Following the publication of an article in The Telegraph, Exeter Rugby Club have made the following statement.
Join the RUCK’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
They said: “The club can confirm that the individual accused in the racism incident with Ugo Monye has no connection to Exeter Rugby Club or our subsidiary organisations.
“The club were unaware of any prior connection between the accused and a member of our community team. The two played rugby together for a local club for approximately three months, from October 2023 until the individual accused left the country to return to his native South Africa.
“That connection did not extend beyond the local club in question and is of no relevance to Exeter Rugby Club or the work undertaken by our member of staff. The individual accused was not a regular visitor to Sandy Park.
“The incident, which took place outside of Sandy Park Stadium grounds following the Gallagher Premiership match between Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester in November 2023, was swiftly dealt with by the club and security on-site.
“The club then worked with Devon and Cornwall Police to ensure that any relevant information, statements and evidence were all given to those investigating the incident.
“Exeter Chiefs have a zero-tolerance policy for any behaviour of this kind, and the club acted to ensure the incident was dealt with by the relevant authorities.”
Referee and Exeter Chiefs forward are two of the sports trailblazers after coming out
For LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Premiership referee Craig Maxwell-Keys speaks about his experience coming out, and the acceptance and celebration of it within rugby
Maxwell-Keys, who took charge of the 2020 Gallagher Premiership final, eventually decided the time was right to reveal his sexuality to colleagues at Twickenham as well as his local club, Lichfield RFC in 2019.
Now based in Cheltenham, he aims to continue moving up the referees’ pecking order – and his experiences since coming out have indicated that sexuality will be no barrier to that.
He said: “My experience of being part of the LGBTQ+ community in rugby has been and remains a really positive one. Players within the game actively went out of their way to be positive and offer words of support when I came out.
“Very little changed for me post coming out which reflects the inclusive environment that exists within even the top levels of the game across the clubs, officials, and supporters.
“Rugby can continue to build on the work it has done in advocating inclusivity and being true to its values. This includes supporting foundation work in communities, having safe LGBTQ+ spaces at games and equally taking bold action where members of the sport do not live up to the inclusive and game for all values the sport has.”
A
Maxwell-Keys added: “To be a good ally in the sports world, you must both celebrate success of those from the LGBTQ+ community, but also actively call out individuals/ teams where needed because their action/words fall sort of what the games and its values expect.”