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League legend Darren Lockyer believes there’s a “positive” to come out of Spencer Leniu’s racist slur scandal.
But a Manly forward has weighed into the debate by claiming he has been called “coconut” “many times” while playing in the NRL.
Leniu was on Monday hit with an eight-game suspension for calling Broncos playmaker Ezra Mam – who is an Indigenous Australian – a “monkey” during the season-opening clash in Las Vegas.
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During his testimony at NRL headquarters Leniu claimed he didn’t realise the term had racist connotations, until he read a message from an Aboriginal woman the morning after the incident.
On Tuesday, Sea Eagles backrower Haumole Olakau’atu defended Leniu by backing up the Rooster’s allegations that terms like “blacky” and “black c—” are common among Polynesian players.
Leniu is of Samoan heritage, while Olakau’atu is Tongan.
“We do use those words for banter, and for a laugh, we don’t use it for anything else, or have any emotions behind it,” Olakau’atu told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“We do know some of the history of the Aboriginals on this land. For him to say that word, I didn’t think it was that big of a thing until it happened.
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“I’ve been called everything on the field, but it’s just words to me – I’ve been called coconut many times in the NRL.”
While some may not understand the offence and pain that the racist slur causes, NRL icon Johnathan Thurston explained the hurt in an emotional interview with Nine’s Today on Tuesday.
He said the eight-game ban is not long enough to act as a deterrent, and wanted at least 12 games for the NRL to send a message to players.
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There’s also been criticism from the likes of Phil Gould and Paul Gallen towards the NRL and the Roosters for allowing the saga to drag on for more than a week.
But Lockyer believes the fact Leniu’s slur has dominated headlines for several days is actually a good thing.
“Johno (Thurston) is a proud Indigenous man and works in a lot of Indigenous programs, so he understands the history and the hurt when it comes to racism,” Lockyer told Wide World of Sports’ QLDER.
“When you see him emotional talking about it, you know it’s from the heart.
“I think if Spencer hadn’t been remorseful, and not owned it, (not) apologised, then I think it would have been 12 weeks. A statement, I think, has been made by the game.
“The positive about this is we have been talking about it since Las Vegas, and it becomes an educational piece for society because it helps people realise what is right and what’s wrong, what’s accepted and not accepted.
“So it’s all a learning curve, we are all working towards trying to stamp it out.
“We deal with it appropriately and I think this has been done in this case. We hope, as a society, that we learn from it and we prevent those mistakes from happening again.”
While Leniu won’t be seen on the field until at least round nine, Mam will line up for the Broncos against South Sydney on Thursday night.
Lockyer believes Brisbane will be stronger for the club’s response to the Leniu scandal.
“Obviously since it’s happened there’s been a lot of talk around it in the media. Now the case is somewhat closed, or the decision has been made, it allows everyone to move on,” Lockyer said.
“Especially Ezra, he can put that behind him so to speak, and focus on the footy, and I’m sure the game can’t come quick enough on Thursday.
“I think it has a galvanising impact on the team. They’ve been very good and they’ve managed it appropriately in a difficult situation.”
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