SOUTH Sydney have been slapped with a $20,000 fine after the NRL Integrity Unit finished its second investigation into the Arizona arrests.

Former Souths chief executive Shane Richardson has been cleared, while John Sutton and Luke Burgess won’t miss any NRL games for the Rabbitohs and Manly respectively.

NRL chief operating officer Suzanne Young fronted a huge media contingent today to reveal the penalty for the premiers.

Young said the $20,000 fine was for the fact Souths had initially failed to inform the NRL that Luke Burgess and John Sutton had reached a final arrangement for the charges to be dropped.

The Rabbitohs’ chief executive at the time Shane Richardson, who started work at the NRL on Monday, was not aware of any payments made by Burgess and Sutton to a bouncer outside an Arizona bar.

Sutton and Burgess were charged with disorderly conduct, with the latter also hit with an assault charge.

But a settlement, or what is known in the US as “reaching satisfaction”, led to the charges being dropped.

“Souths will be fined $20,000,” Young said on Monday.

“The disciplinary action taken against the two players involved is sufficient.

“There is no evidence to show Shane Richardson, who was CEO at the time, or any other official was aware of the payment.

“They should have made further inquiries to whether a payment had been made.”

South Sydney released a statement on Monday afternoon suggesting the matter might not over yet.

“The club will consider its position on this matter ... and reserves the right to respond to the breach notice on both the merits of the findings and the severity of the proposed penalty.”

Meanwhile, rival clubs will be angered by the inconsistent penalties dished out by the NRL integrity unit, including Cronulla, whose skipper Paul Gallen was fined $35,000 for an offensive tweet.

Watch a replay of the NRL press conference in the video player at the top of the page.