Former Rugby Star Wendell Sailor Slams 'Fake News' Following Court Appearance
Former NRL and Wallabies superstar Wendell Sailor has launched a social media tirade against his legal troubles, after a court heard it required nine police officers to arrest him during a drunken incident in January last year. Sailor faced court on Monday over two separate alcohol-fuelled incidents, which included aggressive behaviour at a Sydney bar and resisting arrest in Wollongong.
Guilty Pleas and Social Media Backlash
The former footy great has pleaded guilty to failing to leave a premises after being excluded, intimidation, and resisting police. However, following his court appearance, Sailor took exception to how the proceedings were reported and made his feelings known with a pointed post on Instagram.
Sailor shared an image featuring US actress Amber Heard, taken in 2017 at the Manny Pacquiao vs Jeff Horn world title fight in Brisbane. The post included the words 'fake news!!' in an overlay, and Sailor captioned it with 'they sent 9' alongside a series of crying and laughing emojis.
Details of the Dramatic Arrest
This appeared to be a direct reference to court documents that revealed it allegedly took nine police officers to bring the hulking former sports star into custody. Police allege he was heavily intoxicated during a Wollongong incident, became aggressive toward a taxi driver and officers, and was found stumbling in the road.
He resisted arrest by tensing his arms and bracing against a police car, with nine officers required to restrain him before he was taken into custody. The Wollongong incident occurred while Sailor was on bail for an earlier incident at Pappy's Bar in Sydney in November 2024.
Earlier Incident and Aggressive Behaviour
During that earlier incident, he became intoxicated and aggressive, telling staff, 'F***ing call the cops and see what happens' and 'Do you know who I am? You're f***ing done,' the court heard. Police were called after he chased another man, and he later pleaded guilty to remaining near a licensed premises, intimidation and resisting police.
Emotional Social Media Posts and Legal Strategy
The Instagram image was part of a massive photo dump from the former NRL and union star following his court appearance. He also shared the Tupac Shakur quote 'You can replace my presence but you'll never replace the heart that came with it'.
In a series of posts on Tuesday, Sailor paid tribute to his mother and children Tristan and Matisse. He shared a post from his lawyer Adam Houda which read: 'Yes, heroes exist in real life. We call her Mom'. The footy great was raised by his mother Alison Sailor, while his birth mother Penny died last year.
Another post praised his son Tristan for making the English Super League Team of the Week at five-eighth. He also sent a message to his daughter Matisse, which read: 'To my daughter, I appreciate you - I got this, love u beautiful girl'. Sailor additionally published several posts of US sporting greats including Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson.
Mental Health Defence and Upcoming Sentencing
Sailor's lawyer has lodged a dismissal application, seeking to have the charges thrown out on mental health grounds, based on evidence from a psychiatric report. If his dismissal application is unsuccessful, Sailor is set to be sentenced on Friday, March 27, 2026.
The former Broncos and Wallabies star, who has worked for Triple M, is now awaiting the court's decision on whether the charges will be dismissed or if he will face sentencing later this month.
