The Mole: Referee at centre of Politis, Bouris incident hits out at 'disgraceful' outcome, considers legal action
Roosters heavyweights Nick Politis and Mark Bouris have escaped any censure from the NRL integrity unit over allegations they intimidated a referee in Las Vegas - but the matter may not be over quite yet.
Referee Mitchell James is fuming with the outcome and has emailed the NRL declaring he will take the matter further.
Roosters chairman Politis and board member Bouris had words with James following a pool match between the LA Roosters and Brisbane Veterans in the Vegas Nines tournament.
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James alleged he was verbally abused and intimidated by the pair and removed from officiating a subsequent game involving Greece, a team also supported by Politis.
An NRL source told Wide World of Sports that after an investigation by the integrity unit, the Roosters pair had no case to answer but the club was warned not to approach match officials at any time.
Roosters boss Nick Politis. Getty
The two Roosters officials have strongly denied any wrongdoing.
"We were not in his face, I made sure we stayed our distance. We were not threatening, and we didn't abuse him and didn't swear," Bouris previously told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"We did go over and I did say that I had seen a lot of football and that refereeing was disgraceful. Nick said something similar. I do not believe I said to him he 'reffed us out of the game'.
"Maybe someone else said that.
"He may have filed a formal complaint against us, but we filed one against him at the tournament because of the poor standard of refereeing."
The NRL's response has left James, who paid his own way to Vegas to help officiate the tournament, fuming and threatening legal action.
"It just sends a bad message - match officials cop a lot of abuse and for two such high profile individuals to get a slap on the wrist for what they did is disgraceful," James told Wide World of Sports.
"I haven't even been formally told anything by the NRL or the integrity Unit about their findings.
"I'm not going to let it rest and am looking at my options."
Mark Bouris. Today
Wide World of Sports obtained a copy of an email James sent to David Lockley, the integrity unit official who handled the case.
He wrote: "Dear David, I firstly wanted to thank you for the extreme professionalism you have displayed in your capacity investigating the complaint I made on March 2nd 2025. I am writing to formally express my disappointment with the outcome of my complaint regarding the conduct of Mr Mark Bouris, Mr Nick Politis, and the LA Roosters coach during the NRL Las Vegas 9s tournament.
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"After investing my own time and resources to officiate in this event, I was subjected to unprofessional conduct, abuse, and baseless accusations that ultimately led to my unjust removal from officiating duties. I outlined these concerns in my initial complaint, expecting a fair and thorough response. However, the decision to simply issue a reminder letter to the Roosters regarding Section 25 of the code of conduct falls significantly short of addressing the gravity of what transpired. Particularly when the NRL issued multiple code of conduct breaches this week for arguably inferior matters.
"This response does not acknowledge: The direct verbal intimidation and inappropriate comments made towards me by the above mentioned individuals. The reputational damage caused by unfounded allegations regarding my integrity as an official. Not just in the initial incident, however, that being spread in the media afterwards. The undue influence exerted over officiating appointments, which resulted in me being removed from an international match for reasons unrelated to my performance.
Mark Bouris poses for a photo with Phil Gould, Todd Gurley and Nick Politis in America. Instagram
"Such a minimal response sets a concerning precedent, signaling (sic) that powerful figures within the game can engage in misconduct with little to no real consequences. This raises serious questions about the NRL's commitment to protecting its officials from intimidation and undue influence. The flow-on effect of which I have serious concerns about at the grassroots level!
"A precedent I wish to mention is that a referee of mine in 2024 had a one-week suspended sentence for saying 'shit' to a local coach... You can see we are held accountable in the game at community level yet those at the top aren't.
"Given the inadequacy of this outcome, I will now be exploring alternative avenues to escalate this matter outside the NRL. I intend to ensure that these issues are properly addressed and that officiating integrity within rugby league is upheld.
"I once again urge the NRL to reconsider its stance on this matter and take meaningful action to hold those responsible accountable. A mere reminder letter is not an appropriate resolution for what I endured nor a good example set for the game as a whole. I look forward to your response."
The NRL is aware of James' email and has seen his comments to WWOS but declined to comment.
