- James Tedesco defends his teammates in viral hotel room video
- He says it’s not right that they have been accused of bad behavior.
- The Club has rejected the accusations of irregularities
Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco defended his teammates by declaring it “not right” that they were accused of unlawful behavior in a video circulating online, with the club condemning the allegations amid threats of legal actions.
The short video showed five current players in a room answering a question from a fan which the club said was part of a long live broadcast they had organized with fans.
But viewers of the short clip made wild accusations which the Roosters slammed as “extremely distorted and clearly damaging claims” in a powerful statement on Tuesday morning.
Tedesco was unimpressed by suggestions that his teammates had done something wrong.
“It was the night before a game and I knew the guys were doing a giveaway on Twitch,” he said.
Roosters captain James Tedesco (centre pictured in action against Newcastle) defended his teammates over the viral video.
‘Some people have come out assuming some nonsense, but it’s not right for people to come out and assume things they have no idea about.
“Being accused of something like that is not right.”
His comments came after the club threatened to take action against the people who started the rumours.
“The Sydney Roosters have been made aware of a short clip from a longer live broadcast that some on social media have claimed identifies behavior that breaches NRL rules,” the statement read.
“The live stream in question was part of an hour-long transparent interaction with one of our player supporters the night before the club’s 11th round match.
WATCH THE FULL UNEDITED VIDEO HERE
Roosters players laughed and joked with fans, answered their questions and greeted their members while giving away club merchandise in the images.
Brandon Smith (centre) talks to Sydney Roosters fans during the hour-long live stream posted on Twitch
‘The players who appeared on the broadcast selected the winners for various draws for shirts, boots and caps. The players were fully aware that they were being watched by the live stream participants.
‘The clip does not reveal any illicit substance use or any other breach of NRL rules, however some consider it appropriate to make that wildly distorted and clearly damaging claim.
‘The Sydney Roosters maintain the highest standards of conduct and integrity, both on and off the field. Our players comply with all NRL policies, including their rigorous drug testing and educational programs.
“As a club, we remind social media users that we take the defamatory statements that some have made very seriously and that we are carrying out a thorough investigation to identify the source(s) of a number of false allegations.”
Los Gallos said legal action would be taken against those found responsible for spreading “harmful and baseless claims.”