NRL player Payne Haas has admitted to intimidation but denies charges of intimidating police officers. The young superstar claims he was attempting to intimidate Queenslanders when he was arrested and that he would never mistreat police because “…they wear blue.”
Haas explained that he was hurling abuse at Queenslanders ahead of the 2021 footy season when he was arrested in Tweed Heads recently, because he is still angry at losing the 2020 State of Origin series.
The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern-day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes; the National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015, while AFL player Elijah Taylor is the most recent recipient.
“I wanna win Origin this year,” stated Haas.
“I can’t believe we lost to their reserve grade team last year, and I’m not gonna go through that again this year – so I went as close to Queensland as possible and started just yelling stuff at random Queenslanders from across the border.”
“I just love intimidating Queenslanders, but I couldn’t get into the state because of the whole coronavirus restrictions, so I just had to yell at them from the other side of the river. If we wanna win Origin this year, we’ve gotta get in early, especially if they get all their top players back this year.”
Police arrested Haas on charges of intimidation and verbal abuse, and reports allege that he was intoxicated at the time.
“I still don’t know why I was arrested. I reckon the cops must secretly be Queenslanders.”
The talented prop was lost for words, however, when he was reminded that he plays his club football for Queensland’s most popular team.
It’s not the forward’s first run in with police. In 2019 he appeared in court over two drink-driving incidents, and in the same year he was suspended and fined by the Broncos for refusing to cooperate with the NRL integrity unit in relation to two off-field incidents.
Whether or not the young New South Welshman’s efforts prove effective will be known later in the year.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 