List of rugby league incidents

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The following is a listing of all off-field incidents that have received media coverage involving footballers from rugby league competitions in Australia, New Zealand and England, particularly the current National Rugby League (NRL) but also the NSWRL, QRL and Super League (Australia) and Super League (Europe).

Contents 1 Incidents 1.1 1997 1.2 1998 1.3 1999 1.4 2001 1.5 2002 1.6 2003 1.7 2004 1.8 2005 1.9 2006 1.10 2007 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Incidents

[edit] 1997

• Three Canterbury Bulldogs players (along with other unnamed players) were allegedly involved in "misogynist" behaviour during a film shoot:
  • A make-up woman on the film set was shocked and distressed when a player was reported to have urinated on her legs as she was applying make-up to him. Up to six players are said to have then exposed themselves to her.
  • A wardrobe woman apparently had to be rescued from her hotel room at 3.30am, when three players, yelling indecent propositions, tried to break down her door.
  • six players had allegedly been driven around Wollongong in a hired bus one night while having sex with two prostitutes.

The film producer said players had openly talked about initiation rites at the Bulldogs club which involved targeting an unsuspecting woman at a nightclub and then "marking" her with urine on her feet or legs. Senior rugby league officials quietly "fixed up" the complaint of abusive behaviour, and no charges were laid.^[1][2]

[edit] 1998

• Robbie O'Davis, Wayne Richards and Adam MacDougall tested positive for anabolic steroids. Richards was suspended for 22 weeks as a result, but McDougall was later exonerated when it was revealed the drug was used as treatment for a life threatening illness.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]}

[edit] 1999

• Julian O'Neill defecated in a teammate's shoe and vomited over the walls of his motel room in Dubbo.^[10]
• Craig Gower exposed himself to a female Irish tourist in a bar, blaming his behaviour on alcohol intoxication. He was dumped from the Kangaroos squad and fined $2,500 by the NRL. He was fined a further $500 after pleading guilty to indecent exposure.^[11]
• Brad Fittler was found unconscious in a gutter outside a Sydney police station. Police described him as "the drunkest human being ever".^[12][13]

[edit] 2001

• Shane Webcke tested positive for probenecid, which the NRL kept from the media until he retired in 2006.^[14]

[edit] 2002

• Willie Mason tested positive to amphetamines and was fined $25,000 by the Canterbury Bulldogs.^[15]

[edit] 2003

• Three Bulldogs players (unnamed) were involved in a sex incident with a 24-year-old woman at the Plantation Hotel in Coffs Harbour, on 3 March, 2003. The woman claimed that one player raped her in a hotel room, while another player hid behind the curtain and masturbated during the ordeal. A third player set up the incident.^[16] After a lengthy police investigation no-one was charged.

[edit] 2004

• Anthony Minichiello, Mark Gasnier and an unknown third player sent a sexually harassing phone message to a woman's answering machine, which implied lewd acts such as group sex. They were dropped from the first State of Origin game and fined $50,000.^[17]
• Willie Mason, Trent Waterhouse, Craig Wing, Craig Gower and Mark O'Meley were fined for unprofessional behaviour and for leaving the team hotel after the side had returned from the night out.^[18]
• (Players unknown) were questioned the alleged rape of a 23 year old woman by six members of the Canterbury Bulldogs in Coffs Harbour on 22 February, however no criminal charges were laid after police investigation found insufficient evidence in the case^[19]. Half a million dollars in fines were subjected to the club by the NRL^[20]

Main article: Bulldogs gang rape allegation

• Five Bulldogs players were seen groping women on the dance floor of the Plantation Hotel, and were then involved in a fight before being ejected.^[21]
• Australian Captain Darren Lockyer made a joke about the Bulldogs gang rape allegation and Johnny Raper during a press conference in Brisbane.^[22]
• Two Melbourne Storm players were accused of raping a woman at a South Yarra flat in February, but no criminal charges were laid after police investigation found insufficient evidence.^[23]
• Brett Finch threw a bottle into the crowd while playing for the Sydney Roosters. ^[24]
• Chris Walker was involved in a drunken altercation with police outside a Fortitude Valley nightclub. Police used capsicum spray to subdue Walker, and charged him with assaulting police, obstructing police and public nuisance.^[25] The Roosters club fined the winger and placed him on an alcohol ban for the rest of the season.^[26]
• 2004 rugby league betting scandal

