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St George Illawarra Dragons forward Jack de Belin has been charged by police with one count of aggravated sexual assault in company on Thursday afternoon.
The 27-year-old was allegedly involved in an incident following a night out in Wollongong over the weekend.
Another person – believed to be a lower grade player from the club – is also under investigation following the incident, which was raised by a 19-year-old female who will allege she was sexually assaulted by the pair on Sunday morning at about 1:30am (AEDT).
Reports suggest the 157-game veteran denies the allegations being made against him, however, it’s unclear at this stage who the other player is.
It’s understood De Belin voluntarily attended the Wollongong police station on Thursday at about 4pm (AEDT) after he became aware detectives wished to speak with him following the report being made.
He has since been granted bail after being charged by police and will appear in Wollongong Local Court on February 19 next year.
De Belin, who made his State of Origin debut for the New South Wales Blues during the 2018 season, is said to have told his partner about the incident, who is 20 weeks pregnant with their first child.
The Dragons have since commented on the issue, releasing an official statement.
“The St George Illawarra Dragons have today been advised that forward Jack de Belin has been charged with sexual assault following an alleged incident in Wollongong on Sunday, December 9,” said the statement.
The club is taking the matter very seriously and have been working with Jack and all relevant authorities, including the police and the NRL Integrity Unit, since this time.
“Jack has been provided with welfare support to enable him the time and opportunity to deal with the matter.
“As this is a police matter to be considered by the court, the club is not in a position to make any further comment at this time.
“The NRL are yet to make an official comment, however, were advised of the matter by the Dragons as soon as they were made aware.”
The news follows a hellish couple of weeks for the NRL, as Jarryd Hayne is also currently in court for an incident alleged to have been committed in September.