Reece Walsh's message to Broncos amid calls to terminate Ezra Mam's $4 million contract

Reece Walsh has implored the Brisbane Broncos to give Ezra Mam a second chance and not sack his teammate over his off-field indiscretion. Mam allegedly failed a roadside drug test earlier this month after he was involved in a collision with an Uber driver, leaving a four-year-old passenger with a broken hip.

Mam was also allegedly unlicensed at the time, and the NRL and Broncos are awaiting the results of a secondary drug test conducted by Queensland Police. The 21-year-old has since checked himself into a rehab clinic, and there have been calls for the NRL to de-register Mam and tear up his $4 million contract.

According to reports, the NRL and Broncos are leaning towards not sacking Mam, although it's believed he could be facing a year-long suspension due to the seriousness of the incident. Speaking to the Courier Mail on Sunday, Walsh said he believes his teammate is a good person and deserves a second chance.

Walsh and Mam are good mates off the field and recently holidayed in Bali together, where they became embroiled in an NRL investigation after a person's phone was damaged while trying to take a photo with them. They've since been cleared of any wrongdoing and paid for a new phone for the person.

“I feel for Ezra, he is an awesome person for a start,” Walsh said. “He is going through a tough time at the moment and everyone in this club feels for him. They know the bloke Ezra is and how caring he is. We have his back and it’s important we are there for him and we support him.

“Ezra is an awesome person and anyone that’s had a genuine conversation with him or has met him will understand that. In this case, he has made a poor decision, but that doesn’t define who he is as a person or define the future. I know he will learn from it. He will take the actions he needs to do to come back in the right way.”

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Michael Maguire speaks out about Ezra Mam incident

Mam is said to be extremely remorseful and has been left shaken by the incident. Whether or not the NRL will decide to de-register him remains to be seen, although the more likely scenario appears to be a massive suspension in the 12-month range.

New Broncos coach Michael Maguire said last week: "I have been in the game a long time and I have seen many players go through many situations. You learn a lot of lessons in your life as young men. I am not downgrading this situation but it is one where we really need to have a look at … how he ended up getting in that situation.

"People will make mistakes but they have also got to own them. That's the big thing, if he owns where he is at. His actions moving forward are very important. I know he is getting some help at the moment about where he is at. When he works through that I will get some time with him."