Taylan May fronts Panthers board to answer show-cause notice

The board will consider May’s submission and is expected to reach a decision on his future in the next two to three weeks.

The alleged breaches of the Panthers’ code of conduct are not related to allegations made by his partner that resulted in May being charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of stalking or intimidating another person with the intention of causing them to fear physical or mental harm. May has pleaded not guilty and is due to face court in March next year.

“It was a long meeting. There were a lot of issues to discuss with the show-cause notice,” Panthers Group chief executive Brian Fletcher told this masthead.

“You just have to tick every box legally with these things. They’re not a cut and dry thing. That’s what the board is a little bit afraid of, to make sure we tick off every box before we make the decision. We should be able to make a decision in the next two to three weeks.”

When asked whether May had played his last game for the Panthers, Fletcher said: “I couldn’t say he has or he hasn’t because the process is only halfway through at the moment.”

When approached after the meeting, May’s lawyer Abdul Reslan declined to comment.

The Panthers star attended the meeting flanked by four legal representatives from Kings Law Group, walking almost 400 metres from a nearby cafe to the club’s headquarters for the appointment with the board. His manager Wok Wright, with whom May left the premises, was also in attendance.

Sources with knowledge of the situation, talking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation, said some of the breaches relate to incidents that took place before May signed a contract extension with the Panthers on March 22 this year.

The club agreed to a two-year extension worth close to $1.2 million to keep him until the end of 2026.

Sources said the list of breaches in the show-cause notice include the use of foul language on social media and a video post showing May in the passenger seat of a car driving 96km/h in a school zone last month.

Lawyers for May pointed out the 22-year-old has been undertaking charity work recently.

May allegedly assaulted wife Jessica May by punching her in the face during an altercation on the night of April 8. He was arrested 24 hours before Penrith’s Magic Round clash against the New Zealand Warriors.

Former Penrith mayor Tricia Hitchen joined the board of the Panthers at the end of last season. Hitchen is also a director of The Haven – Nepean Women’s Shelter, an organisation that offers refuge for women and their children escaping domestic violence. She is one of two women on the Panthers board.