Marcelo Montoya has apologised for an on-field homophobic slur that could see him cop a lengthy ban after the Warriors winger was referred straight to the NRL judiciary.

Montoya was on Sunday hit with a contrary conduct charge by the NRL for calling North Queensland winger Kyle Feldt a “f****t” in the Warriors’ Friday night win.

The NRL waited an unprecedented 44 hours to lay the charge, investigating the incident on Saturday and waiting for further video before accusing Montoya of the act.

There is now no limit to the amount of time the Warriors winger will face on the sideline if found guilty, with the match review committee determining the charge greater than a grade three.

While it was initially unclear who made the remark, Montoya could be shouting “get up Kyle, you f****t” after he was penalised for a high shot on his opposite number.

In a statement on Sunday, Warriors CEO Cameron George apologised for the act almost two days after the incident.

“Both Marcelo and the club are extremely apologetic for the offence this has caused. It was unacceptable,” CEO Cameron George said.

“Marcelo accepts responsibility and knows there’s no place for such behaviour both in the game and in society generally.”

Mitchell Moses is the last player to be suspended for a homophobic slur, banned for two games in 2014 while playing in the NSW under-20s side.