An independent Disciplinary Hearing was convened today (Thursday, 17 November 2011) as a result of the citing complaint made against Edinburgh Rugby player Sean Cox arising from the Heineken Cup Pool 2, Round 1 match against London Irish at Madejski Stadium for an alleged strike on London Irish centre, Shontayne Hape.
During the hearing Cox pleaded guilty to an act of foul play and Edinburgh Rugby Head Coach Michael Bradley made representations on his behalf.
The independent Judicial Officer, Robert Williams (Wales), upheld the citing complaint and having considered all the evidence available, determined that the act was in the low-end of the level of seriousness for an offence of this type, with an entry point of two weeks..
In the absence of aggravating factors and having then taken into account compelling mitigating factors, including the player’s guilty plea, clean record and demonstration of remorse, the Judicial Officer reduced the period of suspension by the maximum amount of 50 per cent and suspended the player for a period of one week which means that Cox will be available to play on Thursday, 24 November 2011.
