Former Bulldogs star Jackson Topine has hit the NRL club with a bombshell $4 million lawsuit alleging he was assaulted by up to 35 of his teammates and deprived of his liberty during a brutal punishment meted out in July last year.
The 22-year-old accuses the team of giving him “unlawful corporal punishment” when he was “detained” in a Sydney gym and forced to wrestle 30 to 35 of his fellow Bulldogs as punishment for arriving eight to 10 minutes late. to train.
His lawsuit alleges that the disciplinary action carried out at the direction of head coach Travis Touma amounted to “assault and battery” and left him with “psychiatric injuries” and “physical and mental disabilities.” news corporation reported.
Jackson Topine (pictured right with girlfriend Holly Leppard) accused the Bulldogs of “assault and battery” and “deprivation of liberty” after they allegedly forced him to wrestle with up to 35 of his teammates as punishment for to be late.
The alleged incident in July 2023 left Topine (pictured with Leppard) so physically devastated that he could not stand or walk without assistance.
In the alleged incident on July 18, 2023, he was forced to wrestle with the club’s entire senior team for 30 seconds at a time, prompting one Bulldogs star to tell the publication: “It wasn’t wrestling, It was humiliation.”
The lawsuit now alleges that Touma imposed the penalty on Topine after the players had already completed an intense 90-minute wrestling session.
Touma is accused of refusing to end the wrestling punishment despite Topine showing obvious signs of distress and exhaustion, and the court declaration says: “Every player on the roster of the Bulldogs, who were plaintiff’s opponents in matchups wrestling, he had high levels of physical condition. and strength.’
The 22-year-old (pictured playing for the Dogs) was allegedly forced to grab teammates one after another for 30 seconds at a time, and other players were told not to give in when he showed signs of distress.
The fight continued even though other members of the team pointed out that Topine was suffering and Touma said words like “don’t let him up if he’s down, jump on him immediately,” the lawsuit alleges.
Touma is also accused of refusing to allow other players to help the 22-year-old, saying, “Don’t congratulate him or help him.” He deserved it. He was fucking late.
The young star was so physically exhausted afterward that he could not stand or walk without assistance, according to the court statement, which also alleges that he did not know why he was being punished because he thought he had arrived 20 minutes early for the session. .
The Bulldogs said the club “will say there are a number of allegations which we categorically deny” in a statement about the legal action.
“However, the club has internal policies and procedures for employee conduct and a very robust review process that we support,” a Bulldogs spokeswoman said.
“We also take player welfare very seriously and place the best interests and well-being of our players and staff as our number one priority.”
Shortly after the alleged incident, media reports emerged that an unnamed player had to fight with several players as punishment for being late.
Topine (pictured center in a match against the Brisbane Broncos) was a highly-rated young talent but has not played rugby league since the alleged incident.
Topine’s lawyer Abdul Reslan said the lawsuit would have a major effect on the NRL, telling the publication: “Appropriate protections must be provided to all workplaces, including within the realm of contact sports.”
Reports emerged last year about player discontent with the Bulldogs over training methods, with former captain Raymond Faitala-Mariner raising them with management before leaving the club.
At the time, Canterbury general manager Phil Gould backed the hardline stance of the coaching staff under Cameron Ciraldo, without directly referring to the Topine incident as he was not identified at the time.
“We are the worst team in the competition at the moment and have been for some time,” Gould said on the Six Tackles With Gus podcast last August.
‘Coach [Ciraldo] And the staff certainly make no apologies for the intensity with which they train.’
The former representative star (pictured with Leppard) is seeking $4 million from the club.
Ciraldo also said last August that punishments had been handed out during his tenure, and that the club was desperate to turn things around after last playing in the final in 2016.
‘Nothing comes without hard work. We have one long day a week and if you get your last massage you’ll probably leave at 5:30 p.m.,” Ciraldo said at the time.
Topine, who captained the New South Wales and Australian school teams and was considered one of the club’s brightest young talents, has not played rugby league since the alleged punishment.
He starred in 16 NRL games for the Dogs from 2021 to 2023, scoring one try and representing the Maori All Stars in 2021.
The Auckland-born forward first joined the Bulldogs in 2018, while playing on scholarship at Sydney’s East Hills Boys’ High School, and also played for the Australian schoolboys team in 2019.