EXCLUSIVE
Sacked football commentator Paul Kent has been privately dealing with a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome for almost a decade, according to his… Unfair dismissal claim against News Corp.
Kent lost his job as co-host of Fox Sports’ NRL 360 show and as a columnist for the Daily Telegraph after he was filmed four months ago fighting with a stranger outside a Sydney pub.
The 54-year-old took the editor of Nationwide News Pty Ltd to the Fair Work Commission, alleging he was dismissed without ever being given the opportunity to explain his conduct.
Her complaint to the commission claims Kent told her employer about nine years ago that she suffered from Asperger’s syndrome and that the condition is a disability under the law.
Asperger syndrome is a “high-functioning” form of autistic disorder that can affect a person’s understanding of what is going on around them.
People with Asperger’s may have good cognitive and language skills, but still experience difficulties with communication and social interaction.
Some might exhibit repetitive behavior, focusing intensely on one topic to the exclusion of all others, or having trouble interpreting what another person is thinking.
Kent, who was hired by the Telegraph in 2000, does not appear to have ever written about or discussed his Asperger’s diagnosis during his years at Fox Sports.
Sacked football commentator Paul Kent has been privately dealing with a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome for almost a decade, according to his unfair dismissal lawsuit against News Corp.
The reports deny that Kent informed the company about his Asperger’s diagnosis in or around 2015 and deny that it discriminated against him because of the disability.
In July, Kent was given a two-year good behaviour bond after failing to clear a charge of affray arising from the street fight under the Mental Health Act.
Attorney George Elias said Kent “punished himself with alcohol” after being wrongly accused of domestic violence offenses last year and that his employers offered him “no help.”
Fox Sports and the Telegraph kept Kent out of circulation for seven months while the domestic violence charges (which were eventually dismissed) wound their way through the courts.
Kent was suspended again by both media outlets just hours after video of the April 27 fight outside the Three Weeds hotel in Sydney’s central west went viral, three days before police charged him.
In deciding not to record a conviction for the fight, Magistrate Jennifer Price took into account that Kent was suffering from severe depression and alcohol use disorder at the time of the fight.
Kent’s application to the Fair Work Commission was made on June 18, two weeks before the affray charge was finalised in court.
Kent was involved in a fight outside the Three Weeds hotel in Rozelle, western Sydney, in April. He pleaded guilty to affray and was given a two-year good behaviour bond.
In the document, she described her dismissal by News as a “farce,” accusing the company of multiple violations of labor laws.
Kent alleges that News “acted arbitrarily, capriciously (and) unreasonably” in firing him on May 30, five weeks before the street fight was resolved in court.
Her application to the Fair Work Commission states that Kent’s role in the altercation did not justify immediate dismissal and that she was not given the opportunity to explain what happened.
Kent says she told the News she was unfit for work and was receiving mental health treatment when the company asked her on May 23 to show why her employment should not be terminated.
According to Kent, his dismissal dates back to when he was wrongly accused of attacking his ex-partner Lucy Kennedy at her Lilyfield home on May 12 last year.
Kent pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual actual bodily harm, common assault and strangling a person without consent and all charges were dismissed in December at Downing Centre Local Court.
In his complaint to the Fair Work Commission, Kent claims News failed to pay him while he was suspended from work from May 14 to January 7, almost a month after he was cleared of the charges.
Kent says his firing was “fabricated” by News after he objected to the company’s actions, including its treatment of him while he was suspended over domestic violence allegations.
Her lawsuit alleges that during the time Kent was suspended, News had “failed to make reasonable accommodations and measures in relation to (Kent’s) disabilities, including his Asperger’s syndrome.”
That alleged failure had caused Kent’s mental health to deteriorate.
Kent further says the News’ gag order and public statements he made about the domestic violence charges led to him being subjected to “significant verbal and online abuse.”
That abuse included repeated references to Kent being a “sexist” and a “rapist” as people told him they wanted him dead.
The journalist also called for publicity regarding the domestic violence charges for what happened the night he met Tamer Uzun outside Three Weeds when that matter went to court.
Kent’s complaint to the Fair Work Commission claims he told his employer about nine years ago that he suffered from Asperger’s syndrome and that the condition is a disability under the law.
Kent had shot down 21 schooners in an 11-hour session with his friends at the nearby Sackville Hotel and was walking home to Lilyfield when he came across Uzun, who had been dining at Totti’s restaurant.
Believing Uzun had tricked him with a reference to domestic violence charges, Kent challenged the 35-year-old man and called him a “doghead.”
The verbal abuse between the two escalated into a savage exchange of blows that ended with Kent falling headfirst into a ditch.
Kent’s application to the Fair Work Commission claims he suffered physical injuries, including broken ribs, and was later placed under the care of a psychiatrist.
News denies every alleged violation of labor laws and maintains that he was entitled to summarily dismiss Kent under his employees’ enterprise agreement for “conduct justifying immediate dismissal.”
A letter from the company’s general manager of employee relations, Andrew Biocca, sent to Kent on May 30 claimed he had started a physical altercation in a public place “while heavily intoxicated.”
The letter described Kent as “an aggressor and instigator of the altercation” and quoted him calling Uzun “a weak idiot,” “dog head” and “fucking dog.”
Kent had 21 drinks with his mates at Balmain’s Sackville Hotel and was walking home when he came across Tamer Uzun (right), who had been dining at Totti’s restaurant.
Mr Biocca also noted that Kent had taken off his watch and resisted attempts to pacify him before the fight, which had attracted significant media attention.
News called Kent’s behavior “particularly serious in its character and reputational consequences” because of his “unique public profile.”
He also disputed that Kent was fired for missing work due to illness or injury and denied he was responsible for any abuse she suffered.
The news reports claim Kent was paid his salary while he was fired over the domestic violence allegations and had taken seniority leave and annual leave for most of that time.
Kent is seeking payment for all royalties it claims to have from May 14, 2023, through January 7, 2024, as well as reinstatement of any licenses used during that time.
She is also seeking compensation for the deterioration of her mental health “due to the failure to make reasonable adjustments in relation to her disabilities” and for “pain, suffering, humiliation and stress”.
Tamer Uzun has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the altercation with Kent and is seeking to have them dropped. He is due back in court next month.