The star footballer, his manager and the explosive claims engulfing their academy

Champion former rugby league player Johnathan Thurston and his long-time manager, controversial player agent Sam Ayoub, are embroiled in an explosive lawsuit involving a former employee who has accused Ayoub of serious sexual misconduct and Thurston of allegedly ignoring the behaviour.

Samantha Johnson, the former general manager of the Johnathan Thurston Academy (JT Academy, JTA), has launched action with the Queensland Human Rights Commission, claiming she was mistreated after her romantic relationship with the married Ayoub broke down.

Player manager Sam Ayoub, Samantha Johnson and former Australian rugby league representative Johnathan Thurston (right).Credit: Artwork: Matt Davidson

Ayoub and Thurston have “emphatically” denied the allegations, and lawyers acting for the pair claim Johnson was motivated by malice and had attempted to extort the academy and its directors before and after her employment was terminated in November 2022.

With education and wellbeing programs designed to tackle youth unemployment in disadvantaged communities, the JT Academy has been backed by more than $10 million in taxpayer money over the past seven years, but no longer receives federal government funding. But behind the scenes, it has been engulfed by the messy dispute, which also includes a claim that Johnson, 51, was sacked from the academy after raising the allegations about Ayoub, before being paid $20,000 in a deed of settlement.

The allegations have been exposed after Ayoub, a director of the academy, and Thurston, its managing director, launched proceedings in the Queensland Supreme Court to head off Johnson’s Queensland Human Rights Commission complaint, which was initially rejected before being overturned after an internal review.

Sam Ayoub and Samantha Johnson were romantically involved.

The commission’s decision does not prove the truth of any of the allegations set out in the complaint, but Johnson’s successful review provides a pathway for her to pursue the matter further.

‘Degrading treatment’

Ayoub, 63, is accused of coercing Johnson into “unwanted sexual intercourse” and subjecting her to “degrading treatment including strangulation and spitting,” according to court documents.

Johnson, who was formerly a shareholder of the Johnathan Thurston Academy after starting with it in 2017, also claims Ayoub called her a “dog”, “slut” and a “pig”.

Johnathan Thurston has denied that he ignored Samantha Johnson’s complaints.Credit: Getty Images

Johnson provided lengthy statements to Queensland police, WorkCover and the Queensland Human Rights Commission detailing her allegations of a toxic relationship with Ayoub.

A spokesperson for the Queensland Police Service confirmed a temporary protection order had been made against Ayoub four days before Johnson’s employment ended at the academy.

“Due to privacy considerations, we are limited in the information that can be released regarding this alleged incident and the subsequent investigation,” the spokesperson said. “However, we can confirm police applied for and obtained a temporary protection order on November 17, 2022 as a result of a report made.”

Ayoub is also accused in court documents of sexual harassment and coercive behaviour, including allegedly smashing a window to get to Johnson’s room, and accusing her of sleeping with clients.

“I have given substantial weight to the severity of the allegations and the alleged serious adverse effects on the complainant from the events set out in the complaint,” wrote Heather Corkhill, who was the principal policy officer with the Queensland Human Rights Commission.

“The allegations contained in the complaint contains extreme examples of sexual harassment, including a serious allegation of sexual violence which was said to involve coercing the complainant into unwanted sexual intercourse and engaging in extremely degrading treatment including strangulation and spitting,” wrote Corkhill.

She said it was not her role to make findings of fact, but determined the complaint should proceed to conciliation, and if still unresolved, to a tribunal.

According to court documents, Johnson also alleged that Thurston, 42, “victimised and discriminated” against her by ignoring her complaints about Ayoub, and that she was unlawfully terminated.

This masthead does not suggest that the claims made by Johnson are true, rather that they have been made.

Ayoub declined to comment when contacted by this masthead.

In a statement, Thurston said: “It is simply wrong to suggest that either I or the JTA ignored Ms Johnson’s allegations. Her complaint did not raise concerns of domestic violence and was largely unrelated to workplace issues.

“We responded swiftly and appropriately. This included changing reporting lines, offering paid leave, and providing both internal and external support while an investigation was conducted. That investigation found the workplace allegations to be unsubstantiated. Nonetheless, we continued to provide Ms Johnson support and members of her family personally thanked me for the care and assistance extended to her. I am confident that both I and the academy did everything possible to support her during her employment.

“Unfortunately, it was later discovered that Ms Johnson had engaged in gross misconduct, leaving JTA no option but to terminate her employment.”

