Paul Kent sacked: NRL 360 presenter punted after wild brawl outside Sydney pub

Rugby league pundit Paul Kent has been sacked from his commentary jobs after he was filmed allegedly taking part in a wild street brawl outside a Sydney hotel.

Kent was sacked by both Fox Sports, where he was a combative presenter on NRL 360, and News Corp, for which he wrote regular columns in The Daily Telegraph.

The 54-year-old is due to appear in Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday, having said he wants the affray charge to be dealt with on mental health grounds.

Police allege Kent and 35-year-old Tamer Uzun became involved in a verbal altercation that turned physical outside the Three Weeds in Rozelle in the city’s inner west at around 11pm on April 27.

Footage of the altercation reportedly showed Kent calling Uzun a “dog face” and charging at him as bystanders tried to intervene.

The collision took place across the street when Kent appeared to try to punch Uzun before being thrown into a tree and landing with his head in the gutter.

Kent’s lawyer George Elias told a magistrate in May that his client would plead cognitive impairment in his defence when he sought treatment for mental health and drink problems.

‘In the aftermath of this alleged incident he sought urgent advice,’ Mr Elias said. ‘He visited his GP who referred him to Burwood Hospital.’

Magistrate Scott Nash agreed to a six-week extension so Kent could receive a treatment plan from a new doctor and rejected the conditions for reporting his bail.

Kent was stood down by Fox Sports and News Corp the day after the alleged brawl “pending an immediate investigation.”

The Australian reported on Monday that Kent has now split with both employers.

A News Corp spokesperson and a Fox Sports spokeswoman said neither company commented on employment matters.

Kent did not respond to repeated attempts to contact him, but Ny Breaking Australia has confirmed he was fired several weeks ago.

Uzun appeared in court at Downing Center in June and pleaded not guilty to charges he allegedly played in the brawl outside the pub.

Attorney Bryan Wrench said he had obtained CCTV footage of Kent drinking at a nearby hotel in the lead-up to the confrontation with his client.

“The footage shows the other party drinking 21 schooners and shadowboxing before the incident,” Wrench said. ‘The other person is Paul Kent.

“We say that our client is not the attacker.”

Ny Breaking Australia reports that the CCTV footage was recorded at the Sackville Hotel, where Kent regularly drinks.

Uzun’s case has been adjourned until July 19 and Mr Wrench said he would write to police asking them to drop the charges against him.

In December last year, Kent was acquitted of strangling and assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

After his acquittal, Kent told reporters outside court that he was eager to return to a “normal life.”

“The judge accepted what had happened, and my lawyer didn’t even have to draw a definitive conclusion from it,” he said at the time.

‘I was there for seven months and felt like I had been wrongly arrested. [and] wrongly accused, and I’ve had to sit there and see our public reputation torn apart by people who used it as an opportunity.

‘The truth is finally out. It has cost me a lot, it has been a major setback in my life. But we all have our struggles 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.’