Paul Kent, host of Fox Sports’ NRL 360 and rugby league journo, is set to plead not guilty to allegations that he assaulted his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend and has decried the “rugby league soap opera” as he left court in Sydney.
Kent, 53, was told by a police prosecutor that he would be charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, though the charge has yet to be formally laid. He is also facing one charge of common assault and one charge of intentionally choking a person without consent.
The court heard that police would call two officers and Kent’s ex-girlfriend. Kent’s lawyers would call three of their own witnesses.
News Corp, which owns Fox Sports, said that Kent would be “stood down” from his duties while he “deals with this personal matter.”
On NRL 360, co-host Braith Anasta told viewers the same thing. All past episodes of the show featuring Kent have been removed from the streaming service Kayo. He has also been stood down from his weekly column for The Daily Telegraph.
Kent, meanwhile, told reporters outside court that his employers “fully support” him and that he does not believe his career to be over.
“I’m embarrassed about it, but unfortunately it’s beyond my control, so I’ll just let the court process see its way through now,” he said.
He also added that “It’s the rugby league soap opera, it’s the way it rolls. It’s my day to be a storyline right now, that’s fine – people are entitled to their opinions.
“We will get to the end of it, everything will be OK.”
Kent has been a critic of players and public figures charged with drunken and violent behaviour. Kent, who played a single professional game for Parramatta, has been the subject of taunting by fellow league stars following the announcement of his court case.
Former Raiders and Sharks player Todd Carney posted an image of a happy Robert De Niro waving with Kent’s name in capital letters. Kent had previously said Carney’s sacking from the Sharks in 2014 was a victory for common sense.
Meanwhile, former Dragons, Eels and Cowboys hooker Cameron King tweeted that “If that was a player there would be 15 stories with very little facts & cameras at their house.”
Former Bulldogs player Sonny Bill Williams said that Kent “never shone away from pointing the finger” and that “Someone who has always held the players accountable for their actions off the field needs to be held to account for his also.”
Kent will return to court in December for another hearing.
