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Danny Weidler has opened up about how he was once attacked and spat on by a man in a Bondi Junction mall after he 'exposed' the individual by writing a story about him.
Speaking on Triple M NRL, the sports reporter revealed that the person, who he called a ‘bad influence’, had been banned by NRL officials because he had been in conversation with some players for gambling information.
The footy journalist, who writes a column for The Sydney Morning Herald, revealed that rugby league players would receive ‘party drugs’ in return for sharing gambling information.
Weidler, who also works for Channel Nine, added that he eventually took out an AVO on the individual after the matter went to court.
He added that the person was ‘no longer around’.
‘Years ago, I wrote a story where there was a person, who I call a “bad influence”, who used to hang around a lot of high-profile players,’ he said on Triple M.
Footy journalist Danny Weidler has revealed how an individual once attacked him after he wrote a story about the man
The Channel Nine reporter claimed that the individual was a 'bad influence' adding that the man had 'exchanged party drugs for gambling information' with some footy players
‘And that person was banned by administrators in the game because he used to lean on players for gambling information.
‘In return, they would get party drugs.’
Weidler added that league officials knew this was taking place but added that there wasn’t much that they could do to prevent it.
‘There was not a lot that could be done to stop it,’ he added. ‘But, high-profile people in the game, including coaches and administrators, knew about it and didn’t want this person anywhere near the players.’
The NRL reporter, who won a Wakeley Award back in 2006, then spoke about how the matter ended up in court.
‘I was in a mall at Bondi Junction and this guy came up to me in the mall and started swinging at me.’
Weidler was then asked if the person said anything to him, to which he replied: ‘Didn’t say anything.’
‘Came up and spat in my face and started to threaten me.
The football journalist added that the matter ended up in court with Weidler adding that it 'caused a lot of grief in his life'
‘It ended up going to court. I didn’t want a bar of it but people around me said it was assault.
‘I ended up getting an AVO out against him because he was a complete nut job.
‘There are still people in the game who are friendly with him and they don’t like me because of it. They give me a hard time when I see them. His friends still give me a hard time when I see them.
‘It caused a lot of grief in my life at that time because I exposed him and I wrote about him.’
