Sam Burgess was the NRL’s golden boy. Both his performance on the field and his life off the field with Mrs. Phoebe seemed to be perfect.
Now the Rabbitohs star has been shaken by new allegations after a four-month investigation published by The Australian on Thursday evening.
Burgess attorney Mark O’Brien issued a statement last night denying the allegations of violence and substance abuse, saying they were false and “an unreasonable defamation against my client”.
This is not the first time Burgess has been exposed to series allegations or his personal life has come under the spotlight.
The NRL star’s marriage breakdown, and subsequent allegations and dramas, appeared in public.
The couple met at a music concert in January 2014 and married in December of the following year at Phoebe’s parents’ home in Bowral in the southern highlands of New South Wales.
The couple welcomed their two children, Poppy and William, and life seemed perfect for them.
However, out of the public eye, the cracks in their relationship grew and there were reports of their separation in January 2019, just weeks after their son was born.
Not long after the shock was announced, images of the Rabbitohs gamer, not wearing his wedding ring, emerged from the Sydney house with his suitcases packed.
The couple reconciled a few months later before separating for the second time in October 2019.
The length of their relationship was marred by scandals, and Burgess was charged with intimidating Phoebe’s father. He is defending the charges and will appear in court next month.
SEXTING SCANDAL
Speculation that the couple’s relationship might be at a breaking point began in 2018 when Burgess was rocked by an off-field sexting scandal.
One woman said she was exposed to inappropriate images in a video chat on one of Burgess’ social media accounts with other Souths players.
The 23-year-old emailed the club about the incident, saying she felt hurt by her online interactions with some of the players she alleged exposed on video.
The club conducted an investigation into the claims and later cleared Burgess of any wrongdoing.
Phoebe was six months pregnant with her second child when the allegations surfaced. Burgess said at the time that he wanted the situation for his wife to be “resolved quickly”.
“I’m not upset. What hurts me the most is my wife getting upset about what’s out there,” he told reporters.
“I just want to protect my family in this whole thing.
“I have a wife. I have a daughter. My wife is very pregnant. I just want them to be safe and happy. In my current situation at home, there is simply no chance of it. “
FAMILY DRAMA
After the couple first split, there were rumors of tension between the Burgess family and Phoebe. According to reports, the animosity between the two families may have contributed to their marriage breakdown.
During the couple’s 2015 wedding, problems reportedly emerged between the two families.
According to The daily telegraphProblems between friends and family members resulted in a scheduled recovery session the day after the cancellation. The publication also reported that Phoebe and the partners of Burgess’ brothers – also rugby stars – didn’t get along.
Sam’s sister-in-law, Joanna Burgess, appeared to have gotten a shot at Phoebe when she posted a picture of the Burgess family – without Phoebe – celebrating the end of the year in Watsons Bay and writing, “#bestoneyet”.
Some outlets reported that Joanna said the family would be better off without Phoebe, which led them to clarify the situation. In doing so, however, she also seemed to draw attention to Phoebe’s lack of involvement with the Burgess family during the marriage.
“No need to drag my family or me into any of this – thank you,” wrote Joanna.
“It’s not in my nature to“ dig ”someone. Phoebe has never joined the ‘Burgess’ site at previous Christmas parties, so my # couldn’t possibly be pointed at her! This year was no different for her than last year.
“On my Christmas upload over the past few years, I used a similar label to that used on our sons first Christmas. This year we had our three daughter, so it’s #bestoneyet!”
ALLEGATIONS FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Shortly after Burgess retired from NRL, he was hit on a single charge of intimidation following a reported argument with Phoebe’s father, Mitchell Hooke.
Police confirmed that they were called to a house in Glenquarry, east of Bowral, on October 19, 2019, over a domestic argument. No one was injured in the incident.
“It is believed that the man intimidated the older man during the incident,” NSW police said in a statement.
Following the incident, an injunction on domestic violence was issued by the Burgess police on behalf of Mr Hooke.
Following the explosive allegation, people on both sides of the Burgess and Hooke camp revealed opposing views on the incident.
Burgess pleaded not guilty of intimidation and has consistently maintained his innocence
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