Police have charged Brisbane Broncos star Ezra Mam after he was involved in a crash while allegedly under the influence of drugs.
Mam was driving on Simpson Road in Bardon, a western suburb of Brisbane, when his Ford Ranger ute crashed head-on into a Toyota Camry being used as an Uber at 5pm on October 18.
Uber driver Marcel Van Den Camp, 64, and a four-year-old girl who was a passenger were injured in the crash.
Mam was given a roadside drug test at the scene of the crash which allegedly returned a positive result.
He was detained and taken for a second blood test at a hospital.
Police said the second test result had come back positive for drugs yesterday.
Mam had checked himself into rehab while police investigated the crash.
Today, police issued the 21-year-old NRL star with a notice to appear in court through his solicitor.
He has been charged with one count of driving while a drug was present in his blood and one count of driving without a licence.
He was also hit with a traffic infringement notice for failing to keep control of a vehicle.
Mam has been issued a notice to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on December 16.
Mam remains a Broncos player on a five-year, $4 million contract signed in February and the crash has been referred to the NRL integrity unit.
“The club was notified this afternoon that charges have now been laid,” Broncos chief executive Dave Donaghy said in a statement.
“We will respect the legal process and will continue to work with the NRL Integrity Unit on next steps, as this matter moves forward. Ezra is currently seeking external support and we will give him the time and space to do so.
“As the matter is now before the courts, we are unable to make further comment.”
The NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy is unlikely to be applied, as it is brought in for charges that would incur a maximum prison sentence of 11 years or more.
The NRL has not yet addressed the charges against Mam, but reports indicate he could be suspended for up to 12 weeks.
