The NRL is weighing up whether to stand Dylan Brown down after police charged the Parramatta star with sexually touching a woman without her consent at a pub in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
The Eels five-eighth was arrested at the Golden Sheaf in Double Bay after police were called to the venue about 11.40pm on Saturday.
NSW Police said officers arrested a 22-year-old man, who was taken to Waverley Police Station and charged with five counts of sexually touching another person without consent.
Brown was granted bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.
A 20-year-old woman told staff at the venue about the alleged incident before police were called, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The pair did not previously know each other, the report said.
In a statement, the Eels said the club had been made aware of the matter and had advised the NRL integrity unit.
“As it is a police matter, the club will not be making further comment at this time,” it said.
Parramatta had a bye over the weekend due to the State of Origin split round and the team is scheduled to play the Bulldogs on June 12.
But under the NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy, introduced in 2019, players are automatically suspended if they are charged with an offence that carries a maximum prison sentence of 11 or more years.
As of Sunday afternoon, the NRL was still working through whether or not Brown would be subject to the policy given each charge carries only a maximum prison term of five years.
The league has the ability to intervene and stand players down for lesser charges, and it has historically applied that discretionary power for offences towards women.
In a statement, the NRL said its integrity unit was aware of the matter and was liaising with the Eels and NSW Police.
Brown is one of the Eels’ form players and his absence would be a significant blow to the club’s hopes of turning its faltering NRL season around.
The New Zealand-born playmaker has scored 25 tries in 95 games for the Eels since making his NRL debut with the team in 2019 at the age of 18.
He has also played five tests for his home country.