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Wednesday September 8, 2010

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'Clare' was a willing participant: Johns

Posted by: Jacquelin Magnay, The AGE | 14 May, 2009 - 9:31 AM


He sat with his hand on his wife's knee, his career and reputation in shreds. "I did not commit an act of abuse to that woman," said the rugby league identity Matthew Johns. "I am guilty of infidelity to my wife and absolute stupidity."

Trish Johns, his wife, was angry when she arrived at Channel Nine studios in Willoughby this morning. By the end of the day she was in tears, so emotional she could barely make it into the studio to support her husband in the face of robust questioning from A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw.

But if anyone doubted her position on the question of infidelity, Mrs Johns left no one in doubt. Back off.

She said the past few days had been a living hell but emphasised: "We did the rebuilding in the past seven years, if anything this recent event has brought us closer."

After the interview, Mrs Johns walked off the set to be sick. Her husband slumped in his seat, head hung in his shaking hands. When Johns eventually left he had to be helped stand by Phil Gould and his manager, John Fordham. Then he collapsed into his wife's arms.

Earlier in the day Johns had been stood down without pay indefinitely from The Footy Show and coaching duties at the Melbourne Storm.

In a gruelling hour-long meeting with the Channel Nine boss, David Gyngell, Johns had been physically ill. Amazingly, at the time he still hadn't seen the Four Corners show that told in distressing detail of the 2002 group sex incident involving a 19-year-old Christchurch waitress and members of the Cronulla Sharks.

The woman claimed she went back to a hotel with Johns and another footballer, but other players climbed into the room through a bathroom window and watched her have sex.

Johns denied allegations he was in the room the whole time, that he was the instigator and that the woman had been ignored after the incident.

"That is totally untrue," he said. But he apologised to her for her hurt.

"On the night when she came back to the room she was a willing participant in everything that occurred. I am very sorry for the subsequent pain, but she was a willing participant," he said.

"At the time we went back I was totally unaware of others coming in the room. At the point they did, I stopped and backed from it."

Johns recounted the next moment. "She encouraged the players to come forward, she actually says 'Someone come forward and have sex with me.' One player said he would, she said 'No, no, anyone but you,' and pointed to me, at which point I declined."

But the denial of the woman's version came too late for Channel Nine.

"The fact is, whatever the arguments about the details of the New Zealand incident involving Cronulla players in 2002, the conduct and its aftermath was simply unacceptable, full stop," Mr Gyngell said.


Johns stood down by Nine

Matthew Johns Embattled rugby league personality Matthew Johns has been stood down indefinitely from his on-air commitments with Channel Nine and his coaching role with NRL club Melbourne Storm. Derryn Hinch spoke with Storm CEO Brian Waldron.

Blog comments Your Say

  • Ann, let me try to refresh your memory with some current history relating to Cronulla and their charming football club. We had a gang rape mentality which was prevalent in Sydney in 2000. We had the Cronulla riots, the Group Sex incident in New Zealand, and most recently the club's Community Liaison Officer Jenny Hall being allegedly 'accidentally' struck by the football club's CEO Tony Zappia whilst 'shadow boxing'. Ann, is this another example of the club's 'team bonding'? How do you explain/justify a woman receiving a black eye during the course of her employment, particularly when the club CEO suggests she may have received the injury as a result of 'bouncing' off a wall??? Sorry, I wasn't aware that any women were physically capable of turning their head 180 degrees? Now further allegations that Zappia allegedly asked Hall if she wanted to spank him, and production of an e-mail containing bikini-clad women, which in any normal working environment would automatically result in allegations of sexual harassment. Ann, WHY is there a consistent pattern of abuse by sections of the Lebanese community towards females, which also seems to be endorsed by their football club supporters as well? Criticism of Johns wasn't just limited to Sydney and Melbourne on blogs, it occurred on all forms of media throughout the country. PERSONALLY, I would prefer to see immigration laws changed so that citizenship would NOT be guaranteed, until such time as applicants had proven themselves as being suitable, AFTER a ten year qualifying period~! I also 100% endorse the current UK immigration model~!

    Lenny Monday 8 June, 2009 - 12:43 PM

  • hi i would like to say that we should denote our wages to matty johns as he has been made a scapegoat for all the wrongdoings of all people who attached themselves to codes of football

    ANN JARJOURA Monday 8 June, 2009 - 5:49 AM

  • i think matthew johns shouldnt of even gone back to the roo, he still had a wife!!!!!!! and besides i love him

    emily Tuesday 26 May, 2009 - 2:36 PM

  • This is the same ‘RAPE’ mentality that existed in Sydney in 2000, and the reason why some Lebanese rapists were given 40 year sentences~! Obviously the message from that trial still hasn’t reached some sections of the community! RAPE is un-consensual sex PERIOD~!

    Lenny Tuesday 19 May, 2009 - 9:46 PM

  • I read some of the comments 'allegedly’ made by ‘intelligent’ women and I am absolutely horrified~! Mathew Johns – YOU are a lowlife scumbag, regardless of the circumstances, or how much ‘SPIN’ your football club or supporters attempt to put on this situation~! You and a friend were invited into a room for sex. The fact that you ALLOWED so many gorillas to invade that private moment, suggests that the whole situation was pre-planned, OR you had your ‘fun’ and then suddenly decided that this women should be the sacrificial lamb for a gang bang by a group of misogynistic gorillas! I wonder how you would have felt had you gone to the same room to have a private sex session with 2 women, only to find the room invaded by a group of GAY gorillas and YOU were the entertainment! SEX may mean nothing to you, but to a lot of women sex means giving a part of themselves, and the act of giving a part of themselves is STRICTLY conditional, and NOT some carte blanche consent to be used and abused at your whim, nor for the amusement & entertainment by a team of misogynistic oversexed gorillas~! Clare, like any human being has feelings. You not only betrayed her trust, but you abused that trust in the WORST possible way that any human being could think of~! She was DRUNK and you took advantage of her diminished capacity and vulnerability. Personally I HOPE ‘Cronulla Sharks’ sponsors terminate any existing financial assistance/support, and your football club is PERMANENTLY wiped off the map~!

    Lenny Tuesday 19 May, 2009 - 9:45 PM

  • the situation may have been morally wrong however it was not illegal there were no charges placed on Matthew Johns he has already dealt with the infidelity with his wife previously and now has to live through it again. Channel 9 should have stood by Matthew Johns throughout the incident until any charges were made. I'm sure everyone else has made worse mistakes in their life and hasn't lost half of what he has.

    Beth Tuesday 19 May, 2009 - 12:24 PM

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