The father of NRL bad boy Taylan May believes there is still hope for the fallen football star despite facing domestic violence charges in court in 2025.
The May family grew up in the western Sydney suburb of Tragear, near Mount Druitt.
However, the three brothers, Tyrone, Terrell and Taylan, made it to the NRL, largely thanks to the brutal training their father Jay subjected them to to escape poverty.
Even though all three made it to the NRL, it’s still been a tough road.
Tyrone was sacked by the Penrith Panthers in 2021 after he pleaded guilty to four charges of recording intimate images without consent and then posting them on social media. He now plays for Hull KR in the UK Super League.
The younger of the brothers, Taylan, has been withdrawn under the NRL’s no-fault withdrawal policy and will face court on March 10 to answer charges that he allegedly assaulted his wife.
Jay is the father of current and former NRL players Tyrone, Terrell and Taylan Man.
Taylan will face domestic violence charges in court in 2025 and has been stood down by the NRL until the case concludes.
Taylan, Tyrone, Jay and Terrell return to their family home in Tragear, western Sydney.
Terrell then faced a social media storm when he was released by the Sydney Roosters. He has since signed with Wests Tigers.
Despite all the difficulties, Terrell loves his family and gathered the brothers and his father to visit his family home to watch his latest YouTube video.
In the video, Jay reveals the brutal training he put the children through on Tragear Hill almost every day.
Jay has previously said he and the boy’s mother, Sally, believed there were only three ways out of Tragear: join the NRL, find a 9-5 job or go to jail.
“It wasn’t easy, but I did it for love,” he said.
“Everyone thinks I coached you because I wanted you to get to the NRL, that was never the case,” he said.
“The truth is, I just wanted to be close to you guys.”
Jay revealed the shame he and Sally felt about their situation, as the May siblings often went to school hungry even though they were both working.
Terrell and Taylan May with their mother Sally from their childhood in Tragear.
Jay with his children Tyrone, Terrell and Taylan, who grew up in a low-income suburb.
“Obviously money was tough, but we lived on the housing commission, so we can’t complain,” he said.
‘The rent is quite cheap in the houses.
“The conditions are not the best, you know, it’s full of asbestos and things like that.
‘Sometimes it was difficult because they would miss one or two meals and they wouldn’t bring much lunch to school.
‘We didn’t really have time to prepare lunch or do that because we were in and out.
‘They were just young, so we felt bad about that. But it was just one of those things. You have to go through that when you live a little poorer than everyone else.
‘But we never complained about it and it was never an excuse for them not to go to school or have a bad attitude or think the world was against them.
Taylan May is the youngest of the brothers. Growing up, he was quietly a favorite in his father’s eyes for his tenacity despite his diminutive stature, earning him the name Tiny.
Taylan May has parted ways with the Penrith Panthers and cannot register to play for another team until his court case concludes.
However, the recent accusations and charges against Taylan have soured their relationship.
“Tiny was born facing the ceiling and I thought we were going to have a strong bond throughout our lives,” Jay said.
‘Now that he has become a man, we have had our problems.
“But I know in a couple more years, once he’s 25 or 26, he’ll realize that I wasn’t just trying to teach him things, I wasn’t trying to be mean to him.
‘I was just trying to tell him the right things to do in life.
‘You often don’t want to listen to your parents when you get older and, unfortunately for Tiny, he hasn’t been listening to me lately.
“But I’m still proud of him and I hope he overcomes all the things he’s going through and comes out on the other side and becomes the man I know he can be.”
“But I love him anyway.”
Terrell Harrison was released by the Sydney Roosters in a shock move and has now signed with the Wests Tigers.
Jay has also revealed what he regrets most about the harsh training he put the children through.
While Tyrone and Taylan endured the pressure and wanted to work harder to succeed, Terrell was made differently.
Jay admitted that he should have been more lenient with the middle brother, who looked more like his Samoan mother than his Australian father.
“For my part, I was on the verge of harassment,” he said.
‘If I could change anything since growing up with him, it would be the fact that I should have been gentler on him.
‘Everyone has a different personality. I pushed Tyrone and Tiny because they wanted to be pushed. They could take the pushing.
But Tyrell couldn’t. If I’m honest, I should have taken a different approach towards Tyrell because he is a different person.
Jay is grateful that Terrell has grown into the kind-hearted man he is and called him the “gentle giant” of the family.
“Terrell has always been the one who wants everyone to be together, he’s very family-oriented,” she said.
‘If there’s a real Samoan in my house, it would be him and his mother. He’s more Samoan than the other two.
The other two are fake Samoans, that’s for sure.
‘They grew up more like me, Australian. But Terrell always wanted to have the family together.
‘He was a loving person, but when he breaks down, it’s time to run.
“He’s a gentle giant, but when he gets angry, especially if you say something about his mother, it’s over.”