Newcastle forward Asu Kepaoa has been hit with a six-match ban for using a homophonic slur in a round-of-16 NSW Cup match.
Kepaoa fronted the NSWRL judiciary on Wednesday when he pleaded guilty to making the slur in the Knights' reserve-grade defeat of St George Illawarra last week.
Kepaoa, who was sent from the field before halftime in the match and referred directly to the judiciary, issued a personal apology in acknowledging the harm caused by his choice of words.
The former Wests Tiger and Penrith player is yet to make his senior debut for the Knights since his move from the Panthers.
Newcastle released a statement on Wednesday, saying the language used had no place at the club.
"The Knights accept the outcome and fully supports the process," the statement said.
"The Newcastle Knights are an inclusive club and pride ourselves on being a welcoming place for all players, staff and supporters.
"Language that causes harm to individuals or communities has no place in our Club, in the NRL, or in our community.
"The Club will work closely with Kepaoa to ensure he receives appropriate education around the impact of language and the responsibilities that come with representing the Newcastle Knights and the values we stand for."
Players are referred directly to a judiciary hearing for the most serious offences or when exact appropriate punishment is not immediately clear.
While playing for the Warriors' NRL side in 2022, Marcelo Montoya received a four-game ban for calling North Queensland winger Kyle Feldt a "fa***t".
Max Knobel, Koby Evans, Izak Rankine and Lance Collard are among the AFL-listed players to have been suspended over homophobic slurs in recent seasons.
Kepaoa's alleged incident comes only weeks after former Sydney Roosters prop Kane Evans became the second male NRL player to come out as gay, and first since the 1990s.
Kepaoa has played 43 NRL games, all for the Tigers between 2020 and 2024.
