The NRL has confirmed Dragons five-eighth Corey Norman will be suspended for one match, fined $10,000 and undergo education and training after he was involved in a fight on a Cronulla street.
Meanwhile the league has also proposed suspensions and fines for two Raiders players over separate drink-driving charges.
After Norman submitted a written response to the NRL's breach notice and met with the league, the NRL determined he had not been acting in pure self-defence and could have avoided the violence that ensued.
"This week I met with Corey and gave him the opportunity to talk me through the video footage and his decision making step by step as the incident happened," NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said.
"There's no doubt the initial incident involved a degree of provocation, but ultimately I do not accept that Corey had no other option than to have participated in a street fight.
"After listening to Corey and his views, and considering all the material provided, I have determined that the provisional sanction should be adjusted. This is how our system works. We issue a provisional breach notice with a proposed penalty and then we allow the player time to respond before finalising the matter.
"We have been clear and consistent that provocation is not an excuse to engage in any form of violence. Corey is a high-profile player who was involved in a street fight, we expect better decision making from him.
"It is important to say that abuse of our players of any kind is unacceptable and the NRL will take whatever action is possible to ensure players are protected from unwarranted abuse. We will continue to invest in educating players on how to deal with difficult situations off the field."
The NRL has also issued breach notices for Canberra forwards Corey Harawira-Naera and Corey Horsburgh over separate drink-driving incidents.
The league has proposed a two-match ban and $10,000 fine for Harawira-Naera over a mid-range drink driving charge, taking into account prior offences by the player.
A one-match ban and $5000 fine, suspended for 12 months, is proposed for Horsburgh.
Meanwhile Brisbane youngster Tesi Niu on Friday received a $400 fine and six-month license suspension after appearing in court for unlicensed driving. The Broncos are working with the NRL Integrity Unit to finalise the matter.
