Former NRL star Steve Michaels found asleep behind wheel at four times legal limit

A Gold Coast Titans great who previously faced court over a massive coke scandal is again in trouble with the law. Read full details here.

Former Gold Coast Titans NRL player Steve Michaels leaves the Southport Magistrates Court on the Gold Coast, Thursday, May 10, 2018. Michaels, 31, has been committed to stand trial charged with 10 counts of supplying a dangerous drug in 2014, following a committal hearing at Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING

A former NRL star previously caught up in a drug scandal that rocked rugby league was busted behind the wheel with cocaine and more than four times the alcohol limit.

Steven David Michaels pleaded guilty to one count each of being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of liquor and possessing dangerous drugs in Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday.

A resident called emergency services after finding Michaels passed out in the driver’s seat of his Ford Ranger outside his Mermaid Beach home at about 10.45pm on July 22, the court was told.

Prosecutor Donn Reid said police noted the 35-year-old’s slurred speech and smell of liquor at the scene.

Michaels later recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.215.

Former NRL star Steve Michaels leaving the Southport courthouse. Picture: Jessica Paul

Mr Reid told the court that officers also found a bag of white powder believed to be cocaine among the father of two’s belongings.

Further testing revealed it contained 0.008g of pure cocaine.

Michaels was allegedly caught drink driving in the weeks leading up to this incident.

This final matter has not yet been finalised, and will next be mentioned on January 24.

Steve Michaels during his time with the Gold Coast Titans. Picture: file

In relation to the incident before the court on Wednesday, defence barrister Chris Garlick said his client had been drinking for hours at the Mermaid Beach Tavern, which was within walking distance of his home.

He said Michaels had “quite a session” with his workmates, and needed to call his pregnant wife during the evening to tell her his phone was flat and he had lost his house keys.

“She told him not to bother coming home – she was quite upset with him,” Mr Garlick said.

“She told him to go and sleep it off in the car.”

Mr Garlick said Michaels fell asleep in the driver’s seat and had his keys in the ignition, but the engine was not running.

He told the court Michaels’ licence had been immediately suspended and another lengthy disqualification would take its toll on his more recent work as a plumber.

Michaels was fined $980 and disqualified from driving for six months.

No conviction was recorded.

Michaels played more than 100 matches for the Gold Coast Titans and Brisbane Broncos in his decade-long NRL career, before later moving to the UK to play in the British Super League.

He was embroiled in a cocaine scandal that rocked the Gold Coast club in 2015.

Michaels was sentenced in 2018 for his role as a “middle man” in the scheme, which saw him arrange for small amounts of the drug to be supplied to friends and himself in 2014.

The Southport court was told this week that Michaels had successfully completed the community service he was ordered to perform at sentencing.