- Jarryd Hayne is training with a renowned speed coach
- Coach hints at return of former NRL star
- He arrived after he was released from prison on June 11.
Former rugby league star Jarryd Hayne has given a big hint that he is planning a return to the professional game after a video emerged of him training with a renowned Sydney sprint coach.
Hayne, 36, 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.
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.
At the height of his glittering football career, he commanded a million-dollar salary and hundreds of thousands of dollars in endorsement deals.
Jarryd Hayne (pictured in 2018 playing for the Eels) could be planning a return to professional football after video emerged of him training in Sydney.
Hayne was emotional when the sexual assault charges against him were officially dropped
But Hayne is now a far cry from the man who in 2015 was predicted to become Australia’s highest-paid sportsman.
The legal ordeal had a devastating impact on his finances, eroded by years of legal fees, a situation made worse by the fact that 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.
Hayne is pictured with his wife Amellia Bonnici on the day they got engaged.
It is not known what the former soccer star’s next move will be.
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.