- Paul Kent returned to TV screens on Thursday night
- He had been removed amid allegations of domestic violence.
- The football expert was acquitted and was in position in Las Vegas.
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
Paul Kent returned to TV screens on Thursday as the football journalist sat alongside Braith Anasta for the first NRL360 program of the 2024 season.
Kent was removed from his News Corp newspaper column and his role on NRL360 in 2023 after he was charged with common assault and intentional suffocation of a person without consent.
He was found not guilty of allegations he attacked and strangled his then partner Lucy Kennedy, 33, at their home in Sydney’s inner west on December 12.
After a two-day hearing at Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court, magistrate Daniel Reiss told the court he could not find the charges were proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
A relieved Kent said he could “finally get back to my normal life” after the court ordeal, having driven limousines for a Sydney funeral company while awaiting trial, and made his return in spectacular surroundings, with the NRL world eagerly anticipating the Las Vegas event. Extravaganza in Las Vegas this weekend.
Paul Kent returned to television screens Thursday night in Las Vegas
Kent did not mention the reason he was out of NRL360 last season.
The Fox Sports pundit was acquitted of domestic violence charges in December
Kent was sitting on a panel alongside Anasta, football legend Gorden Tallis and pundit Buzz Rothfield, and the NRL360 presenter first turned to his old training partner Kent for his take on the Sin City premiere.
“It’s pretty special, isn’t it?” Kent said. “I’ve been covering the game for a long time and I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m pretty impressed with the vibe around it and how people are responding to it.”
The domestic violence case was not mentioned, nor did Anasta acknowledge that Kent had been absent.
After being acquitted in December, Kent said: “The judge accepted what happened to the point that my lawyer was not even asked to give a final summary.”
“It’s been seven months that I’ve had to sit there and feel like I’ve been wrongfully arrested (and) accused, and I’ve had to sit there and have our public reputation lacerated by people who have used it as an opportunity.” .
‘The truth is finally out there. It has been a great cost for me, it has been a great setback in my life. But we all have our struggles in life.
‘This is mine currently, so now it’s up to me to regroup and get back to my normal life. I can finally leave all this behind.’
Tallis, a former Brisbane Broncos, Queensland and Kangaroos enforcer, covered Kent’s position at NRL360 while he was retired.
Three episodes of NRL360 will air from Las Vegas starting tonight and reach tens of millions of homes across the United States, with the show airing during prime time on Fox’s main channel.
In addition to the NRL360 episodes, a live show featuring Matty Johns, Bryan Fletcher, Nathan Hindmarsh and Tallis will be broadcast from outside Resort World, featuring players from all four teams.
Fox Sports also sent Andrew Voss and Dan Ginnane to cover the two games.