MITCHELL Pearce has been banned for eight weeks and fined $125,000 for his Australia Day misbehaviour.

The Roosters reached an agreement with the NRL integrity unit this morning after 48 hours of negotiations.

It is understood $50,000 of the $125,000 fine has been suspended.

Pearce will make his comeback against the Knights at Allianz Stadium on Saturday April 30.

The club confirmed the sanctions in a statement released on Thursday afternoon.

“This was a complex and unprecedented matter that required careful consideration. It was paramount we delivered the appropriate level of discipline, but neither could we ignore the player welfare component,” said Roosters CEO John Lee.

“It was pleasing to see that Mitchell contacted our Chairman Nick Politis and suggested that the lengthy stint on the sideline was what he deserved,”

Pearce himself said that he was now focused soley on rehabilitation.

“Firstly, for any hurt or damage I’ve caused anyone, especially my family, the Club and the NRL, I again apologise,”

“Now that this has been decided, I can get on with my rehab, bunker down with training and work each day on making the right choices in what I do,”

He will resume training with the Roosters on Monday.

The ban follows the release of the now infamous Australia Day video which showed a drunk Pearce simulating sex with a dog.

Pearce left the country in the days following the video’s release after publicly saying he had a problem with alcohol.

Mitchell Pearce in the Australia Day video. Picture: DiiMEX Source: Diimex

He spent weeks in a Thai rehabilitation clinic before returning to Australia on Sunday.

Roosters chairman Nick Politis as well as club CEO John Lee met with the NRL yesterday in a bid to discuss Pearce’s proposed punishment.

The meeting reportedly got heated at times, with the Roosters pushing for just a three or four week suspension given Pearce’s absence from the World Club Challenge and Auckland Nines.

Mitchell Pearce arrived back in Australia on Sunday. Source: News Corp Australia

The NRL was believed to be seeking a 10-12 week suspension.

The now-decided eight-week suspension and $125,000 fine joins Pearce’s sacking as Roosters co-captain.

Pearce has spent much of this week doing interviews in which he revealed his humiliation over the video.

He acknowledged in each interview how he had let his family, friends and club down and that he had plenty of work to do to repair that damage.