Johnathan Thurston remained quiet for 14 years.
The former Bulldog was sworn to secrecy when his teammates were accused of gang rape.
Now he’s broken his silence about the 2004 Coffs Harbour rape scandal that nearly derailed his career, before it had even begun.
According to Thurston’s memoir, Johnathan Thurston: The Autobiography, an unnamed woman allegedly “slept with six” Bulldogs players at the team’s hotel on the Wednesday night.
JT speaks to 60 Minutes…
Thurston was not involved in the incident.
On the Saturday night, according to Thurston, the 20-year-old woman wanted to meet up with the players again but they weren’t interested.
She tried to enter their cab as they were leaving the Plantation Hotel to go back to the Novotel Hotel where they were staying.
“One of the boys pushed her out and gave her a gob-full. She wasn’t impressed,” he wrote.
That morning, the woman allegedly had consensual sex with one of the players near the hotel’s pool.
By midday, the team would hear the woman had accused “three to six” players of gang rape.
“I was stunned,” Thurston wrote.
“I was not involved in any capacity with the woman who made the accusations.
“I was not involved with her on the Wednesday night and I did not see what happened in the pool area on the Sunday morning.”
Top Comments
As a person who wasn’t even in the room his ‘side of the story’ doesn’t seem very relevant. And why bring this up 14 years later if all the charges were dropped and nothing ever happened? People are always accusing women of capitalising on ‘me too’ but this is the first time I’ve seen someone so blatantly using it for self promotion.
I’m not even sure I think a woman could have completely consensual sex with 6 rugby players. That dynamic has to be as terrifying as having sex with a gun to your head.
I’ve never understood the appeal of a gang bang. For the female it would be way too much work. From the guy’s perspective, why would you want to see a mate’s peen in action? It’s a very weird team bonding experience!