Samantha Johnson and Sam Ayoub.

The investigation and pre-emptive letter

This masthead can reveal that the investigation was initially conducted by former Queensland police detective Michael Featherstone, a long-time fixer and previously business partner of Ayoub’s in Phoenix Global (Sydney) Pty Ltd. Phoenix Global was Featherstone’s Gold Coast-based private investigation firm.

Featherstone, who lost his private investigators’ licences in 2014 over kidnapping allegations that were later dropped, is awaiting trial in Queensland on charges of fraud and money laundering over his alleged involvement in a “boiler room” scam that netted up to $20 million from 600 victims. Featherstone has previously indicated he would plead not guilty.

After a complaint by Johnson about Featherstone’s investigation, a Brisbane accountant was brought in. In January 2024, the accountant was reprimanded by Chartered Accountants Australia’s Professional Conduct Committee after Johnson filed a complaint about his engagement by the academy, including about her allegedly being required to hand over her phone, and not Ayoub.

Michael Featherstone was tasked with carrying out an investigation by the academy.Credit: Toby Crockford

According to the committee’s report, the accountant was hired to investigate Johnson’s complaint and conduct a review of the academy’s ownership and management structure. But he told the committee he had not been engaged or was qualified to investigate domestic violence allegations or claims of sexual harassment in the workplace, and had only looked into a complaint by Johnson that messages between Featherstone and her had been shown to Ayoub. The accountant said he found no reliable evidence that this occurred.

Daniel Hannay, a lawyer for Thurston, wrote in March to Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys, National Rugby League chief executive Andrew Abdo, Queensland Rugby League chief Ben Ikin and his employer at Nine Entertainment, imploring them to give no weight to Johnson’s “unfounded and vexatious” allegations. Nine is the publisher of this masthead.

The letter did not address her accusations against Ayoub, but claimed bullying complaints had been made about her and that she had demanded to be made CEO of the academy, or she would take her complaints to the NRL. It also said Johnson had repeatedly tried to blackmail Thurston and others.

Hannay wrote that while discussing a payout figure in a recorded meeting with Thurston and chief commercial and risk officer at the WorkPac Group, Cameron Hockaday, on December 19, 2022, Johnson had stated: “You have no idea, Johnathan, just how fucking far this is gonna go”.

Johnathan Thurston holds the premiership trophy aloft in 2015. Credit: Getty Images

“Ms Johnson has no credibility, is actuated by malice, and anything raised by her is another attempt to damage JT and his brand,” Hannay wrote.

The letter also alerted rugby league officials and Nine to a Queensland District Court case in 2017 where Johnson was found to have defamed her ex-husband by alleging he was a paedophile.

Her ex-husband had pleaded guilty in 2016 to “observing” a 17-year-old girl, reportedly through a shower window, and was fined $1000. He was awarded damages of $170,901.92 in his defamation action against Johnson, who the judge said was driven by malice and an “intent to destroy the plaintiff’s personal and work life”. She said she didn’t have the means to defend the case and was bankrupted by the damages awarded against her.

Claims of blackmail and extortion

According to documents before the Queensland Supreme Court, the academy’s lawyers claim Johnson “engaged in conduct that amounted to blackmail and extortion of JT Academy and its directors” and said concerns were reported to Queensland police.

Johnson denies the allegations of misconduct and extortion. She told this masthead that she had already written to the NRL before asking to become CEO, and had requested the job title after being asked what she wanted. She said she had “nothing to hide” and was “looking forward to these matters being heard by the courts.”

“What I endured while working there was deeply distressing, and no one should ever have to experience the kind of behaviour I faced,” she told this masthead.

The three current directors and shareholders of the academy – Ayoub, Thurston and Hockaday – have taken action in the Queensland Supreme Court, claiming the settlement deed Johnson signed a fortnight after her termination was an agreement not to complain.

While denying her allegations, the directors have submitted to the court that the academy is “entitled to rely on the deed to prevent Ms Johnson from prosecuting her complaint”.

Johnson is claiming the agreement was unfair and that she was suffering poor mental health. She subsequently made a successful WorkCover claim for psychological injury.

Under the deed, she received $20,000 and was provided with the academy’s intellectual property in the form of education workbooks purportedly valued at $200,000. However, she said she later discovered the workbooks were worthless as they were owned by the federal government and not the academy. This is disputed by JT Academy’s lawyers.

