Sydney Roosters players have praised the mental resilience of Terrell May after the forward was the subject of suggestive online commentary linked to a viral video, 72 hours after his younger brother was arrested on domestic violence charges.
The Roosters on Tuesday released a statement insisting there had been “no use of illicit substances, or any other breach of NRL rules” in a video that began circulating on social media this week, and they would take legal action against those “found responsible for spreading damaging and unsubstantiated claims”.
The NRL was aware of the video.
May was front and centre in the clip, and the main player targeted by trolls. The Roosters said May and four teammates – Brandon Smith, Spencer Leniu, Zach Dockar-Clay and Naufahu Whyte – had been filming a live stream on Twitch last Friday, the day before their loss to Cronulla, and giving away jerseys, boots and caps.
The front-rower has also been dealing with the arrest of younger brother Taylan, a Panthers centre, who was charged on Saturday in relation to a domestic violence incident in which he allegedly punched a woman in the face.
Taylan was not named to play against Cronulla on Saturday, and is expected to be stood down by the NRL under its no-fault policy.
A still from the video featuring Terrell May, Zach Dockar-Clay and three other Roosters teammates.
Skipper James Tedesco said it had been a tough time for Terrell, but he had a good support network at the club.
“It’s a tough time for him and his family, but ‘T’ doesn’t let much get to him, and everyone supports him here,” Tedesco said.
“A lot of things have happened [in the past], whether it’s during a game or at training, he shakes it off and gets on with the next job. You check in with him, but he’s all good.
“[As for the video], we knew what they were doing, and it was before a game. They weren’t doing one thing wrong. They were in their room giving away prizes on their Twitch account.
“So it’s disappointing a few comments can then have a big effect. That’s social media these days. People can say what they want and there are no real consequences.”
Roosters prop Lindsay Collins was disappointed by the comments directed at May and his teammates.
“It’s society, it’s the world we live in that someone can take from a snippet of a video, someone says something about it, and everyone runs with it,” Collins said.
“Terrell was giving away stuff to other people. A good event turns into a bad one. He’s got a really high footy IQ for a front-rower – front-rowers are becoming smarter and more aware of the game.
“He’s got a good mindset. Not much fazes him. He’s almost got a little chip on his shoulder. It’s what drives him a lot. He has a lot of motivation to get the best out of himself.”
Tedesco has been in good form but stopped short of declaring himself a certainty for Origin, despite being the current NSW captain.
“We’ll have to wait and see what happens … [Dylan Edwards] is playing some really good footy, it’s a decision for ‘Madge’ [Michael Maguire],” Tedesco said. “Whatever he decides, we have to back it.”
