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Football great Sam Burgess is being hailed as a “genuinely decent guy” after he rushed to the aid of a visually impaired Rabbitohs fan who had passed out in the blistering heat.
The woman, who uses a wheelchair, was watching the South Sydney NRL team train at Redfern Oval in Sydney on Thursday as the city roasted during one of the hottest days of summer.
Fan support worker Jolzy Louise-Prophet said Burgess, 34, the Englishman’s new assistant coach and the Bunnies, was at the woman’s side before she needed to raise the alarm.
Rabbitoh great Sam Burgess, 34, and his new girlfriend Lucy Graham (pictured together)
In South Sydney, a supporter praised Burgess after he helped a woman who collapsed
“At approximately 11am on January 26, my client had a medical episode just outside of Redfern Oval,” Louise-Prophet wrote on Facebook over the weekend.
“She is a 53-year-old woman with a lot of health problems and vision problems, but that hasn’t stopped her from supporting her team, the Rabbitohs,” he said.
Her client, Vicki Panos, was excited to “see the kids up close and get some signatures,” she said.
‘After training was over we were leaving to head home, however the heat proved too much for my client and he collapsed to the ground. I was there helping her and when I turned around here was the amazing Sam Burgess on the floor helping my client.
‘Sam never left her side, offering her his own personal drink and helping her take a sip. He held her as she drifted in and out of consciousness. He was sweet and reassuring. She showed so much compassion and empathy.
He added that Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou called the staff to bring cold towels, ice and water and that he was monitoring Sam and my client to make sure they were recovering.
“They never left until she was in the safe hands of the ambulance workers.”
Rabbitoh’s fan had passed out from the heat and was tended to by Burgess (pictured with Latrell Mitchell)
“We love going to games, we love putting on our jerseys, we love meeting the players, we love seeing our team win or lose, but none of it will match the pride we have today after witnessing the true love, care and support from the boys to someone in need.’
‘Sam Burgess is really a superstar, he didn’t have to stop, he didn’t have to help, he didn’t have to worry. But he stopped, helped and cares.
The praise would be a welcome change for Burgess, who has had a series of legal problems since retiring from the game.
In December, he was stopped in Kingsford, a Sydney suburb, for a roadside drug test and subsequently taken to a nearby station when he allegedly tested positive for an illicit substance.
He underwent secondary testing and was issued a Notice to Appear in Waverley Local Court on February 15 for driving without registration.
“Investigations are continuing and the police will await the result of a secondary analysis of oral fluids,” a police statement said.
On Thursday night, Burgess took to social media to deny driving with drugs in his system.
Burgess has been in the press for a series of legal issues since retiring from football.
“After I was released from the police station, I immediately and voluntarily went to an internationally accredited independent testing center and had my urine tested,” he wrote in a statement.
‘I deny any suggestion that I have drugs in my system. I have not used, obtained or possessed any illicit drugs.’
Burgess played 182 games for the Rabbitohs between 2010 and 2019 and won Clive Churchill’s man of the match medal in the drought-breaking 2014 grand final.
In March, Burgess was fined $30,000 by the NRL for using illicit drugs and threatening another player in 2018, and driving with traces of cocaine in his system in February 2021 while working for the Rabbitohs off the field.
For the latter incident, Burgess avoided conviction but was placed on a nine-month good behavior bond.
The NRL has also suspended him from his official duties with South Sydney for 12 weeks and any further sanctions could affect his hopes of launching a professional coaching career.
Burgess played 182 games for the Rabbitohs between 2010 and 2019 and won Clive Churchill’s man of the match medal in the 2014 grand final which broke the club’s drought.