Cronulla forward Paul Gallen has been fined $10,000 dollars by the NRL club, with $5,000 suspended, following a weekend incident.
Gallen was issued an infringement notice by police for urinating in a public place in the early hours of last Saturday morning.
But Gallen could still face further sanctions from the NRL, as part of the league's new internal tribunal.
Gallen apologised for the incident in a statement on the club's website, saying he accepts that the club had to take action.
"While there are extenuating circumstances around the incident, I accept that ultimately I have embarrassed everyone involved in the club," he said.
"I genuinely apologise for my actions particularly at a time when there is such a positive feeling around the Club with so many people doing a great job off the field."
Sharks chief executive Richard Fisk said the club was confident the fine was the right move.
"Paul is the first to admit to an error of judgement and accepts that a strong penalty was required," he said in a statement.
"Whilst the club has taken a strong stand against the unacceptable behaviour from one of our senior players, the police have confirmed that after the incident Paul was apologetic, polite and cooperative."