- Paul Kent returned to TV screens on Thursday evening
- He was fired due to allegations of domestic violence
- The footy pundit was acquitted and found himself in Las Vegas
Paul Kent returned to TV screens on Thursday as the footy journalist sat alongside Braith Anasta for the first NRL360 show of the 2024 season.
Kent was withdrawn from his News Corp newspaper column and role in NRL360 in 2023 after being charged with common assault and intentionally strangling a person without consent.
He was found not guilty of charges that he attacked and strangled his then partner Lucy Kennedy, 33, at his home in inner Sydney on December 12.
After a two-day hearing at Downing Center Local Court in Sydney, Magistrate Daniel Reiss told the court he could not find the charges proven beyond reasonable doubt.
A relieved Kent said he could “finally get back to my normal life” after the court ordeal, after driving limousines for a Sydney funeral company while awaiting trial, making his return in spectacular surroundings, with the NRL world eagerly awaiting the Las Vegas funeral. Vegas extravaganza this weekend.
Paul Kent returned to television screens in Las Vegas on Thursday evening
Kent made no mention of the reason he left NRL360 last season
The Fox Sports pundit was acquitted of domestic violence charges in December
Kent was on a panel alongside Anasta, footy legend Gorden Tallis and pundit Buzz Rothfield, with the NRL360 presenter first turning to his old sparring partner Kent for his thoughts on the Sin City curtain-raiser.
“It’s pretty special, isn’t it,” Kent said. “I’ve been covering the game for a long time and I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m quite impressed by the atmosphere there and how people react to it.’
There was no mention of the domestic violence case, nor did Anasta acknowledge that Kent had been away.
After he was acquitted in December, Kent said: ‘The judge accepted what had happened, to the point that my lawyer was not even required to issue a final demand notice.
“It’s been seven months since I’ve had to sit there and feel like I’ve been wrongly arrested (and) wrongfully charged, and I’ve had to sit there and have our public reputation torn apart by people who used it as an opportunity.”
‘Finally the truth is out there. It has cost me a lot, it has been a major setback in my life. But we all have our problems in life.
“This is my thing at the moment, so it’s now up to me to regroup and get back to my normal life. I can finally put this all behind me.’
Former Brisbane Broncos, Queensland and Kangaroos enforcer Tallis covered Kent’s position on NRL360 as he was stood down.
Three episodes of NRL360 will air from Vegas starting tonight, reaching tens of millions of homes across the United States, with the show airing during prime time on Fox’s main channel.
In addition to the NRL360 episodes, a live show featuring Matty Johns, Bryan Fletcher, Nathan Hindmarsh and Tallis will be broadcast from outside Resort World, where the players from the four teams will be based.
Fox Sports has also sent Andrew Voss and Dan Ginnane to cover the two matches.