From a stellar rugby league career to rehab: Struggling footy star’s troubles laid bare
George Burgess has checked himself into rehab for gambling and depression after he was charged with sexually touching a woman earlier this year.
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The tragic fall of troubled NRL star George Burgess has been laid bare as he entered rehab to deal with “gambling and depression”.
The St George prop may not play rugby league again this season after it was revealed he had checked himself into an unknown facility to deal with personal issues.
It comes just weeks after Burgess was charged with sexually touching a woman at her Sydney home in March.
Burgess has pleaded not guilty and his lawyer previously told the court there was a “significant dispute” about what had occurred.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The 30-year-old is the youngest of four brothers who all went on to play professional rugby league, hailing from West Yorkshire in England.
Burgess began his career representing England against the Australian Schoolboys in 2010 when he was just 18, while also playing lower grades and training with the full squad of the Bradford Bulls.
However, on January 1, 2011, Burgess got himself a ticket Down Under after signing with the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Youth Competition.
Burgess made his NRL debut in round 13 of the 2012 season for the South Sydney Rabbitohs against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
EARLY TROUBLE
He played three matches in his debut year in 2012 and continued to impress in the 2013 season, but had to be stood down for three weeks for smashing a car window with a street sign in Cairns.
He was banned for two games and fined $10,000.
The NRL star was forced to pay for the cost of the damage, undergo an anger management program and commit to 50 hours of community support work through Souths Cares.
In July of that same year, nude selfies of the then-21-year-old Souths player went viral online. They even found their way onto a men’s gay porn site.
The two nude images, which portray Burgess taking a front and profile image of himself while naked in the mirror, circulated on Twitter.
AWARDS AND PRAISE
Although 2013 was a rocky year, Burgess and his brothers including eldest brother Luke, middle brother Sam and twin brother Tom, became the first set of four brothers to line up in the same Australian side since 1910.
Burgess finished the 2013 season strong and was named the 2013 Dally M Rookie of the Year on October 1.
The star player was also selected in England's 2013 Rugby League World Cup squad.
It was much the same for the 2014 season, winning the premiership against the Bulldogs and scoring a try in South Sydney’s 30-6 victory.
MORE BANS
But in 2015, Burgess was again banned from playing two matches for the South Sydney club after he threw a water bottle at Roosters rival Kane Evans.
He had been sitting on the bench when he threw the bottle at Evans, who was walking from the field.
Burgess was charged with grade two contrary conduct and pleaded guilty, despite his lawyer saying the matter was “trivial”.
The NRL prop was sent to the sin bin in round 3 of the 2016 season and later suspended for three matches after he elbowed a Newcastle Knights player in the face.
Burgess was put on report for a shoulder charge in round eight and was handed a four-match suspension.
MARRIAGE TO MODEL
In 2016, Burgess married Australian model Joanna King in Noosa, tying the knot under an ancient tree surrounded by their closest friends and family.
Joanna was heavily pregnant at the time of the wedding.
The couple now share three children together, Boston, four, Birdie, three, and Blainey, two.
EYE-GOUGING
In 2017 he signed an extension contract to play with the Rabbitohs until the end of 2019, where he helped the club win seven games in a row.
However, in round 14 Burgess was placed on report after allegedly attempting to gouge the eyes of Wests Tigers player Robbie Farah.
Footage shows Burgess’ hand pressing around the eye region of his opponent.
Burgess was remorseful and said he was “deeply hurt” when he saw the footage, promising to be more cautious.
He denied it was deliberate and insisted he was “unaware” of where his fingers were.
The three-man panel including Bob Lindner, Mal Cochrane and Dallas Johnson took just 30 minutes to come to a decision following the two-hour hearing.
He was suspended for nine games, the longest ban imposed in NRL history.
MOVE TO THE UK
Following his ban, Burgess signed a three-year deal with the Wigan Warriors in the UK and also made an acting debut in a crime thriller called Locusts, where he played a bouncer.
The family relocated in 2019 and spent the first year and a half of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK.
While he made his debut in 2020, Burgess only went on to play eight games and score one try before a major hip injury ended the season.
In February 2021 the club announced that by mutual consent, Burgess was being released from his contract.
This was due to an operation on his hip which would mean he would spent most of the year in rehab.
BACK TO AUSTRALIA
In mid-2021, the Burgess family moved back to Australia after Burgess signed a two-year deal with the Dragons.
But the rugby star and his family had to undergo two weeks isolation in separate hotel rooms due to restriction complications.
Burgess made his club debut during round two of this year’s season in March
SEXUAL TOUCHING CHARGE
However, in that same month the NRL prop was charged with sexually touching a woman at her Sydney home.
The woman made the complaint at Mascot police station in the city’s south, claiming she was sexually touched without her consent by a man known to her on March 8.
According to court documents seen by NCA NewsWire, Mr Burgess is alleged to have “sexually touched the woman’s bottom without her consent” between 10.20am and 10.45am.
He has pleaded not guilty and will face a one-day hearing on February 22, 2023.
At the time of his arrest, the Dragons star said the NRL’s integrity unit had been informed about the investigation.
“The St George Illawarra Dragons have been made aware of a matter involving one of its players by the NRL integrity unit,” the Dragons said in a statement on March 21.
Despite the NRL having a “no fault stand-down policy”, it confirmed Burgess would not be stood down.
The charge of sexual touching carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment if convicted.
“The National Rugby League has advised the St George Illawarra Dragons that player George Burgess will be permitted to continue playing in the NRL premiership while subject to criminal proceedings,” the NRL said in a statement on March 28.
STINT IN REHAB
After playing just four games for the Dragons this season, it was revealed this week Burgess checked himself into rehab to tackle gambling and depression issues.
It is believed he entered the facility in late June and is primarily being treated for depression, as well as a gambling problem.
Club officials confirmed the 30-year-old had been given a leave of absence to undertake the rehab with health professionals.
“St George Illawarra can confirm forward George Burgess was recently granted a leave of absence,’’ a club statement read.
“Burgess’s absence is of a personal nature and unrelated to his current criminal matter.”
Originally published as From a stellar rugby league career to rehab: Struggling footy star’s troubles laid bare
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