Footy star Karmichael Hunt has found himself at the centre of another drug-related scandal, having been allegedly busted with cocaine in Brisbane party district Fortitude Valley last night.
Queensland Police have confirmed that the Wallabies and Queensland Reds player was nicked along with a 32-year-old man on McLachlan St in the heart of the Valley, after cops noticed them acting suspiciously.
Hunt, who’s 31, has been charged with two counts of drug possession and will appear in court on January 29. The other guy has copped a charge of one count of possessing an item used in a drug offence (the item is believed to be a mobile phone), and will have his day in court at a later date.
Rugby Australia has released a weary statement acknowledging that yes, they are aware of what Hunt has been up to:
It is understood Hunt was arrested and has subsequently been released by Queensland police. Rugby Australia takes all matters relating to the off-field behaviour of its players seriously and has commenced an investigation into the incident in conjunction with the Queensland Rugby Union.
No further comment will be made at this time.
If all of this sounds familiar, it’s because Hunt was at the centre of a high-profile drug case back in 2015. After pleading guilty to four counts of cocaine possession, he was let off with a $2,500 fine. Rugby officials also fined him $30,000 and suspended him for six weeks. Meanwhile, he reportedly turned in fellow Gold Coast Titans players to the Crime and Corruption Commission in order to receive a lighter sentence.
Apparently that debacle hasn’t been enough to keep him off the nose beers though! Could we finally be seeing a change in the culture around sports players that allows them to get away with pretty much anything? I’m not holding my breath.
Source:
Courier Mail
Image:
Getty Images / Dan Mullan