Corey Norman

The NRL issued Norman a breach notice proposing a two-match ban, with one of those matches suspended for a period of 12 months if the St George Illawarra playmaker doesn’t reoffend.

The incident occurred on a Cronulla street on January 22, with Norman and fellow NRL hooker James Segeyaro allegedly racially abused and threatened with a knife. NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said he had taken into account the degree of provocation in determining the proposed penalty.

As the NRL Integrity Unit confirmed they were investigating video footage of a Friday night fight involving a player, Segeyaro and Norman’s company, YKTR Sports, posted a statement on social media explaining their involvement in the fight, and their version of events.

Segeyaro, who played for four NRL clubs but is serving a provisional suspension for an anti-doping violation, claimed the fight was sparked when one of a group of men called him the ‘n-word’, and that the pair wanted to fight back against racism.

Speaking from the Eels’ pre-season camp in Alice Springs, Norman backed the club’s decision to sign Hayne and is confident the guidance of coach Brad Arthur will provide the one-time Parramatta poster boy with the ideal environment to rediscover his mojo.

“I got the opportunity to play with him in 2014 and had a great year that year,” Norman told NRL.com after training in the Northern Territory.

“I know he hasn’t had the best 18 months ... but I think he’s coming back here to really get a bit of credibility back. He’s only on a one-year deal and he did take a big pay cut.

A photo posted by Paulo on his Instagram account allegedly showed the trio dining with former senior Nomad boss Paulie Younan and accused fraudster and money launderer Rafat Alameddine last Friday night, according to Fairfax Media.

Parramatta duo Norman and Paulo, along with fellow NRL player Segeyaro, were issued with official warnings by NSW Police.

"Organised Crime Squad detectives have issued consorting warnings to three current NRL players under section 93x of the Crimes Act 1900," NSW Police said in a statement.