NRL great Laurie Daley has been blasted by footy fans for comments he made on breakfast radio after Jarryd Hayne was found guilty of two counts of sexually assaulting a woman without her consent.
Hayne, 35, was found guilty after 21 hours of deliberations during a six-day trial and is expected to be sentenced on Thursday.
Daley, who coached the two-time Dally M winner at State of Origin, was shocked and angry at the sentencing news.
“The Jarryd Hayne I know, I can’t imagine him being part of that,” Daley said on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast.
“But the jury found him guilty, he has indicated that he will appeal.
NRL great Laurie Daley has been blasted by footy fans for comments he made after Jarryd Hayne was found guilty of two counts of sexually assaulting a woman without her consent
Hayne, 35, was found guilty after 21 hours of deliberations on a six-day trial and is expected to be sentenced on Thursday
‘I’ve always found Jarryd to be a man I had all the time for.
“Obviously I haven’t had any contact with him since the end of his football career… but I’ve always found him to be a very good person, someone who was an excellent footballer.
“But it’s terrible, all parties involved. I feel for everyone. I feel for the families, I feel for the victim.
“But you sympathize with everyone involved, the victim and also Jarryd’s family.
“You never like to see this happen to anyone, especially a high-profile player.”
Australian cricketing legend Michael Clarke, who co-hosts the radio show, said he believed Hayne will now be stripped of his Dally M medals.
Clarke then added his own shocking take on the verdict: “It’s always sad when you see someone like Jarryd, who’s been so successful, who’s inspired so many young boys and girls, what he’s been through.”
The comments made on the show, particularly Daley’s, have been heavily criticized on social media, with listeners outraged the hosts for showing sympathy for the convicted rapist.
“Imagine showing sympathy (for Hayne) because ‘I know him and he’s a good guy,'” one Twitter user wrote.
‘@bigsportsbrekky very bad form Laurie Daley. Jarryd Hayne has been found guilty of rape twice and has settled a civil suit against him in the US for sexual assault. He’s a stand-up guy,’ said another.
Australian cricketing legend Michael Clarke, who co-hosts the radio show, said: ‘It’s always sad when you see someone like Jarryd, who has had so much success, who has inspired so many young boys and girls, what he’s been through’
The comments made on the show, particularly by Daley, have been heavily criticized on social media, with listeners outraged by their views on the convicted rapist.
“Hello Laurie Daley, Jarryd Hayne is a CONVEMED rapist so obviously this is something he does and is something he is. Just because you, as one of the guys, thought he couldn’t, doesn’t mean he didn’t. Ted Bundy was a great guy in every way,” commented a third.
Another wrote: ‘Sickening. Would you feel the same way if one of your relatives was Jarryd Hayne’s victim? Awful.’
Hayne said he will appeal the verdicts when he spoke to reporters outside Sydney’s Downing Center District Court on Tuesday and became angry when asked if he had any regrets.
‘Sorry?’ he asked, before a reporter asked, “Are you sorry, Jarryd?”
The footy star then replied, “For telling the truth?”
Earlier, Hayne had tears in his eyes when he said he was ‘devastated’ by the result.
“I stand for the truth,” he said, adding that he maintained his “100 percent” innocence.
Hayne vowed to appeal the verdicts when he spoke to reporters outside Sydney’s Downing Center District Court on Tuesday and became angry when asked if he had any regrets
“I never lied to the police, I never deleted evidence, I never hid witnesses — you do the math,” Hayne said.
Hayne faces a maximum sentence of 14 years behind bars, but he is allowed to return to his Central Coast home with his wife before being taken into custody.