British rugby player Joe Marler is in hot water after publicly groping opponent Alun Wyn Jones' crotch during a game this past weekend.
According to BBC News, Marler (who plays for the English national rugby team) was served a 10-week ban from the sport after he grabbed Wales team captain Jones' genitals, an offense that went unnoticed by referees but was caught on camera.
"There's no place for that in the game," Wales coach Wayne Pivac said in a statement. "We're all role models for the young players and the next generation of the game, and there are rules in the game."
He continued:Â
"You can't go outside those rules. If you do, then you face punishment."
At a press conference following the game, Jones addressed the incident, saying "It’s tough, isn’t it? Hopefully World Rugby have a look at it."
"Joe’s a good bloke, lots of things happen on a rugby field," he continued. "It’s difficult as a captain these days because you can’t speak to a ref about anything, it feels. I look at the touch judge. Obviously he didn’t see what happened, and that’s fine. There’s a lot of footage that has been shown. It seems like a lot of supporters saw what happened."
Marler himself also addressed the controversy on Twitter, calling his punishment "Bollocks. Complete bollocks." but as expected, many rugby fans were quick to let him know that what he did was a serious offense. (He has since deleted his account.)
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