From www.theaustralian.news.com.au – THE woman who outed Nine Network personality Matthew Johns as being involved in a group sex session has claimed five other Cronulla players or staff also performed degrading acts on her while another six watched.
Former Cronulla halfback Brett Firman was last night named as one of the other players allegedly involved in the group sex incident in New Zealand in 2002, while current Sharks captain and Test forward Paul Gallen also went into the room.
In a black day for the NRL, ABC’s Four Corners program last night carried a report that claimed group sex and rape were endemic in the game and revealed details of several scandals dating back to 2002.
A woman who admitted to chasing rugby league players, Charmyne Palavi, also claimed she had been raped by another high-profile NRL player and had seen mobile phone footage of an incident where seven players received fellatio from a woman wearing bunny ears.
The most damning allegations came from a woman, Clare, who claimed she was subjected to a two-hour ordeal during which some Cronulla players rubbed their penises in her face while others watched and masturbated in the room.
Matthew Johns was the only player she was able to identify, and the former Newcastle and Cronulla player apologised during Nine’s The Footy Show last Thursday for the anguish and embarrassment the alleged incident had caused his family.
However, Firman told Four Corners he and Johns were the first players to have consensual sex with Clare.
Gallen, who played in last Friday’s Test match against New Zealand in Brisbane, told the program he went into the room towards the end of the incident and nothing bad had happened.
The sexual misconduct incident allegedly occurred at the Racecourse Hotel at Christchurch in 2002. It was investigated by New Zealand police but no charges were laid.
“There was always … there was always hands on me and there was always … if one person had stopped, someone was touching me and doing something else,” Clare said.
“Every time I looked up, there would be more and more people in the room and … just lots of guys in the room watching … maybe two or three that were on the bed that were doing stuff to me.”
Palavi, who has been romantically linked to NRL Test stars Johnathan Thurston and Greg Inglis, said she was raped by another high-profile player.
Despite the experience, she said she had not pursued the matter with police and it had not deterred her from chasing other players.
She had woken up with someone on top of her.
“And as drunk as I was, and as tired as I was, and passed out, I was trying to push him off me. But I couldn’t, I didn’t have the strength to push him off me.”
NRL chief executive David Gallop said in a statement that the issues were “appalling and unacceptable”.
“The distress of the victims spoke for itself, and to the extent that the game can apologise for the actions of individuals, then I offer that apology unreservedly,” Gallop said.