- Blake Ferguson released by Newcastle bush footy team Kurri Kurri
- After several accusations off the field, teammates were unimpressed
- Ferguson, 34, has been a magnet for controversy in his football career
Troubled former NRL star Blake Ferguson has been released by Newcastle bush footy club Kurri Kurri following multiple off-field allegations.
Ferguson, 34, is said to be unwelcome at the Bulldogs, with his former teammates furious over his alleged behaviour.
Newcastle rugby league general manager Adam Devcich, a former NRL referee, issued a statement on Ferguson, who was let go after just one match.
“Blake was signed by Kurri Kurri, but the club has released him from his obligations,” said Devcich.
‘His contract was terminated by mutual agreement. That’s all we or the club will say. “Neither party would like to comment further.”
Troubled former NRL star Blake Ferguson has been released by Newcastle bush footy club Kurri Kurri following multiple off-field allegations
Ferguson, 34, is said to be unwelcome at the Bulldogs, while his former teammates are furious over his alleged behavior (pictured, after signing with the club in 2023)
It is the latest fall from grace for former Test winger Ferguson, who has been embroiled in numerous incidents during his colorful football career.
In 2013, when he was on the Raiders’ books, Ferguson infamously skipped a training session to instead drink Vodka Cruisers with teammate Josh Dugan on the roof of his house.
That same year he was convicted of indecently assaulting a woman at 2230, a popular nightclub in Cronulla, after celebrating his first NSW State of Origin selection.
Ferguson said he had mistaken her for “another blonde woman” he had met earlier that evening.
“I’ve always liked blonde girls because I lived in Cronulla for a long time,” he told the court.
Ferguson moved to the Roosters in 2015 after spending time out of the game following the indecent assault conviction, where he was brought back to the NSW Origin group alongside Dugan in 2017.
The pair drove several hours to the Lennox Head Hotel just days before the third game of the series, with some attendees suggesting they had embarked on an eight-hour drinking session.
These reports were denied by members of the NSW setup, but the duo were left out of the team the following year, with then coach Brad Fittler wanting to change the ‘selfish culture’.
Ferguson infamously skipped a training session with the Raiders in 2013 to drink vodka cruisers with Josh Dugan
The same year, Ferguson was convicted of indecently assaulting a woman at 2230, a popular nightclub in Cronulla, after celebrating his first NSW State of Origin selection.
While playing for NSW in 2017, Dugan and Ferguson drove several hours to the Lennox Head Hotel just days before the third game of the series, with some suggesting they embarked on an eight-hour drinking session.
Blake Ferguson was arrested in late 2021 after allegedly being caught in possession of cocaine after attacking a man at a Tokyo restaurant
Later that year, he checked into a rehabilitation center to overcome his gambling addiction.
Ferguson moved to the Parramatta Eels in 2019, where he returned to the NSW team and set up the winning try in the series decider.
He then announced that he would move to Japan to play rugby union.
On December 30, 2021, he was taken to Azabu Police Station by Tokyo Metropolitan Police officers around 6:30 AM.
Police arrested Ferguson for allegedly beating another man at a restaurant in Roppongi in Minato City, a popular nightclub district in Tokyo.
Officers searched the footy star’s belongings at the police station and reportedly found cocaine.
Ferguson spent the next 29 days in a four-by-three-metre cell and was only allowed out for ten minutes each day ‘for a while’.
His lucrative rugby contract – reportedly worth $1.5 million – was torn up by the NEC Green Rockets, with Ferguson returning to Australia to ‘earn back the trust’ of his family.