FA Sydney club has offered former rugby league star Jarryd Hayne a return to football, but the offer comes with a couple of strict conditions.
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 in April 2023 found him guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
The decision by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal ended a six-year saga that saw the two-time Dally M winner face three trials after being accused of raping a woman in Newcastle at the 2018 NRL grand final.
Since regaining his freedom, Hayne has kept a low profile as he reintegrates into life with his family.
He last played NRL football in 2018 but the former Eels superstar has appeared on social media training with famed sprint coach Roger Fabri.
Fabri, who has worked with NRL stars James Tedesco, Michael Jennings and Josh Addo-Carr, posted a clip of Hayne running around a football pitch.
“You thought it was over! You don’t even know what Jarryd Hayne is going to do,” Fabri wrote in his post.
It has now been revealed that Western Sydney Two Blues rugby club are interested in Hayne playing for them.
Hayne was emotional when the sexual assault charges against him were officially dropped in June.
A Sydney rugby team has offered the former soccer star the chance to return to football.
Two Blues boss Greg Cummings says once Rugby Australia and Rugby NSW approve the move, there will also be a few more hurdles to overcome.
“He would have to approach us, we are not willing to pursue him, and I would consult with my management and coaching staff first,” Cummings said. Yahoo Sports Australia.
“If everyone agreed, we would consider him on his merits. He was one of the best full-backs in his prime but he has been out of football for a long time so he would have a lot of work to do.
“We’re not at NRL level but our lads are very committed and train hard so I’d have to be willing to put in the work. I’d say it’s a long shot but you never know.”
Cummings says the last thing they would need to sort out before signing the former Eels star is the paperwork.
“I’d have to pay the registration fee like all the other guys: $250 a season,” Cummings said.
Hayne is now a far cry from the man once predicted to become Australia’s highest-paid sportsman.
Hayne (pictured with wife Amellia Bonnici) last played in the NRL in 2018
It is not known what the next step will be for the former football star (pictured winning the Dally M Medal as the NRL’s best player in 2009).
The former football star was recently pictured with Parramatta Eels legend Peter Wynn.
The legal ordeal had a devastating impact on his finances, eroded by years of legal fees, a situation made worse when a fellow inmate allegedly defrauded him of $780,000 in a Bitcoin scam.
It is not known what Hayne will do next, but Lyall Mercer, a PR and crisis communications strategist, said it was “unfortunate that we live in an age where reputation is defined by social media commentary and speculation rather than facts”.
“Everyone deserves a fair trial and Jarryd has been through the legal process which ultimately decided that at this stage he is still innocent until proven guilty,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘If there is no new trial, he will remain innocent, regardless of what anyone thinks.
‘Jarryd has a journey ahead of him to rebuild his reputation that has been destroyed.
Mr Mercer said the NRL, where Hayne was twice awarded the Dally M Medal as player of the year, was littered with stars who had been convicted of crimes but offered opportunities to restore their reputations.
“It would therefore be hypocritical if they (the NRL) did anything less than offer Jarryd – who at this stage has not been convicted – support and welcome him back into their community,” Mercer said.
Whether this will happen or not is another question.
Both the NRL and Hayne’s former club, the Parramatta Eels, have refused to recognise him since late 2018, when he was first accused of sexual assault.
Hayne, who was one of the Eels’ greatest ever players, was not mentioned once at the club’s 75th anniversary celebrations in April 2022, when he was looking forward to his third Test.