- Panther’s doco shows Jarome Luai’s side of the story
- Reveals how family dealt with abuse on social media
- Fiance says protecting children from abuse is a priority
Penrith five-eighth Jarome Luai will reveal the shocking toll social media abuse has had on his family in a new documentary series about the Panthers’ premiership.
Luai played a key role in the Panthers’ three premiership victories and has been a mainstay for New South Wales since his State of Origin debut.
The Samoa international has been described as ‘the most polarizing player in the NRL’ after incidents on and off the field in recent years.
A brand new documentary premiering Friday on 9Now called ‘Undisputed’ reveals how Luai and his family have dealt with abuse from football fans.
“I’m glad our kids can’t read,” said Luai’s fiancée Bailey Paris Toleafoa.
Panthers star Jarome Luai is one of the most polarizing characters in the NRL
A new docuseries presents his side of the story and reveals the shocking abuse the Panthers playmaker has received from angry football fans over the years
‘Some things people are just not allowed to say. Our main goal is to protect our children from seeing that stuff.
“The Romey you see outside is energetic, loud-mouthed, all that – but he comes home and is completely different.”
Luai received a huge backlash from fans after his message to angry fans following his team’s horror loss in Origin game two last year.
He wrote on Instagram, “Chill, All you idiots have work tomorrow morning,” accompanied by several tears of joy emojis, as rapper Tupac Shakur’s song “Me Against The World” played in the background.
Luai reflected on the post during the docuseries and said he doesn’t regret what he did.
“Everyone got mad at that message, but I laughed at it,” he said.
‘For me it’s still a joke, and I don’t really regret it. There are many people who can give it, but cannot bear it. I don’t know how offensive that message was, but it was aimed at the people who know who they were and knew what they wrote.
‘I don’t know how many messages there were that night. It reached 999, and then (Instagram) puts a cap on it. After that it doesn’t go any higher.
Luai’s fiancée Bailey Paris Toleafoa said she is glad her children can’t read about the abuse
‘All messages are bad: racism, it’s everything you can think of. I’m just glad it’s me. It could be one of the young lads here at the club who might not have the same resilience or strength.
“They (family) were the ones who always told me how angry they were about (the abuse). I try to teach them that I can also use it as motivation.
‘I don’t want the emotions of rugby league to come back and affect my family. I want to make sure they never see me frustrated; it’s about leaving the footy out.’
The three-time premiership-winning playmaker will join the Tigers at the end of the 2024 season.