BROWN DOWN
Quins career over after six-week ban for stamping
MIKE BROWN’S Harlequins career was brought to a sad and sudden end yesterday after the full back was banned for the remainder for the season. The former England international was handed a six-week suspension after being sent off for stamping on the head of wasps hooker Tommy Taylor on sunday. The 35-year- old has been at Harlequins for 17 years but will leave the club this summer after agreeing a move to Newcastle.
The six- week suspension means Brown will not have another opportunity to represent the club, even if they reach this season’s Premiership final. His ban was reduced from 12 weeks because of a clean disciplinary record. He is unlikely to appeal against the verdict.
The disciplinary statement said: ‘ The panel reviewed extensive video footage which included numerous angles and speeds and heard direct evidence from the player as to his actions and intentions. Having considered the totality of the evidence the panel was satisfied that whilst this was a stamp to the head, it was not deliberate.
‘Given the location of the contact and the nature of the actions the panel considered that this was a top end entry point but that there was no reason to go above the starting point of 12 weeks.
‘The player has an unblemished disciplinary record over a long and illustrious career, he accepted the charge at the earliest opportunity and impressed the panel with his honesty and obvious contrition throughout the hearing. The panel had no hesitation in allowing the maximum mitigation of 50 per cent.’
Meanwhile, the British and Irish Lions yesterday announced that their warm-up fixture against Japan at Murrayfield on June 26 will be broadcast live on Channel annel 4.
As revealed by Sportsmail, ortsmail, the fixture will be the he first Lions match to be screened reened on free- to- air television vision since 1993. British h and Irish Lions managing aging director Ben Calveley y said: ‘we are delighted that t Channel Chanast 4 are our broadcast partners partatch for our first match on home soil since 2005.
‘Going on the recent nt squad announcement nt I’m sure the interest t and numbers tuning in n will be considerable.’