Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne has celebrated having his sexual assault convictions quashed with a night on the town in Sydney.
Hayne, 36, took to Facebook on Friday and posted images of two locations in Circular Quay.
In one of the images, Parramatta Eels great declared that “life is good”.
It comes after sexual assault charges were officially dropped this week, a court was told, but Hayne still has a civil lawsuit hanging over his head.
Just days after the Director of Public Prosecutions announced they would not seek a fourth trial against the former Parramatta and Gold Coast defender, Hayne made a surprise appearance with his lawyers in Sydney’s Downing Center District Court on Friday.
Judge Craig Everson was told the Crown Prosecution Service had dropped two charges of sexual intercourse without consent.
Hayne has consistently denied the allegations and has twice had his conviction overturned by the Court of Criminal Appeal.
He broke down in tears and said he “stayed true” to himself as he thanked God and the people who had supported him during the lengthy legal saga over the alleged attack.
Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne celebrated the overturning of his sexual assault convictions with a night out on the town in Sydney on Friday (pictured)
Hayne (pictured, playing for the Eels) has consistently denied the allegations and the Court of Criminal Appeal has twice overturned his conviction.
The former NSW Blues Origin winger also joked that he now looks more like a frontline player after gaining weight in jail as he poured cold water on the prospect of a return to football at 36.
Hayne was released from prison earlier this month after his convictions were overturned.
He spent more than a year behind bars after a jury found him guilty in April 2023 of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
The Director of Public Prosecutions confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that he would not face a fourth trial.
“Yes, obviously emotional,” Hayne said outside court, looking relieved as he walked out alongside his barrister Margaret Cunneen SC and solicitor Lauren MacDougall.
‘I stayed true to myself the whole time, the whole process. It’s a vindication for me and for my family and my loved ones.
‘I want to thank all those who supported me from day one, who were by my side and with me.
‘It’s been a roller coaster. The guys on the inside who supported me, the guys on the outside and everyone who stood shoulder to shoulder with me, I appreciate it.
‘Thinking of everyone who prayed for me, I thank God for keeping me safe, not only myself but also my wife, during everything she had to go through.
An emotional Hayne made a surprise appearance in a Sydney court on Friday (pictured) as sexual assault charges against him were officially dropped.
The former Parramatta Eels star shed tears as he thanked God and his supporters before joking about how much his body has changed in jail and casting doubt on his chances of returning to football after regaining his freedom.
The 36-year-old (pictured outside court on Friday) said the dropping of charges was “vindication for me, my family and my loved ones”.
Hayne (pictured leaving jail earlier this month) spent more than a year behind bars after a jury found him guilty in a verdict that was later overturned on appeal.
‘It’s been hard. “I’m just grateful for all the support.”
Asked if he would return to football, Hayne laughed and said: “I look like a front-rower.”
“Having carefully considered the many competing factors informing the public interest assessment in this case, the ODPP has decided not to proceed with a fourth trial against Mr. Hayne,” the prosecutor said during the hearing.
The two-time Dally M winner turned NFL player has consistently denied the allegations and claimed the sexual encounter, inside the woman’s Newcastle home at the 2018 NRL grand final, was entirely consensual.
His first trial in 2021 ended in a hung jury and he was found guilty after a second trial, but the verdict was overturned on appeal.
After a third trial, a jury accepted the woman’s version of events that she repeatedly said “no” and “stop.”
However, the state’s highest court overturned Hayne’s conviction after ruling that the trial judge erred by not allowing further examination of the plaintiff.
The appeal was upheld by a majority of 2 to 1 by the Court of Criminal Appeal.
In her part of the ruling, Judge Deborah Sweeney called the guilty verdicts unreasonable and said she was “of the opinion that there is a significant possibility that an innocent person may have been convicted.”
Hayne still faces a civil lawsuit from his accuser, who is suing him for an undisclosed amount over the alleged attack.