[edit] 2005

• Dane Tilse and (other players unknown) assaulted a 19 year old woman in Bathurst, New South Wales. 12 players were fined $50,000 each.^[27]
• Brad Morrin, while drunk, opened the door of a passing car and tried to hitch a lift, alarming the driver. Morrin was detained in a police cell for four hours, which is standard police practice for anyone found intoxicated in a public place.^[28]
• Corey Hughes was involved in a brawl at the Kembla Grange Racecourse. He was charged with numerous offences. ^[29]
• Michael Crocker assaulted police during an alcohol-fueled disturbance outside a Sydney hotel. He pleaded guilty to affray and was fined $10,000 by his club. ^[30][31]
• Sonny Bill Williams was convicted of drink driving with a blood alcohol level of .075, and had his driver's licence suspended for five months. He was fined $10,000 by his club^[32][33]
• Craig Gower was fired as Panthers captain after a string of alcohol-fuelled incidents at a charity golf event in December. ^[34] It was alleged that he argued with several guests, groped the teenage daughter of league legend Wayne Pearce, chased Pearce's son with a bottle before vomiting on him, streaked around the resort, totalled a golf cart, held a butter knife to the throat of a Sydney radio personality, threw the knife at resort guests and fought with security before being kicked out of the official function and detained by police.^[35] Gower was handed a "final warning" by the National Rugby League and fined $100,000, with $90,000 to be paid to an NRL programme encouraging the responsible use of alcohol by league players and $10,000 to replace the destroyed golf cart.^[36]

[edit] 2006

• Neville Costigan was caught driving his car through Brisbane with a blood alcohol level of .13. Police charged him with drink driving and he was fired by the Brisbane Broncos^[37][38]
• Brett Seymour was accused of head-butting a woman on the dance floor during a drinking session at Brisbane's Regatta Hotel, but no criminal charges were laid after police investigation found there was insufficient evidence.^[39]
• Gorden Tallis, a member of the NRL board, threw an empty glass at a bartender who refused to serve him alcohol at the Regatta Hotel^[40]
• Matt Hilder pleaded guilty to assault and was fined $1,000 after attacking a man with a plastic chair. The 49-year-old victim suffered head injuries during the altercation in Caringbah.^[41][42]
• P-plater Reni Maitua was convicted of drink driving after he blew 0.165 in a random breath test in Cronulla . A^[43][44][45]
• Tevita Latu punched a 19-year-old woman in the face and broke her nose at a service station in Cronulla. He was fired from Cronulla Sharks, de-registered by the NRL and may no longer play professionally in Australia.^[46]
• Craig Trindall received 12-week suspended sentence for cannabis use.^[47][48]
• Jarrod McCracken successfully sued the Melbourne Storm for $97,000 after suffering neck and spinal injuries following a spear tackle.^[49]
• Nate Myles was charged with drink driving after being pulled over by police in Cronulla. The Sydney Roosters fined him $10,000, order him to do 20 hours of community charity work and required him to enroll into alcohol counselling.^[50][51]
• Dragons lock Shaun Timmins is fined for acting nuisance outside a Brisbane nightclub on June 17, the day after the Dragons' victory over the Broncos.

