NRL 2020: Curtis Scott opens up on mental anguish and fallout from dropped police charges

His family were threatened, his career was in jeopardy, even his friends questioned him, and now, for the first time, Raiders star Curtis Scott goes into detail about his nine months of hell.

Death threats aimed at his family and harsh criticism from former players almost led to Curtis Scott quitting the NRL.

For nine months Scott had to live with people judging him, thinking he had not only assaulted police but was just another rugby league player who had thrown away their career after a boozy night out.

He was tasered, capsicum sprayed and splashed across every news outlet.

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Incredible police body cam CCTV shows Curtis Scott before being arrested.

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At just 22 and living alone in unfamiliar place away from family and friends after an off-season move to Canberra, Scott was crippled by the prospect of losing it all. He rejected plea deals and risked his career in a bid to clear his name.

Scott was eventually vindicated after troubling footage of his arrest was aired in court last week, which resulted in the judge not only clearing the Canberra centre of any charges but admonishing the police for their conduct.

Scott has opened up on his turmoil, anger and the death threats which threatened to end his promising career.

LEAD-UP TO THE INCIDENT

Scott spent Australia Day with some Raiders teammates at the Ivy nightclub in Sydney. It was a final blowout before embarking on his first season at his new club having arrived from Melbourne.

Scott makes no excuses for the fact he drank too much and has apologised for being in such a state that he lost his bearings leading to him sleeping under a Moore Park tree in the early hours of the morning.

“I got out of the cab and it had dropped me at the wrong place,” Scott said.

“I had no idea where I was. I remember trying to call one of the boys and looking on Google maps to try and work out where I was. My phone died.

Curtis Scott risked his career to clear his name.

“I felt helpless and started to panic. I tried to stop a few cars to ask where I was. I ended up kicking a bike that was chained up to a pole. I started working through Paddington and ended up at Moore Park.

“I had no idea where I was and how to get to the hotel. My thought process was that I didn’t want to sit down on the street where people could see me so I thought I’d find a spot where no-one could find me. I fell asleep and tried to sober up and get my bearings. That’s when I was woken up.”

THE ARREST

In the boydcam footage first shown in court this week, a clearly dazed Scott is surrounded by police. They grab on his ear and shine a flashlight in his face to try and wake him.

Before he fully realises what is happening around him he is arrested. The footage shows the police trying to wake Scott up before handcuffing him and telling him “don‘t resist”. Scott tells them he has done nothing wrong before he is tasered and capsicum-sprayed.

“I just remember saying ‘I haven‘t done anything wrong’,” Scott said.

“At the time I had no idea who it was and woke up with a big flash light in my face. I thought I must’ve gone home and someone was trying to wake me up that’s why I reacted the way I did.

“The worst thing about it was when the charges came through I knew I didn’t assault an officer. I was living with the world on my shoulders and everyone coming down on me even though I knew I never did it.”

It was telling when the NRL’s integrity unit refused to stand Scott down.

Scott is now hoping to just get on with his Raiders career.

THE FALLOUT

Scott was forced to spend the night at Surry Hills station before he was finally released in the morning when his sister fetched him.

“I do know and I can’t apologise enough that I have put myself in that situation,” Scott said.

“But the way I was treated was over the top. I was so angry about what the police did to me that I wasn’t thinking about my career.

“No-one considered my side of the story. No-one cared if I did it or not. That was the most frustrating part. I was willing to go to court and put my career on the line because if any of their story sticks then I’m digging holes for the rest of my life and my career is over. I wanted to show some backbone instead of letting them win.”

He lost a lucrative Nike sponsorship as a result and will find out on September 25 if his more than $100,000 in costs application is successful.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart had told Scott he would support him provided he never lied — otherwise he would be axed by the club immediately.

“I’m just lucky for the body camera,” Scott said.

“I didn’t see the footage until court. I just felt numb. I’ve gone through the worst of it.

“I was living with this hanging over my head for nine months and wouldn’t have been able to get through it without the support of my legal team and the Raiders.”

DEATH THREATS

As if the public scrutiny wasn’t enough for Scott he was also attacked online. Fearing for the safety of himself and his family he seriously considered quitting the NRL.

“I’ve had death threats,” Scott said.

“People messaging me telling me ‘you’re a dog, I’ll kill your family’ or ‘wait until I see you in the street”. Even my friends have apologised to me after watching the footage.

“Ex-players have been scathing in their opinions of me. This impacts our mental health. We are people away from the footy field.

“People wanted to take me to a darker place than I already was. Once you have a dirty taste in someone’s mouth it’s hard to get out.

“I really considered walking away from it all.”

Scott finds the tryline against the Cowboys recently.

NEXT STEP

Scott has addressed Canberra’s youngsters and spoken about his mistakes.

Now he is focused on returning to the field for the Raiders before the finals as he battles a leg injury.

Scott, who won a premiership with the Storm in 2017, has long been earmarked as a representative player.

“I’ve realised what I’ve got and how quickly it can be taken away,” Scott said.

“I would be in all sorts of trouble if I didn’t have rugby league. I’ve never taken it for granted and I’ve worked really hard to get where I am but one night out can turn everything around.”

Originally published as NRL 2020: Curtis Scott opens up on mental anguish and fallout from dropped police charges