Paul Kent pleads not guilty to domestic violence charges
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An emotional Kent said outside court he could not discuss the details of the case but was looking forward to his side’s comments at the hearing scheduled for mid-December.
“I’m embarrassed but unfortunately it’s out of my control so I’m just letting the court process take its course for now,” Kent said.
“We actually broke up the day before she came to my house.”
His ex-girlfriend is expected to testify against him at the hearing, the court heard on Wednesday.
On May 17, 2011, the allegations against Kent were addressed only in very brief terms NRL 360 when it went on the air on Monday. Kent had been replaced by Gorden Tallis.
“Paul Kent has stepped down while he deals with personal issues,” co-host Braith Anasta told viewers.
Kent was emotional while speaking to reporters outside of court on Wednesday.Credit: Kate Geraghty
Anasta’s testimony closely resembled that of Kent’s employers, Foxtel and News Corp. published statement suggesting he too had resigned from his weekly column The Daily Telegraph.
Kent told reporters that his superiors are “completely supportive of me” and he doesn’t think his career is over.
A News Corp spokesman Wednesday declined to answer questions about whether Kent will return to his chair NRL 360 or his newspaper column for the seven months leading up to the December hearing.
Kent has been a vocal critic of players over the years when it came to bad behavior off the pitch.
On Wednesday he was asked if his views had changed.
“It’s the rugby league soap opera, that’s how it goes. “It’s my day now to write a storyline, that’s fine — people are entitled to their opinions,” Kent told reporters.
“We’ll make it, everything will be fine.”
Kent arrives in court on Wednesday.Credit: Brooke Mitchell
Kent’s arrest was not reported in his newspaper’s Saturday edition; a note below his regular column said he was “on vacation.”
The newspaper featured prominently in the same issue about an arrest of a warrant for force against former Dragons forward Trent Merrin.
Prominent names in rugby league have claimed coverage, or lack thereof, from Kent’s employers.
“If this was a player there would be 15 stories with very little fact and cameras in his house,” tweeted former Dragons, Eels and Cowboys hooker Cameron King.
Bulldogs and Roosters great Sonny Bill Williams said Kent “never shied away from pointing fingers” and questioned their morals when they made mistakes.
“Someone who has always held players accountable for their actions off the field needs to be held accountable for their actions as well,” Williams tweeted.
Veteran halfback James Maloney said attacking women was “the worst of the low.”
“I hope he is treated the same way a player would be treated. His job makes him a public figure in the game so there’s no difference,” Maloney tweeted.
Former Sharks and Raiders player Todd Carney posted a picture of a cheerful Robert DeNiro waving Kent’s name in all caps.
Kent called Carney’s 2014 sacking from the Sharks “a victory of common sense.”
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