09 May 2024 , 17:24
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England rugby star Billy Vunipola has been handed a formal warning by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) following his drunken arrest in Majorca earlier this month.
Vunipola was tasered twice by police and detained for assaulting an officer and resisting arrest, with the 31-year-old receiving a four-month suspended prison sentence and a €240 (£205) fine after agreeing a plea deal with prosecutors.
However, he has escaped a ban after the RFU announced they had issued Vunipola with a formal warning over the incident. It comes after Vunipola's club side Saracens also issued him a warning.
"We have considered the apologies Billy has provided, his clear contrition and the circumstances around the incident and have concluded the most appropriate course of action is to issue a formal warning," the RFU said in a statement.
"This warning will sit on his record for five years and may be relied upon in future disciplinary proceedings. It has been made clear to Billy that as a senior and respected player, such actions risk bringing the game as a whole into disrepute.
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"In particular, such actions clearly go against the core values of rugby which collectively the sport works hard to promote."
The incident occurred during a Saracens team bonding trip following a win over Bath and Vunipola has profusely apologised for his actions.
"It's once during the season and once in the off-season," Vunipola told the Daily Mail. "The whole reason behind the trips is to get closer as a group and find out things about each other that you won't necessarily share freely in the changing-rooms.
Vunipola was arrested in Majorca earlier this month after a drunken incident (David Rogers/Getty Images)"Drink helps that, to release inhibitions and help people open up more. I've been on a fair few trips, and they've always been a success, but obviously not last weekend, for me and for the club.
"I caused a huge amount of embarrassment and put a spotlight on the club when they were trying to do something nice for us. It's disappointing that I let what happened happen, by drinking too much. I am very sorry."
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