Dylan Nappa

On January 10, several videos of Napa engaging in sexual intercourse with an unknown female were leaked to the media with Napa saying “Call me Big Papi” in the first video resulting in the phrase becoming a headline and meme for the following weeks.                            

More videos were released two days later which led to Napa approaching police and lawyers, ultimately discovering that the leak came from a WhatsApp group between Roosters Players.

Later it was reported by Fox Sports Australia that Dylan Nappa “was forced into the extraordinary move of dropping his trousers to prove to a Bulldogs official that it wasn’t him in the latest lewd video leaked on social media” and that “the Canterbury prop took the extreme step to prove he didn’t have a distinctive tattoo on his upper thigh, proving his innocence”

Bulldogs Mad Monday

Controversy surrounding the Bulldogs Mad Monday end of season celebration took over the NRL news cycle, with players being filmed dancing naked and vomiting on the street.

The incident sparked debate over the role the media played in exposing the story. Many believe that, while they behaved inappropriately, the venue was intentionally closed off from the public and it was only through the paparazzi stalking that the incident came to light. Others believe that regardless of the location, the players should be punished for their behaviour and tarnishing of the league's image.

Ben Barba

After being investigated for an allegedly assaulting his partner in January, the NRL has given Ben Barba a lifetime ban following the release of CCTV footage. The league is committed to cracking down on all incidents of domestic violence with NRL CEO telling the Sydney Morning Herald; “If you are violent against women, you can expect to be removed from the game. That starts now”

Corey Norman Snort

Footage of Corey Norman encouraging an older man to snort a line of white powder was released in January of this year. While not proven to be cocaine, the video went viral, released by Facebook page NRL Memes. Norman will not face sanctions by the NRL and the Integrity Unit had previously been made aware of the video.

Shane Flanagan Deregistered

With evidence that Shane Flanagan was heavily involved in club operations during his 12-month ban after an investigation into the Shark’s supplement scandal, Flanagan has been de-registered by the NRL.

The Sharks have also been fined $800,000 and have appointed John Morris to replace Flanagan as head coach.

Rabbitohs Sexting

Whilst in the finals of last year’s season, Rabbitohs was involved in a sexting scandal with reports of multiple players revealing themselves in a FaceTime call with a fan. With the woman behind the allegations refusing to take questions, Burgess remains adamant that he wasn’t involved. Shortly after, the club cleared their players of any misconduct charges or breaches of club or league rules.

Matt Lodge

Involved in two incidents in the end of last season and 18/19 offseason, a witness claimed to have seen Lodge strike his ex-girlfriend Charlene Saliba and tell the seven year old grandson of the witness to call Saliba a “bitch”.

Additionally, Lodge reached an agreement with the victims of his assault in New York in 2015 at the end of last year. After kidnapping and terrorising a couple in October of 2015, Lodge avoided jail time in the US, instead serving 200 hours of community service and alcohol/anger treatment.

In June 2018, Lodge agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to the victims as a settlement.

Manly Sea Eagles Salary Cap Breach

As a result of breaching the salary cap over the past five years, the Manly Sea Eagles were given a $750,000 fine and a $660,000 penalty to the clubs salary cap for the upcoming season.

Manly CCO Joe Kelly had his registration suspended for 12 months, as did former Manly CEO and current Roosters CEO.

Jarryd Hayne Sexual Assault Allegations

Police reports in November 2018 accuse Jarryd Hayne of sexually assaulting a 26 year old female who claimed that Hayne “ripped her clothes off” and that she was “savagely bitten”.

Hayne pleaded not guilty to the charges of sexual assault and the issue will return to court on February 13 although he was excused from appearing.

Greg Inglis Drink Driving

Inglis was caught speeding at 99km/h in an 80km/h zone with a BAC of 0.085 outside of Lithgow in early October. Having pled guilty to drink-driving, he was issued an infringement notice and stripped of captaincy of the Kangaroos. Inglis’s contributions to the community and charity work aided in avoiding a conviction being recorded.