Rugby League player ‘charged with homophobic abuse’
By Nick Levine
A semi-professional Rugby League player has been charged with using homophobic abuse against another player, the BBC reports.
Lee Paterson, 32, who plays for the Batley Bulldogs Rugby League team, was sent off during his team’s 6-36 defeat by Leigh Centurions on Sunday (August 3).
He will now appear before the Rugby Football League’s disciplinary panel next Tuesday (August 12), and depending on what is found at the hearing, could be banned for as many as eight matches, says the BBC.
Earlier this year Rugby League player Zak Hardaker, who plays for Leeds Rhinos, was given five-match ban for using homophobic language during a match. He later trained with LGBT rugby team The Manchester Canalsiders in a bid to educate himself and said the experience made him a “better person”. Read more here.