Billy Vunipola admitted he never knows when to stop drinking after revealing police were shocked to see he was able to resist arrest. despite being shot with a Taser after a night out in Mallorca.
The former England number 8 was arrested in the early hours of Sunday for disobedience and assault of a police officer, which cost him a €240 fine and a four-month suspended prison sentence, while on a team trip. with the Saracens.
Police officers shot him twice with a Taser in the Epic bar in Palma before taking him to hospital and sedating him. Bar staff repeatedly asked him to put his shirt back on before they closed the bar and called the police.
Vunipola he told the daily mail that he did not remember being asked to leave the bar and that he did not remember being shot with a Taser, and that the first discharge of the Taser was ineffective.
Vunipola said: “Those with more muscles are more affected by [tasers] than those with a little more bedding. I guess I was lucky to have a little more belly because I didn’t feel it as much! Even when she was on the ground, they were surprised that she still had the energy to fight them; Well, not fight them, but resist them, which is why they killed me.”
‘My problem is not knowing when to stop’
Revealing that he had been sober since August 2022 before the incident, in a bid to be at his best on the field for Saracens and England, Vunipola spoke about his relationship with alcohol and noted that he did not know when to stop. He decided to drink again since the trip would be his last with the Saracens. before moving to France next season with Montpellier.
“My problem is just not knowing when to stop drinking and that’s probably why I stopped drinking for so long. I’ve never really been a casual drinker. If I drink, I get to a point where I probably forget what I did.
“My problem was not taking my time to drink. Any drink I had, I would just scoop out the ice and get stuck in it. I realized too late that I needed to calm down.”
Discussing his arrest, Vunipola admitted that “I know when I’m drunk I don’t listen to anyone” and that he normally takes off his shirt, while suggesting the injury suffered by a police officer was accidental.
“What I do remember is that they threatened me. [to call] The police and I thought: “Why? I did nothing. Did I beat up someone? They said, “No, you just won’t leave.” That’s what it all came down to; I drank too much and didn’t listen to what people told me to do.
“The problem is that sometimes I forget how big I am, in a place full of people. I saw the interview that the owner (of the bar) did saying that I was elbowing people, but I had no intention of threatening.
“It was never my intention to hurt anyone. The memory I have is that he was trying to put the bridle on my wrist and I tried to take my wrist off. His hand and mine were trapped together. I just couldn’t understand why he was in that situation.”
Vunipola added that he burst into tears as he explained the situation to his wife, adding that he had “ruined” the trip “for me and everyone else.”
‘The Saracens know that these things are in my personality’
Regarding Saracens, who closed the matter after reprimanding Vunipola’s behaviour, the number 8 added: “I caused great embarrassment and put the spotlight on the club when they were trying to do something good for us. It’s disappointing to have let what happened happen by drinking too much. Very sorry.
“I’ve been at the club for 11 years and I do stupid things all the time, but they always seem to forgive me and accept me just the way I am. I think it’s because they know these things are in my personality, to kick and rebel.
“It’s hard to describe myself from this, but I’m not normally like that and that’s the most embarrassing and disappointing thing; That I let that be what defines me. Well, that’s how other people will define me, but the important thing is that I know that it doesn’t define who I am.
