Reece Walsh’s emotional apology after Surfers Paradise arrest

Reece Walsh has admitted to being in possession of cocaine after he was arrested by Queensland Police over the weekend.

New Zealand Warriors young gun Reece Walsh has admitted to being in possession of cocaine after he was arrested by Queensland Police over the weekend.

New Zealand Warriors young gun Reece Walsh has admitted to being in possession of cocaine after he was arrested by Queensland Police over the weekend.

Footage emerged on social media platform TikTok on Saturday evening of the fullback being placed in handcuffs by police, with onlookers filming the incident.

The following morning, Queensland Police confirmed that officers had arrested a 19-year-old male for ignoring a move on direction.

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“About 12.15am this morning police from Surfers Paradise ordered a move on direction to a 19-year-old male,” a spokesperson told NewsCorp.

“About 45 minutes later officers observed that male in the same area.

“As a result he was arrested and taken to Surfers Paradise Police Station.”

Footage of Reece Walsh seemingly speaking to police in Surfers Paradise. Picture: Supplied

According to the NZ Herald, Walsh has been charged on a count of possession of a prohibited substance and will face court in October.

An emotional Walsh fronted the media on Sunday, admitting to reporters he had been in possession of a small bag of cocaine during the arrest.

He apologised to Warriors sponsors and reporters before promising he would begin immediate drug and alcohol counselling.

“Last night I got myself into a bit of trouble,” Walsh said.

“I didn’t move on. That led to me getting arrested and taken back to the police station. Once I got back to the police station I got searched and I was in possession of a small bag of cocaine – which I had some during the night.

“No-one else is involved in this. It is solely on me. I put my hand up – I should never have done it. It is a mistake I made. I want to say sorry to sponsors, fans, the Warriors.”

Warriors fullback Reece Walsh has broken down on a Zoom call with his manager and the club's CEO. The 19yo father-of-one has admitted to possessing cocaine, following a very public arrest in Surfers Paradise early this morning. Catch the full story on @7NewsBrisbane at 6pm pic.twitter.com/Ri861QaTRm

— Jordan Bissell (@jordan_bissell7) September 26, 2021

Warriors fullback Reece Walsh has played 16 NRL games this season. Picture: NRL Photos

Warriors chief executive Cameron George said: “It’s been a tough period this morning to get through this for himself and his family.

“It hurts the kid. He’s learning. He’s been exposed into a very big arena that carries a lot of responsibility and pressure. However none of that is an excuse for Reece, which he established this morning.

“We don’t condone this behaviour so we’ll continue to work through this situation with the NRL integrity unit and also our club in terms of sanctioning processes, but as it stands now he’s been charged on one count of possession of a prohibited substance and will attend court in mid October.

“Until that process is over, we won’t be going into any further detail.”

George also confirmed Walsh would not attend Monday evening’s Dally M Awards.

Walsh is one of the contenders to win Dally M Rookie of the Year, having previously been named RLPA rookie of the year last weekend.