Melbourne Storm Video – The NRL’s integrity unit is scheduled to question a third Melbourne player over mobile phone video showing Storm players Brandon Smith and Cameron Munster in a room filled with white powder. On Tuesday, the Storm released the following statement: “The Melbourne Storm is aware of a video submitted to the NRL Integrity Unit yesterday. The club and players implicated are complying with the investigation conducted by the NRL Integrity Unit.
“Because the issue is still under investigation, the club is unable to speak more until the inquiry is complete.” On Monday evening, when reached by the Herald, Storm football manager Frank Ponissi and chairman Matt Tripp refused to comment. The manager of one of the players in the video informed the Herald that his client had been partying since the defeat to Penrith. Still, he had heard about the video footage himself earlier on Monday and was yet to talk with the player.
There seem to be up to a half-dozen guys in the room, including one player sitting in front of the table and another in the background who is not wearing his shirt. Smith and Munster do not seem to be aware of their surroundings. The headlines were the farthest thing from what the game needed after the Walsh incident and ahead of Monday night’s Dally M Awards.
Along with Munster and Smith, sources confirmed to News Corp that the NRL would speak with unheralded back-rower Chris Lewis after the grand final build-up was hijacked by disturbing video revealed in recent days.
On Tuesday morning, another video showing Munster dancing on a table surfaced. Lewis is a lesser-known member of the club compared to Munster and Smith, two bona fide game-changers.
On the other hand, the integrity unit will talk with him since he was there at the moment, and they are eager to get to the bottom of the issue.
Storm officials have remained quiet. However, chair Matt Tripp said he was awaiting direction from the NRL and had pleaded with the governing body to settle the matter expeditiously.
Tripp is expected to address all stakeholders at some point on Wednesday as he seeks a swift conclusion to a tumultuous chapter in the club’s illustrious history. Lewis earned his first-grade debut for the club last year at the age of 28, despite initially believing his prospects of playing in the NRL were dwindling.