"Jaminet took responsibility for everything that was imposed on him," one year after his player's slip-up, the RCT president takes stock

On July 7, 2024, the planet Toulon was struck by a magnitude 9 earthquake. Melvyn Jaminet, then on tour with the French XV in Argentina, published a video in which he made racist remarks.

He deleted the latter a few minutes later, but the damage was done. Bernard Lemaitre recounts: "I had just arrived at my vacation spot in Brittany when I was called by Florian Grill [president of the FFR] at 9:30 p.m., who told me what had happened. Since that moment, I've always had the same feeling: Melvyn did something stupid, something crazy, and I know that he can have excesses where he loses control and can do or say anything. Except that this time, between the political context and the fact that it was with the national team, it had a particular resonance. But I know Melvyn, and I know that he is not racist. This is what he confirmed to me when he called me an hour later."

"I wanted to maintain my trust in him."

An internal investigation followed and numerous discussions about how to handle the matter. Should the player be dismissed? A suspension was ultimately preferred.

A year later, Bernard Lemaitre claims to have made the right decision.

"I wanted to maintain my trust in him. He was suspended, he took social action, and we fought. Today, we're happy that the Jaminet affair is behind us. He has accepted everything that was imposed on him and he has regained all his strength."