for the Crusaders after he switched from rugby union to rugby league.The team is expected to appeal the fine.
Labels: Gareth Thomas, gay athletes, rugby, sports, UK