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Titans hand down Proctor penalties

Titans hand down Proctor penalties

Kevin Proctor has received a heavy punishment from the Gold Coast board after his alleged drugs and alcohol scandal in Canberra last weekend.

The forward, who is in his first season at the Titans after leaving the Melbourne Storm, has been suspended for four games, fined $20,000 and ordered to complete 50 hours of community service.

He stepped down as the club's co-captain on Sunday, with that penalty to remain in place until further notice.

Proctor and international teammate Jesse Bromwich were named in a drug-related court case on Sunday, less than 48 hours after playing for New Zealand in the Anzac Test against Australia, but have not been charged by police.

The players said in statements that they consumed too much alcohol and made poor decisions.

While Bromwich received a two-game ban from Melbourne, Gold Coast came down harder on Proctor to "reflect the history of this club, his leadership role as co-captain, and the collateral reputational damage" he did to the Titans.

"The board has taken a strong stance with Kevin despite his four-match suspension potentially damaging the club’s prospects over the coming month as we seek to remain in finals contention," club chief executive Graham Annesley said in a statement.

"He has also let his teammates down, and seriously disappointed our members and commercial partners. Of course, as a football club our priority is to win as many games as possible, but if we all have to suffer some pain in order to drive the message home, then so be it.

"We take our responsibility to the community seriously and we will not walk away from tough decisions just to increase our chances of on-field success."

Annesley said Proctor had been remorseful since the incident.

Kiwis coach David Kidwell announced on Monday that Proctor and Bromwich would not be considered for the end-of-year Rugby League World Cup squad.