Canberra Raiders playmaker Aidan Sezer says it's unfair to "throw a blanket" over all NRL players after the game was rocked by illicit drug scandals.
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But Sezer hopes people will start talking about rugby league for the right reasons as he prepares to pay his respects to family heritage in the indigenous round this weekend.
The Raiders will wear a one-off jersey for their clash against the Newcastle Knights on Sunday as part of the NRL-wide initiative, which aims to highlight social issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Sezer, the son of a Turkish father and Aboriginal mother, conceded it was disappointing the round of respect and recognition had been overshadowed by off-field incidents.
NRL players Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor have been banned from New Zealand's World Cup campaign after allegedly using cocaine outside a Canberra nightclub last week.
Cronulla chairman Damien Keogh and Sharks under-20s player Jesse Savage have also been involved in alleged incidents while Shaun Kenny-Dowall has been stood down by the Sydney Roosters.
"It's very disappointing, it's not good for the game with all of the off-field issues that have gone on over the past four days," Sezer said.
"They're men and made those decisions, so hopefully everyone can learn from that and move forward and be a bit more responsible for their actions.
"It hurts the game the most, especially being a player. A lot of people in the media and public, it's easy to throw a blanket over all players. But they were [individual] errors and they have to take responsibility.
"We're all elite athletes, we all pride ourselves on what we do on the field and at training."
Raiders forward Luke Bateman added: "At the end of the day we're all educated enough about the dangers.
"We know what kind of job we have and how public it is. It comes back to personal choice because everyone is educated enough about making the right decisions.
"If you're making the wrong decision, you can expect to get caught and cop the punishment ... Unfortunately these things happen too often from my point of view."
The Raiders are putting their energy into avoiding three consecutive defeats for the first time in almost two years.
The clash against the Knights has extra significance for Sezer, who is proud of his Aboriginal heritage and his family's journey.
Every club will wear an indigenous jersey on the same weekend for the first time as the NRL celebrates and respects the culture.
"The impact something like this and the Indigenous All Stars game has, it's massive," Sezer said.
"The celebrates it so well and it's awesome to be a part of it. I embraced my [Turkish and Aboriginal] cultures.
"I'm a Bankstown boy and I grew up around a lot of people who had come from overseas, but I've got family out in the bush as well.
"I'm so proud of my family's history ... We're not only representing the Raiders in this round, it's our family and culture. That is above everything else and I'm honoured to wear the indigenous strip."
NRL ROUND 10
Sunday: Newcastle Knights v Canberra Raiders at Newcastle, 2pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2.
Raiders team: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker, 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Junior Paulo, 9. Josh Hodgson , 10. Shannon Boyd, 11. Sia Soliola, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Luke Bateman. Interchange: 14. Adam Clydsdale, 15. Dunamis Lui, 16. Clay Priest, 17. Joe Tapine, 18. Scott Sorensen, 19. Jordan Turner, 20. Dave Taylor, 21. Zac Santo.
