NRL star Kevin Proctor has been sacked from the Gold Coast Titans for vaping in a stadium toilet at halftime.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday (24 July), Proctor shared a video of himself smoking an electronic cigarette and captioned the now-deleted clip 'not the halftime vape’.
Sitting inside a cubicle thought to be in his team’s dressing room inside Western Sydney Stadium, Proctor - whose team were down 26-10 at the time and eventually lost the match - could be seen shaking his head while inhaling. Watch the clip below:
Although he wasn’t playing in the match, Proctor was part of the squad as 19th man.
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The Gold Coast Titans announced in a statement on Monday (25 July) that Proctor had been sacked, saying: “The Gold Coast Titans have sanctioned Kevin Proctor after being made aware of an incident during yesterday's round 19 fixture against the Bulldogs.
“Proctor has also been released from his commitments with the club for the remainder of the year and will not return to train or play with the squad.”
According to MailOnline, vaping is not permitted in the stadium and anyone wanting to vape or smoke must request a pass and leave the stadium to do so.
UNILAD has approached Proctor for comment.
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The Guardian notes that players are not meant to have their phones in dressing rooms for ‘integrity reasons’.
The paper also reported that his former club has issued him with a $15,000 fine and his sacking may well spell the end of the 33-year-old’s NRL career.
Back in 2020, Proctor was found guilty of biting fellow player Shaun Johnson and handed a four-game suspension despite Johnson later saying the incident was an accident.
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Johnson told the judiciary at the time: "My arm was pressuring against his mouth. I felt like I got bit and that's why I reacted the way I did at the time.
"As the match when I on, I thought it didn't really make sense. At the time it happened it felt like I got bit."
In response, Proctor referenced sinus issues, saying: “I was struggling for air and opening my mouth was [the] only way to get it.”
He added: "I opened my mouth and he just got tighter with his grip. He doesn't let go of my head the whole time. I'm just trying to gasp for air."
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Aisha Nozari