- He was acquitted in Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court in December.
- He said at the time that he just wanted to return to a “normal life.”
- He will resume his role at NRL 360 nine months after his resignation
Rugby league journalist and presenter Paul Kent has been reinstated as co-host of Fox Sports’ NRL360 football show and will resume his duties in the run-up to the historic first round in Las Vegas on March 2.
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.
Kent, who was driving limousines for a Sydney funeral company while awaiting trial, told media he was eager to return to a “normal life” following his acquittal in December.
“The judge accepted what happened to the point that my lawyer didn’t even have to give a final summary,” he said at the time.
Kent to return to NRL360 panel on Fox Sports after he was found not guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend
Kent told the media he just wanted to return to a “normal” life after the verdict in Sydney in December.
Kent will return to the Fox Sports soccer show in time to cover the historic first round games in Las Vegas on March 2.
“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.’
Former Brisbane Broncos, Queensland and Kangaroos enforcer Gorden Tallis covered Kent’s position on NRL360 while he was retired.
He will remain on the show and appear on Monday nights.
Kent will travel to Las Vegas with the Fox Sports team and will participate in the broadcasts prior to the historic doubleheader at Allegiant Stadium.
He will then resume his regular duties at NRL360 in the regular season.
Three episodes of NRL360 will air from Las Vegas beginning Thursday, February 29, reaching tens of millions of homes across the United States with the show airing during prime time on Fox’s flagship channel.
In addition to the NRL360 episodes, a live show featuring Matty Johns, Bryan Fletcher, Nathan Hindmarsh and Gorden Tallis will be broadcast from outside Resort World, featuring players from all four teams.
Fox Sports will also send Andrew Voss and Dan Ginnane to cover the two games.