Panthers' Tyrone May has been charged following yet another NRL sex tape scandal.

Penrith Panthers star Tyrone May has been stood down indefinitely after being charged amid the NRL’s latest sex tape scandal.

NSW Police charged May with two counts of recording intimate image without consent, and two counts of disseminate image without consent. The Panthers said May would “vigorously deny the charges”.

The 22-year old was stood down by the Panthers on Tuesday afternoon, under the NRL’s new no-fault policy which was introduced just last week.

“The decision to stand down Tyrone May is not about passing judgment on guilt or innocence,” Panthers Chairman David O’Neill said.

“Panthers acknowledges the seriousness of the charges and agrees the decision is in the best interests of the game.

“May will continue to train with the club and we will work closely with the NRL and the RLPA to ensure his wellbeing.”

STATEMENT – TYRONE MAY

Penrith Panthers supports the NRL decision to implement the no-fault stand down policy in relation to Panthers player Tyrone May. Tyrone will be sidelined until his current court proceedings are concluded. — Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) March 5, 2019

Penrith supremo and Nine Network commentator Phil Gould also backed the NRL’s stance via his own social media on Tuesday afternoon and said the club would have stood May down even if the NRL did not.

“It’s been a very difficult few days. Our club has moved swiftly to engage NRL Integrity and move towards a speedy resolution. I have unwavering faith in the quality, strength & culture of our club. I sincerely thank our friends, fans & sponsors for messages of support,” Gould tweeted.

PANTHERS. It’s been a very difficult few days. Our club has moved swiftly to engage NRL Integrity and move towards a speedy resolution. I have unwavering faith in the quality, strength & culture of our club. I sincerely thank our friends, fans & sponsors for messages of support. — Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) March 5, 2019

And while Gould backed the NRL stance on player behaviour issues he said the revelations have left him feeling let down by the playing group.

“I think that’s the bare minimum I feel at the moment,” Gould told Nine News.

“I’m shattered that this has happened to our club but we will get through it.”

NSW Police held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon where Nepean Area Command local superintendent Brett McFadden called on people on social media to “cease and desist” attempting to identify the alleged victims involved in the lewd videos.

“This is a serious breach of the privacy and a violation of the rights of the victims,” McFadden said.

“We have had two victims come forward and we are investigating their allegations.”

He said the investigation relates only to the release of the videos without the victims’ permission and consent — and does not relate to any conduct seen in the videos.”

He confirmed May was arrested earlier on Tuesday after handing himself in at Penrith Police Station. He was granted conditional bail and left the station via a back exit where he was able to avoid waiting reporters.

McFadden said May will face Penrith Local Court on May 1.

Police allege in February 2018 he filmed a sexual act with a woman at Coffs Harbour.

It is further alleged that in May 2018, the 22-year-old filmed a sexual act with another woman at Kingswood.

Police have been told that while the sexual acts were consensual, the women were unaware they were being filmed.

These recordings were also allegedly disseminated without their consent.

Over the past few days, the women became aware of the existence of the videos and contacted police.

At 9am on Tuesday, May was arrested and charged at Penrith Police Station. He will appear before Penrith Local Court on Wednesday.

The Panthers confirmed they have notified the NRL integrity unit of the police involvement.

“We are aware of the charges,” Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher said in a statement.

“I’ve spoken to Tyrone May and he will vigorously deny the charges.”

Nine News reported on Monday night May was allegedly threatened with the release of one of the two sex tapes he reportedly features in.

“May was first confronted with a sex video which emerged from a teammate’s phone on the night before the Panthers played the Storm in Round 25 last year,” Channel 9’s Danny Weidler said.

“He received a threat at the time that the video was about to be made public, a ploy that was designed to put him off his game.”

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg opted against banning Canterbury prop Dylan Napa last week for being seen in lurid videos, fearing players could be specifically targeted if such a precedence was established.

The governing body set a precedent when Napa was fined 10 per cent of his salary, rather than stood down, over his sex tape scandal.

And he said unless any new videos emerged that were filmed from March onwards, that wouldn’t change.

“I think I made the line pretty clear last week,” Greenberg said. “That we’re dealing with historical considerations we’ll deal with it. Just like we did last week and just like we’ll do with this one.

“Rugby league players are high profile.

“It’s another reminder to rugby league players that we don’t judge just their performance on the field, equally they’ve got obligations off the field and they need to be very careful.

“It can have very dire consequences if it goes wrong.”

There are rumours more tapes featuring other players exist.

“I’ve heard lots of rumour and innuendo about lots of historical videos and if they are or aren’t out there,” Greenberg said.

“I don’t know if they are. I can only deal with what’s put in front of me.

“We’ll deal with it. We’ll move on quickly but there’s clearly some others that have come out recently and again we’ll just deal with it. And we’ll get on with it.”

The situation also has players on edge, with Penrith co-captain Josh Mansour admitting some could be distracted ahead of the season if they knew there was a chance they could feature.

“That’s what’s so scary about it,” Mansour said. “The person who is leaking the videos, what are his motives?

“I know I’m not (on edge), I’ve got nothing to worry about.

“But obviously some people have videos out there that are private and if they get put in the wrong hands, I would definitely be worried (if I was them), no doubt.”

Mansour also said other players were becoming embarrassed by the situation, with the NRL’s off-season from hell lingering towards round one.

“I think if one person goes through it we’re all kind of reflected by that one individual.”

— with AAP