Due to remarks he made about Bristol flanker Jake Heenan, Joe Marler has been punished for four weeks in addition to a two-week suspension. Marler, a Harlequins and England prop who admitted a charge of behaviour detrimental to the game, allegedly made the comments about Heenan's mother during the first half of Tuesday's Gallagher Premiership encounter.
Should the 32-year-old commit a similar offense before the end of the 2023–24 season, the additional four-week suspension will be activated. He will also be required to give a presentation on the fundamental principles of football to a Premiership academy and a local club or school.
It is Marler's most recent run-in with rugby officials. For calling Wales prop Samson Lee a "gypsy boy" in 2016, he was given a two-week suspension and fined £20,000. For grabbing Wales lock Alun Wyn Jones' genitalia during a Six Nations match two years prior, he was given a ten-week suspension. The disciplinary panel took into account Marler's murky past, but they also took note of his apology to Heenan. "Clearly, he (Marler) is genuinely sorry," Quins head coach Tabai Matson stated prior to the hearing.
Should the 32-year-old commit a similar offense before the end of the 2023–24 season, the additional four-week suspension will be activated. He will also be required to give a presentation on the fundamental principles of football to a Premiership academy and a local club or school.
It is Marler's most recent run-in with rugby officials. For calling Wales prop Samson Lee a "gypsy boy" in 2016, he was given a two-week suspension and fined £20,000. For grabbing Wales lock Alun Wyn Jones' genitalia during a Six Nations match two years prior, he was given a ten-week suspension. The disciplinary panel took into account Marler's murky past, but they also took note of his apology to Heenan. "Clearly, he (Marler) is genuinely sorry," Quins head coach Tabai Matson stated prior to the hearing.