Former Parramatta Eels star Jarryd Hayne has returned to top-flight football by joining the Fiji team for rugby league’s upcoming Pacific Championship, just four months after being released from prison when his conviction for rape.
The 36-year-old will act as a mentor to the team after being invited to their camp for the tournament, which begins on Friday.
Hayne played 120 games for Fiji from 2008 to 2018 and also played five games for the national rugby sevens team, and described his new position as “awesome” on Monday.
“Yesterday, on the way to the airport, watching that documentary of the 2008 (Rugby League World Cup) team, following us around the village, it’s been a long journey… 16 to 17 years,” he said.
‘From the army barracks until now we are in five-star hotels. We have come a long way. It’s always good to remember the past.’
Fiji coach Wise Kativerata contacted Hayne after he was released from prison and the appointment developed from there.
“I called him just to talk to him and see how he was doing,” Kativerata told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I wanted to make sure he was okay. He was happy to hear from us.
Hayne (pictured outside court after his sexual assault charges were officially dropped) returns to top-flight football with the Fiji rugby league team.
The former Parramatta star (pictured playing for the Eels in 2014) will work as a mentor for the national team during the Pacific Championship, which begins this Friday.
The 36-year-old is pictured leaving prison after serving time for a rape conviction that was later overturned.
‘After a while I told him about rugby league in Fiji and how it really needed a boost.
“Then I asked him to come and help with the team because I knew it would be good for him and for us.
“At first he thought I was joking.”
The NRL approved Hayne’s work with the team.
In August, the Sydney-based Two Blues rugby club offered the former star the chance to play for them when he was spotted training with famous speed coach Roger Fabri, known for his work with NRL players such as James Tedesco and Josh Addo. Carr.
Hayne, 36, was released from prison on June 12 after his convictions were overturned, having 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 NSW Court of Criminal Appeal decision ended a six-year saga in which the two-time Dally M winner faced three trials after being accused of raping a woman in Newcastle on the big night NRL final in 2018.
After regaining his freedom, Hayne has kept a low profile as he reintegrates into life with his family.
He once had a million-dollar salary and hundreds of thousands in endorsement deals at the height of his brilliant football career.
But Hayne is now a far cry from the man who in 2015 was predicted to become Australia’s highest-paid sportsman.
The legal ordeal has had a devastating impact on his finances, eroded by years of legal fees, a situation made worse by the fact that a fellow inmate allegedly swindled him out of $780,000 in a Bitcoin scam.
Lyall Mercer, public relations and crisis communications strategist, said it was “unfortunate that we live in a time where reputation is defined by social media commentary and speculation rather than facts.”
At the peak of his fame, Hayne played for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL (pictured) after winning two Dally M Medals as the NRL’s best player.
“Everyone deserves due process and Jarryd has gone through the legal process which has ultimately decided that at this time he remains innocent until proven guilty,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘If there is no new trial, he will still be innocent, despite what everyone thinks.
‘Jarryd has a journey ahead of him to rebuild his reputation that has been destroyed.
Mercer pointed out that the NRL, where Hayne was twice awarded the Dally M Medal as player of the year, is full of stars who have been convicted of crimes but have been offered opportunities to restore their reputations.
“Therefore, it would be hypocritical if they (the NRL) did anything less than offer Jarryd, who at this time has not been convicted, support and welcome him back to their community,” Mercer said.