Billy Vunipola once claimed the pain was “satisfying” and boasted about his “coolest scar” in a previous interview, before police shot him with a Taser and arrested him.
England number 8 Vunipola was shot twice with a Taser after an incident at a Mallorca nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning and was subsequently fined €240 (£205).
The police investigation has been closed despite his arrest for resisting the law, but his club, Saracens, have confirmed they will deal with the matter internally.
Vunipola, 31, was caught on camera laughing when his first Taser attempt failed, after police rushed to a bar in the island’s capital, Palma, following calls from security staff.
Local reports said the athlete, who was born in Australia to Tongan parents and moved to the UK as a child, had taken off his shirt. He was also accused of threatening customers and employees, but denied making threats.
Billy Vunipola once claimed the pain was “satisfying” and boasted about his “coolest scar.”
Vunipola (left) was marked after receiving a stamp during Saracens’ Champions Cup victory in 2016.
Old comments from an interview have now resurfaced in light of the incident and provided remarkable insight into Vunipola’s brazen approach to feeling pain.
speaking to The Guardian in 2019, he said: ‘At the end of a Six Nations match my body hurts quite a bit, but it’s a very satisfying pain.
“I have a lot of scars, the coolest one is on my forehead, when I won the Champions Cup with my club Saracens in 2016 and they trampled me. It reminds me of winning.”
A statement on behalf of Vunipola was shared on social media on Monday lunchtime.
In it, he stated that the incident had been a “misunderstanding” and that the case had been quickly closed after an express trial and a fine, which he had paid.
“I can confirm that I was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when leaving a club in Mallorca on Sunday, which got out of control,” the statement said.
The English and Saracen star Vunipola was arrested after an incident in a nightclub in Mallorca
The police shot him twice with a Taser in the early hours of Sunday and subsequently fined him 240 euros.
‘Contrary to what the media reports, there was no violence, no fight, and I did not threaten anyone at any time, not with bottles, not with chairs, not with anything else.
‘They accused me of resisting the law and, after an “express trial”, I paid a fine of 240 euros. The Spanish police investigation is now closed.
“I will obviously co-operate with Saracens’ internal process and apologize unreservedly for any inconvenience caused to everyone involved.”
Vunipola will fly back to the UK today and Saracens will carry out their own investigation.
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