St George Illawarra chief executive Ryan Webb has revealed Jack de Belin did not come close to having his contract torn up following his involvement in the club's COVID scandal.
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The incident comes four games into his return following the withdrawal of sexual assault charges.
De Belin initially escaped sanction as 12 of his teammates were fined by police for attending an illegal gathering on Saturday.
That changed on Monday, the club exposing an attempted cover up by those involved.
Webb confirmed the forward had initially claimed he was walking his dog in the neighbourhood, before later admitting he was at the party.
While furious with the player's actions, the chief executive said the board did not come close to tearing up his contract.
"There were a lot of things discussed but I don't think it got to that level," Webb said when asked if the board considered sacking de Belin or Corey Norman.
The incident comes after the Dragons stood by de Belin throughout the entirety of his sexual assault trial, even offering him a new contract despite spending two seasons out of the game.
St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin was disappointed to hear the forward was involved and challenged him to repay those who supported him over the past couple of years.
"Jack's not proud of what happened over the last couple of days, but we've dealt with that," Griffin said.
"What he has to do now, he needs to perform and repay what the board and the rest of the club have given him the opportunity to do."
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Cameron Mee
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
