Star Parramatta midfielder Mitchell Moses says he was the subject of repeated death threats before the NRL clash with the Warriors.
Key points:
- Mitchell Moses said he and his family received the threats during the week
- NRL chief Andrew Abdo said the league worked quickly to put additional protections in the middle of Parramatta
- Police are investigating the source of the threats
The 27-year-old said his family had threatened “non-stop” text messages and phone calls to the point that he received a police escort as he entered and left the stadium for Friday’s match. the evening.
Fans were said to be subjected to searches of hand-held metal detectors. with enhanced security measures as a result.
In statements Saturday morning, Moses revealed that he had gone to the NRL to ask for support given the gravity of the situation.
“It was a little hard, a little hard for my family,” he told Triple M.
“I just had a couple of threats towards my family about me and about the game. They practically put a threat on the game and on myself.
“We clarified it with the NRL and they accompanied me and accompanied me to the match and took care of me … they handled the situation pretty well and I felt pretty safe.”
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said the threats were “very worrying” and that the league worked quickly with authorities to establish additional protections.
Andrew Abdo said the news was “very worrying”. (AAP: James Gourley, file)
“We have an integrity unit that has great relationships with clubs and the police,” Abdo told ABC Sport.
“In this particular case, as soon as we had information about this we worked together with the NSW police, the stadium and the club to ensure there was more security and protection.
“We take it very seriously, and we have a team that works 24 hours a day to gather information and as soon as we have something we need to act on, we do it.”
Moses said the individuals behind the threats had not been identified, with police continuing investigations.
With his family at the receiving end of threats, he admitted it had been difficult to focus on football.
“It was pretty tough, the whole week was a little bit like that and that uncertainty about what was going to happen,” he said.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s a pretty scary thing.”
ABC / AAP