Brandon Smith Reinvented After Rehab, but Still Faces Drug & Betting Charges

Australian NRL player Brandon Smith has said he has reinvented himself, giving up drugs, alcohol, and gambling. However, the South Sydney Rabbitohs hooker still has a court case hanging over him where he faces drug and betting charges.

Smith said the offseason has given him a chance to reflect on his life choices, leading him to voluntarily attend a rehab clinic. Speaking on the Byeround podcast, Smith said,”‘It wasn’t until this offseason that I stood back and saw it, and how my life trajectory was going.”

After four weeks of rehab, he is now attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings and Gamblers Anonymous (GA) meetings. He said the treatment has been life-changing, and he highly recommends rehab to anyone struggling with addictions or mental health issues.

He added, “The life I’m living now is so much better than the life I was living the last couple of years.”

Smith had a reputation as a party boy, which he says he played up, but rehab helped him change that image into a more productive one.

He stated, “What I really learnt in there was that throughout the last five years of my career I had this identity as a party boy … and I sort of played up to that identity and didn’t want to disappoint anyone.

“When I came out of the facility, the whole thing was about re-identifying myself as a professional athlete. I’m not Brandon Smith, the party boy, I’m Brandon Smith, the rugby league player, the rugby league professional athlete that plays for South Sydney.”

Charges Could Still Derail Career

While he says he is now clean and focused on improving himself as an athlete, his career remains under threat by criminal charges looming over him.

The 29-year-old has been charged with supplying a dangerous drug, as well as using or disclosing inside knowledge for betting. He allegedly supplied former Sydney Roosters teammate Victor Radley with cocaine.

Radley was suspended by the Roosters for 10 matches last year, but is not facing any criminal charges. Smith has not been sanctioned by the Rabbitohs, but has been ordered not to have contact with Radley. He continues to deny the charges.

The police, however, have revealed text messages, which they claim implicate Smith in the scandal. He allegedly supplied the cocaine to Radley through associate Joshua Geoffrey Peter Bainbridge.

He also sent messages to Bainbridge about his playing status, leading to the 34-year-old and his brother placing wagers on Smith to score a try against Manly Warrington Sea Eagles. Smith did not score a try in the match, meaning the bets lost.

The new NRL season gets underway at the end of next month, and South Sydney’s first game is against the Redcliffe Dolphins on March 7. Smith is scheduled to play against Radley’s Roosters in the second round on March 13, pending the outcome of his case.