AS Newcastle Knights officials position themselves to publicly sanction David Klemmer over on-field comments he made to a trainer, the club has been privately dealing with allegations that a prominent staff member directed a racist remark at a lower-grade player.
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The Newcastle Herald has learned a young indigenous player was told at half-time during a recent lower-grade game to "stop playing like a blackfella and get back to the structure".
It is understood a complaint was made, although not by the player, and Knights management have been dealing with it behind closed doors.
The Newcastle Herald has been told the staffer has apologised to the player in front of his teammates.
Knights CEO Philip Gardner said he could not confirm the identities of anyone involved, or even whether there had been an incident.
"I can confirm the process if there are any allegations of racial vilification," Gardner said. "They will be handled very firmly by the club.
"The outcomes could lead to a range of sanctions, which could be suspension, fines or termination.
"Anyone found guilty would be dealt with on that basis, although it's very important that allegations aren't treated as truth or fact, because it could impact on those people in their future careers ... if it's not factual, it shouldn't be reported."
As well as the presumption of innocence, Gardner said another reason to handle vilification issues confidentially was to protect the mental health and privacy of the person vilified.
"In general terms, the people we have to look after are those who have been vilified," he said.
He said the Knights would treat such allegations "very, very seriously" and, if proven, "everyone will know the outcome".
Gardner dismissed suggestions of double standards in relation to the club's treatment of former Test front-rower Klemmer.
Klemmer is facing a sanction after a verbal altercation with Newcastle's high-performance manager Hayden Knowles during last week's 24-10 loss to Canterbury.
Klemmer has been stood down from Sunday's clash with Wests Tigers at Campbelltown, after the club announced he had been issued with a show-cause notice.
He will face a disciplinary hearing next week after being given a minimum of five days to prepare a case.
"The issue with Klem's one is that it occurred on the field in front of 20,000 people," Gardner said. "It's also not a racial issue, or relating to anyone that might be at risk.
"So the way in which you handle them is different. But the remedies would be the same, if anyone is found guilty. Not that I am confirming that anything is being investigated."
The Knights announced in March a new partnership with the Awabakal organisation, including the appointment of a five-person Aboriginal advisory group to help forge closer ties with the indigenous community.
"We've done a lot of work with our indigenous community to try and build a relationship," Gardner said.
"So we would take any accusations along those lines very, very seriously. But at this stage, there is nothing for us to report."
