- Cooper Johns says single mothers hit on him when he was in the NRL
- Johns says mums hoped he could take their kids to the NRL
- The former soccer star says the practice happens frequently
Former football star Cooper Johns has revealed the surprising reason single mothers hit on him when he played in the NRL – and it wasn’t just because of his good looks.
On Wednesday morning, during a segment on The Kyle and Jackie O Showone person called to ask if she was a bad mother because she slept with her young son’s soccer coach to get him moved from the B grade team to the A grade team.
While the brazen plan was successful and her son was moved to the top team, the mother admitted that her son was later bullied due to his ability on his new team.
Johns later revealed that he was not surprised by the story and admitted that the practice is more common than people think.
“I just wanted to let you know that you’re not alone,” Johns said.
‘When I was coming up through the ranks as a junior, I witnessed a lot of these things firsthand.
‘I was even approached once when I was young, once I got to the NRL and I was attending coaching clinics helping development teams and young kids.
“A lot of the young single mothers were proposing to me and the other kids, thinking we could take their kids to the NRL.”
Cooper Johns (pictured playing for Manly) says single mothers hit on him when he was in the NRL
Johns (pictured with his father, football legend Matty), says single mothers flirting with players in the hope it will benefit their sons’ football careers happens frequently.
Johns retired at the end of 2023 and is now working at KIIS 106.5 on The Kyle & Jackie O Show
The former NRL player, son of Rugby League legend Matthew ‘Matty’ Johns, joined The Kyle & Jackie O Show in January after retiring from the game last year.
In January, Matty sent Kyle a warning after his son announced his retirement from the NRL to pursue a career in radio.
The Manly Sea Eagles did not re-sign him at the end of the 2023 season.
When the Kyle & Jackie O Show returned to the air in January, Jackie asked Kyle why Cooper had his own desk in his studio.
“We’re not sure what he does yet, but we just hired his services,” Kyle responded.
‘The reason we got Coops is because I thought he was very, very good. We were paranoid and thought, “We have to protect this guy.”
Kyle then revealed the conversation he had with Matty, Cooper’s former NRL star father.
“His dad was on the phone saying, ‘Don’t let them screw my son. Do you really want me to quit football? It has to be worth it,” Kyle said.