Mitchell Pearce says he was not affected by drugs, but still did not even know he was being filmed during his drunken Australia Day escapade.
The NRL star told Alan Jones on Fairfax Radio on Monday he only learned the video had been shot of him simulating a lewd act with a dog when he was contacted by his Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson the next day.
Jones asked Pearce if speculation he was affected by drugs on the night of the incident was accurate, to which Pearce replied “no”.
Pearce also denied urinating in the Bondi apartment, and said he does not know the man who filmed the incident.
“My coach Trent Robinson gave me a call and explained to me there was a video of me from the night before which blew my mind a bit,” he said.
However Pearce says that while he is disappointed with the way the episode has played out, he takes full responsibility for his actions after a month-long stint in a Thai rehab clinic.
“Emotionally I’ve needed to grow up, I’m under no illusions about that,” he said.
“I’ve let myself down, I’ve let a lot of other people down. It’s not going to go away overnight, the hard work starts now.”
Pearce hopes his return to Australia also includes a reunion with the Roosters, however that may not be the case if the NRL’s women’s advisor Catherine Lumby has her way.
The NSW Origin playmaker is expected to cop a six-week suspension and $50,000 fine, but Lumby says that would merely be a slap on the wrist.
“Personally I wouldn’t (allow him back in the game) because of all the support and education he has had and the fact he is a senior leader who should know better,” she told News Corp Australia.
“He has had ample opportunity (to learn).”
Lumby is of the opinion Pearce’s actions were an act of aggressive harassment aimed at a female who had rejected his advances.
Pearce is likely to discover his fate this week, with new Roosters chief executive John Lees already showing some signs of contrition for the club’s halfback.
“There was no violence involved,” he told Fairfax Media.
“There was ultimately no bigger crime or major sort of criminal matter, but it’s a serious societal issue and that’s why we’re taking it seriously.”
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