[edit] 2007

• Richard Williams was charged with assault after an incident in Narooma^[52]
• Frank Pritchard and his brother Tom were charged with affray after a violent street brawl in Liverpool. Frank was stabbed twice in the thumb and Tom suffered a stab wound to the heart during the brawl. ^[53][54]
• Wes Naiqama was convicted of driving while disqualified for the fourth time. His licence was suspended until 2015, and he was sentenced to eight months periodic detention with a four-month non-parole period.^[55][56]
• Anthony Laffranchi was charged with the sexual assault of a 26-year-old woman. Shortly before the alleged rape took place, Laffranchi and a group of Wests Tigers players had partaken in a drinking session at the Sapphire nightclub in Kings Cross as part of the team's 'Mad Monday' end-of-season celebrations.^[57][58][59] After regaining consciousness, the woman alleged she was the victim of a date rape drug. A Wests Tigers player claimed the woman came back "quite willingly" to the party at Five Dock and he thought it was "all systems go".^[60] Laffranchi was acquitted of the charge.
• Bryce Gibbs refused to leave a bar while drinking at Rosehill Racecourse, allegedly spat in the face of a police officer and tried to headbutt another before being detained. He was charged with obstructing police, assaulting police, resisting arrest, criminal damage and failure to leave a licensed premises when requested.^[61][62][63]
• Craig Gower, inebriated with alcohol at a Kings Cross cocktail bar, allegedly tried to kiss one man before biting him on the neck and sparking a brawl in which he is accused of assaulting another man^[64][65].
• Craig Trindall was charged with intentionally causing serious injury after allegedly bashing a woman in the face with a children's blackboard.^[66][67] The woman suffered a broken nose, shattered eye socket and had timber splinters embedded near her brain^[68].
• Willie Mason verbally harassed a female journalist from radio station 2GB as she tried to conduct interviews with other players at Sydney Airport, resulting in a complaint from 2GB to the Bulldogs club and the ARL The reporter, Michelle Keighran later said she felt "belittled" and "embarrassed" and was reduced to tears over the incident.^{[69][70][71][72][73]}
• Chris Walker was reportedly involved in a scuffle nightclub scuffle over a pair of broken sunglasses at Melbas nightclub in the Gold Coast in which several glasses were smashed. Walker had been drinking for "some time" before the altercation occurred.^[74] It was later revealed that Walker had been battling with alcoholism.^[75]
• Bulldogs legend Terry Lamb was accused of assaulting another man during a fit of rage at a golfing function. The alleged victim, (Cabramatta club member Greg Davison) claimed that Terry Lamb punched him in the face, causing cuts and bruises to his head. Lamb denied the allegations.^[76]
• Anthony Watmough was accused of violence towards his girlfriend. In court, she alleged that Watmough threw metal coins at her, attacked her with a chair, and jammed her in between a sliding door.^[77]
• Todd Carney drove a vehicle whilst already disqualified for drunk driving, which escalated into a high-speed^[78] car chase through the Canberra suburb of Bruce as he attempted to escape police. The ACT Magistrates Court placed Carney on a 12-month good behaviour bond, banned him from driving until 2012, and sentenced him to 200 hours of community service.^[79]
• Sonny Bill Williams was caught in a compromising position with model Candice Falzon, with a photo taken by a mobile phone of the incident published on the Daily Telegraph website. Williams later apologised to his girlfriend. ^{[80] [81]} He was later caught by police relieving himself outside of a nightclub in Cronulla and fined $650, subsequently admitting to an alcohol problem and later on in the year was caught speeding 20km over the legal limit of the area. ^{[82] [83]}
• Ben Roberts pleaded guilty to drink-driving, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving an uninsured vehicle and not displaying P-plates.^[84]
• Michael Crockett was charged with sexual assault.^[85][86]
• Jason King was charged with drink driving after being allegedly caught with a blood alcohol level of 0.085.^[87]
• Andrew Johns admits he used recreational drugs throughout his illustrious career.^[88]
• Ian Lacey and John Te Reo were charged with intentionally causing serious injury to a bank worker, who suffered a fractured skull and bleeding of the brain. The Brisbane Broncos subsequently terminated their contracts.^[89]

[edit] See also

• List of Australian rules football incidents
• List of rugby union incidents
• List of cricket incidents
• List of cricketers banned for match fixing
• Bundaberg Rum - (Rugby League sponsorship)
• List of violent spectator incidents in sports (worldwide spectator events)
• Violence in sports (Analysis and history of world events)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Football Fans Against Sexual Assault - An activist group lobbying for changes to attitudes to sexual assault within the AFL and NRL.