Bristol Bears have signed Samoan forward Totoa Auvaa, two weeks after he was sacked by Saracens.
Auvaa, 21, was involved in a nightclub altercation with England cricketers Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson in June.
He was let go by Sarries following another incident in St Albans, which police are investigating.
“His agent reached out to me to see if I would be willing to help him and give him a second chance,” Bristol’s director of rugby Pat Lam said.
“I’ve always believed that young people deserve the opportunity to learn from those experiences, grow and become better people.”
Lam, himself a former Samoan international, told Bristol’s website, external he believed the club could help provide support to Auvaa and was the right place for him to develop on and off the field.
“Totoa is a big, physical young man with enormous potential, who unfortunately has made some mistakes since arriving from a small village in Samoa to the massive city of London.
“Having spent time with Totoa, I feel confident that we can provide him with the mentorship, guidance, support and structure to give him the best possible opportunity to succeed, not just as a rugby player, but as a person – someone his parents and family all the way back in Samoa will be proud of.”
