England star embroiled video scandal
NEWS: England’s Sam Burgess is being investigated by Australian rugby league chiefs after being caught up in a lewd video chat scandal, with the star forward admitting it had been “a tricky few days”.
The married father-of-one broke his silence days after a report that his social media account was used by two players who allegedly indecently exposed themselves to a young woman without her consent in May.
“I’m not going into details. There’s an NRL investigation going on at the moment,” the South Sydney Rabbitohs player said.
“I’m happy for them to get to the truth, I really am. I’ve been told to publicly make no comment.”
The revelations are another headache for the National Rugby League, which has spent years trying to change the sport’s reputation for bad behaviour after a long list of scandals.
The Burgess issue comes hot on the heels of two Canterbury Bulldogs players being charged with obscene exposure earlier this month after drunken end-of-season celebrations.
Burgess, who played union for England at the 2015 Rugby World Cup before switching back to league, said he hoped the investigation would be finalised this week, with his heavily pregnant wife struggling under the media glare.
“What hurts me the most is seeing my wife upset about what’s out there,” he said.
“It has been a tough process to go through. I’ve got great family, I’ve got great friends. It has been a tricky few days.”
He added that he was not “running away or hiding”, and would consult lawyers to discuss his legal options.
Agence France-Presse