According to court documents, Johnson alleged she was threatened that the academy directors would have her charged with extortion if she didn’t sign, a claim they “categorically denied”. Hockaday has also denied saying to Johnson that it would be “easier if she signed” and asking her “how her kids would feel if they had to visit her in jail.”

Lawyers for the academy cited legal advice Johnson received from her lawyers before signing the agreement.

In their application to the Queensland Supreme Court, Thurston and Ayoub’s legal team said the Human Rights Commission’s decision was made in excess of authority and was “legally unreasonable”. They said the deed involved a “compromise of claims” between both sides and was “intended to provide finality and certainty to each party”.

The manager and the former Origin great

Thurston was one of the greatest halfbacks of all time, winning premierships with the Bulldogs and Cowboys, and also played 37 times for Queensland and made 38 appearances for Australia.

He has since dedicated much of his attention to the JT Academy. It runs programs such as JTYouGotThis, which helps at-risk youth, JTLeadLikeAGirl, aimed at empowering teenage girls, and JTSucceed, which assists young people to get into the workforce.

A former Australian touch football representative, Ayoub has been one of the most prominent player agents in rugby league for decades, negotiating contracts and managing the careers of some of the game’s biggest stars.

His current stable of players is headlined by Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton, fellow NSW State of Origin reps Hudson Young and Brian To’o, and St George Illawarra fullback Clint Gutherson.

In 2005, Ayoub was banned for two years by touch football’s international federation for abusing referees while coach of the Australian under-20 team during a match against New Zealand at the sport’s World Cup in Queensland.

Johnathan Thurston is currently working as an assistant coach to the Queensland Maroons.Credit: Getty

The outburst was “unlike anything I have ever struck before in over 10 years of refereeing the sport”, one of the three referees, who were all New Zealanders, said at the time.

His explosive text messages to two former employees were also revealed in a Federal Court case in 2019 when he sued them for allegedly poaching players from his Sydney-based player agency, Ultra Management.

The court heard Ayoub called Antoun Zibara a “rotten dog”, warning him: “Some good people have been onto you early and kept track of your lies. Wait until the media knock on your door, you dog, when the time is right.”

NRL player agent Sam Ayoub.Credit: Nick Moir

The judge ruled in Ayoub’s favour and an appeal by Zibara and fellow former Ayoub staff member turned competitor Patrick Angeli was dismissed in 2021.

Ayoub was earlier tied up in one of the National Rugby League’s biggest ever scandals, the Ryan Tandy betting affair, which engulfed the sport after a plunge on the North Queensland Cowboys to score first with a penalty goal during a match against the Bulldogs in 2010.

Ayoub, who was Tandy’s manager, was alleged to have gambled $840 on that outcome, mostly in wagers placed on his behalf by young player and family friend Brad Murray, and stood to collect $14,500 had it come off.

But despite the troubled Tandy holding down an opponent in front of his team’s goalposts and conceding a penalty early in the game, the Cowboys took a quick tap and opened the scoring with a try, rendering the bets unsuccessful.

Ayoub pleaded not guilty after being charged by police in 2011 with trying to gain financial advantage by deception, and a magistrate dismissed the case against him after ruling that Murray could not give evidence against him.

The veteran agent was also among four player representatives to have their offices raided by police in 2016 in an investigation into the Parramatta Eels salary cap rort, but was not accused of any wrongdoing.

Ayoub told News Corp last month how he had rescued Thurston from strife in 2010, hiring a private investigator to inspect CCTV footage after he was arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour outside the Treasury Casino in Brisbane.

“At the time, JT was accused of being drunk and on the piss with his crutches,” Ayoub told News Corp.

“It was found that JT had one bourbon and Coke and he didn’t even finish that drink in the three-and-a-half hours he was there.”

According to corporate records, Thurston holds a 71 per cent stake in the JT Academy. Ayoub has 20 per cent through his company Jailiam Investments Pty Ltd, named after his sons, one of whom works as a recruitment manager for the Canterbury Bulldogs. Hockaday has a 9 per cent shareholding.

JT Academy has received $3.5 million from the National Indigenous Australians Agency for Indigenous education programs since 2019.

Those funding grants ended last year, but the organisation still has support in Queensland. The state’s former Labor government committed $7.8 million to the academy over three years before being voted out last October.

JT Academy’s website lists the NBN, Asics and Sony Music among other partners.

The move by the academy and its directors to set aside the decision of the Queensland Human Rights Commission will be heard in court on June 16.

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