My brother no matter what Cleary stands behind sacked Panther May

Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary has thrown his support behind Tyrone May, describing the controversial utility as his “brother” after he was sacked for his post-grand final social-media post.

The Panthers terminated May’s one-year contract following a board meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

May fronted the board to try to save his career after the contentious post, which was interpreted as May suggesting he was vindicated following the sex-tape scandal that embroiled the club.

Tyrone May (centre) before this year’s grand final.Credit:NRL Photos

Despite May’s argument that the post was referring to people who did not believe he would amount to anything because he came from western Sydney, the Panthers decided to part ways with him for bringing the club into disrepute.

May is close to Clive Churchill medallist Cleary and coach Ivan Cleary, the latter making representations to the board on the playmaker’s behalf. But not even their heavyweight support was enough to save him from the axe.

After the club announced its decision, Cleary took to Instagram to post a photo of him alongside May celebrating on the field. It was captioned: “My brother no matter what. Got you always.”

The Panthers board considered May’s previous breaches in deciding to terminate his contract.

“As a club we understand our responsibilities to the game, our corporate partners, our members and fans, and the wider rugby league community,” Panthers chief executive Brian Fletcher said.

“The board observed due process in this matter and considered all relevant factors before reaching its final decision. Panthers will co-ordinate with the NRL to ensure Tyrone receives access to any support services he needs moving forward.”

The NRL fined May $7500 last month for “social media posts which do not align with the values of the game”, but the Panthers opted to take the matter further.

However, powerbrokers decided to tear up his one-year contract extension for 2022.

May narrowly avoided a jail sentence in 2020 after pleading guilty to four counts of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent. The saga appeared to be over when the victim began civil proceedings against May, with the parties settling out of court earlier this year.

However, during the grand final celebrations, May captioned a photo of himself and Ivan Cleary leaving Parramatta Local Court with lyrics from Canadian rapper Drake: “And the dirt that they threw on my name turned to soil and I grew up out it. Time for y’all to figure out what y’all gon’ do about it. Love my brothers”.

After a public backlash, the post was deleted.

The woman at the centre of the sex scandal broke her silence last month, revealing the post had forced her to relive the ordeal.

“Definitely, there was a traumatic response,” she told The Sun-Herald. “I see my psychologist on regular occasions and I have to work through that. I had quite a lot of panic attacks so, with this coming back, it triggered that as well.

“I walk around in Penrith and everyone is looking at me because they know [it’s me in the video]. I’m walking around paranoid 24-7.”

The Panthers have signed former Warriors halfback Sean O’Sullivan, who will now reprise May’s role as cover for Cleary and Jarome Luai.

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