The Daily Telegraph’s leading NRL journalist, Phil “Buzz” Rothfield, has been accused of “hypocrisy” after being photographed alongside a stripper a week after the newspaper broke the story of the Canterbury Bulldog’s ‘Mad Monday’ antics that led to the arrest of two players.
Rothfield appears in a photo seated with a lingerie-clad brunette in a Twitter post for Sex Bomb Promotions. A quick check of Sex Bomb’s website reveals the Sydney-based firm specialises in scantily-clad men and women for bucks parties, erotic shows, waitressing and jelly-wrestling.
B&T has contacted News Corp for comment and to clarify the image of Rothfield that was reportedly taken at a children’s cancer charity function in May.
The Tele has long policed the antics of misbehaving NRL players and dedicated last Tuesday’s front page to Canterbury players who were caught drunk and naked following end-of-season “mad Monday” celebrations.
Following the publication of the story and images, electronics company Jaycar pulled its $500,000 sponsorship, the NRL fined the Club $250,000, while two players were charged by police with “wilful and obscene exposure”.
Last Thursday Bulldogs CEO Andrew Hill said: “The club accepts that the images and behaviour from the team get-together on Monday were unacceptable and an extremely bad look for the game.”
Top Fairfax journalist Kate McClymont quickly picked up on the image of Rothfield, yesterday tweeting: “Hold on @BuzzRothfield wants it to be known he doesn’t go to ‘grubby events.’ In fact it was a Lions Club kids’ cancer charity at Doltone House, Sylvania. ‘Unbeknown to me some of the hostesses were wearing lingerie,’ Buzz said. ‘Put it this way, I was smiling for a good cause.'”
Another keen-eyed Twitter follower then posted a tweet of the “Seafest” event that clearly advertised that “Sex Bomb Dancers” were on the list of entertainers for the day.
Another tweet from the event shows another lingerie-clad lass seated on a guest with a framed Cronulla Sharks jersey in the background apparently up for auction.
Another tweet from Bulldogs supporter Cristoph Stefania asked for Rothfield to explain the image and the “hypocrisy” considering he and The Telegraph had so actively pursued the Canterbury team only a week earlier.
