Kalyn Ponga ‘was NOT drunk’ when he and Kurt Mann were told to leave Newcastle pub
A huge flaw in Kalyn Ponga’s original defence of his pub toilet eviction episode has been exposed after it emerged that the Newcastle captain was not drunk when he was told to leave the premises, reports claim.
Ponga and the Knights are on shaky ground after the fullback was filmed leaving a pub toilet cubicle in Newcastle on Saturday night, alongside teammate and close friend Kurt Mann.
Ponga’s father, Andre, claimed that the pair were in the toilet because his son was feeling unwell, and Mann was in there to assist him.
Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann were not drunk when during toilet cubicle incident, reports say
That explanation has been heavily scrutinised, with some onlookers questioning why the pair decided to take their drinks into the cubicle if Ponga was feeling unwell.
And now Fox Sports has revealed that Ponga was in fact not drunk when he was filmed leaving the toilet, with Knight officials told that the pair spent no more than 25 minutes at the Delaney Hotel.
Ponga and Mann supposedly arrived at the pub at 10.45pm on Saturday night and left by 11.10pm, with hotel staff saying that neither player was intoxicated.
On Tuesday, News Corp’s Paul Kent reported that the pair had been drug tested by the NRL and while those results will remain confidential, all eyes will be on Newcastle as to how they handle the situation.
Ponga and teammate Kurt Mann took drug tests on Tuesday morning, according to News Corp
But hotel staff insist that the duo were not intoxicated at the time of the incident on Saturday
Ponga signed a $1.2million-per-year, five-year deal earlier this season, so the Knights would be left with a $6m bill if they elect to tear up the gun fullback’s contract.
The club previously demoted Bradman Best and Enari Tuala to the NSW Cup for being six minutes late to the team bus, so the treatment of Ponga will certainly be of interest.
Regardless of the outcome of the drugs test, Ponga is out for the season with concussion and his visit to the pub is unlikely to win favour with club chiefs.
In the short clip which surfaced on Monday, Ponga and Mann are asked to step out of the cubicle. Both men then walk out, bourbon and cokes still in hand.
‘Oh, that’s a surprise,’ the security guard can be heard saying as the two footy players walk past.
