- Taylan May explains why she got ‘pain’ under her eye tattooed
- Panthers star talks about growing up on housing commission
- He says he is different from others and has no regrets about using flashy ink.
Penrith Panthers star Taylan May has revealed the reason for his recent controversy and why he has the word ‘pain’ tattooed under his right eye.
The 22-year-old took to Instagram last month to reveal his latest tattoo, after getting his surname tattooed on his neck in large letters.
The Panthers star has no shortage of flashy ink, with the word “pain” tattooed under his right eye, a broken heart under his left, and “Meliodas,” the name of an anime character, written across his chest.
“The ‘pain’ tattoo in the middle of that photo is basically a message of everything I’ve been through,” May told Sydney Morning Herald.
‘Growing up, the trauma… I was on the housing commission my whole life, except last year when my parents bought a house. “It was a tough education.”
Penrith Panthers star Taylan May says the “pain” tattoo under his eye is a message about the trauma he endured growing up on a housing commission.
May says she “doesn’t like to fit into society’s agenda” and that’s why she got a tattoo on her neck
May also explained why she got her last name tattooed on her neck.
“I received this during our week off a few weeks ago,” he said.
‘I have friend rates. I don’t like to fit into society’s agenda. I like to be different. That is the reason behind this.
‘I have no excuses. I am what I am.’
May made headlines earlier this year after posting a video on social media that appears to show him in a car going nearly twice the speed limit in a residential area.
A link to Sydney-based car rental company Ruthless Rentals was added to the video, with distinctive tattoos on the driver’s left arm proving May is not behind the wheel.
May and Ruthless Rentals’ Instagram accounts were subsequently deleted, with the NRL and Penrith Integrity Unit following up.
The talented soccer star says he doesn’t regret any of his tattoos.
May recently made headlines for posting a controversial video of a classmate driving 60 mph in a school zone.
“I’ve put myself in other people’s shoes,” May said.
“I was in the car, but I wasn’t driving; I can’t say who was driving.
‘I didn’t think there was (much), but that’s the world we live in. We’re high-profile (NRL players), so any little thing (becomes a story). I heard they were under investigation, but I didn’t read much about it.
‘I’m back on social media now. I needed a reboot. I’ll do it here and there. I’ll probably do it again. I don’t like to see all the negative things. I know that’s what comes with it.
May also caused some controversy earlier this year when she left Broncos star Reece Walsh with a facial fracture in a controversial hit.
In the opening minutes of Penrith’s 34-12 round three win, May ran out of the defensive line and hit Walsh just after the Broncos’ No.1 had passed the ball, with the pair butting heads.
Walsh fell to the turf bleeding from his face and, despite passing a head injury evaluation, was unable to continue playing.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters was outraged that the NRL’s match review committee (MRC) opted not to charge May for the hit, and Walsh was expected to miss at least a month through injury.
The hit drew comparisons to a clash from the 2022 season, when Cronulla forward Dale Finucane collided with halfback Stephen Crichton and received a two-game suspension.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley later said May should have been charged over the incident.