EXETER and England wing Jack Nowell has been fined £10,000 by the Rugby Football Union for a post on Twitter that criticised a refereeing decision.
The tweet came after his Chiefs teammate Olly Woodburn received a second yellow card in the weekend’s 62-19 Premiership defeat to Leicester.
Jack Nowell in action for EnglandGETTY
Referee Karl Dickson sent Woodburn to the sin-bin and gave Leicester a penalty for a tackle made on Chris Ashton which resulted in the Exeter wing’s second yellow card of the contest.
What did Jack Nowell tweet?
Nowell took to Twitter following Dickson’s decision in the Leicester defeat and said: “I’m actually in shock, like shock shocked. What the hell is happening? That’s one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen. EVER.”
The 30-year-old later deleted the tweet on his Twitter account with 61.6k followers.
Nowell was charged with conduct prejudicial by the Rugby Football Union.
The England wing accepted his charge of £10,000 at the disciplinary hearing on Wednesday evening.
Nowell will be available for Exeter’s Champions Cup semi-final against La Rochelle next Sunday meaning he escaped a playing ban.
The panel also advised the Englishman to undertake a referring course.
What did the Rugby Football Union say about Jack Nowell’s tweet?
The RFU explained: “On 19 April 2023 Jack Nowell appeared before an independent disciplinary panel charged with committing conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game with the tweet he posted during the match between Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs on Sunday 16 April 2023. The panel was chaired by Matthew O’Grady joined by Martyn Wood and Guy Lovgreen.”
“Mr Nowell accepted his conduct was prejudicial to the interests of the game and he was fined £10,000 and directed to undertake a referees’ course.
“The panel directed the fine be paid to charity.”
Panel chairman Matthew O’Grady said: “Debate about on-field decisions by players and officials is an inevitable part of rugby union and professional rugby players have the right to express themselves about the sport they play.
“However, they are not free from the consequences of such expression when it breaches their professional obligation not to act prejudicially to the interests of the game by disrespecting match officials, their decisions and their authority – not least when that expression contributes to a ‘pile on’ of public comment about a match official or match officials.
“Respect for match officials – even if we disagree with their decisions, indeed especially if we disagree with their decisions – is a core part of rugby union.
“It is not a value that we can turn on and off when we choose.
“Mr Nowell accepted his tweet, which was viewed many hundreds of thousands of times, was not fair comment and crossed the line of what is acceptable by a person with his considerable status in the game.”