Lockyer admits to tackling bar manager

As more claims of Broncos misbehaviour surfaced, Brisbane skipper Darren Lockyer has backflipped and admitted tackling a bar manager following the release of new CCTV footage.

Lockyer had initially denied any involvement after ABC TV this week released
security footage from the Casablanca bar, in inner-city Brisbane, from September 6.
But new CCTV vision was released on Friday clearly showing the Broncos' leader
tackling the venue's bar manager Terry De Gunten.
After seeing the new vision, Lockyer admitted it was him and apologised for his
actions - even though he couldn't remember doing it.
"Some more footage came out yesterday which proves I was the person that made the
tackle on the manager there," Lockyer told reporters outside Suncorp Stadium.
"If that's the case, my intentions were never to be intimidating ... it was a bit of
light-hearted fun.
"If I offended anyone, I apologise.
"To be perfectly honest, I don't recall doing it.
"That's why this week I didn't believe it was me, but the footage now proves that
it's me."
Lockyer's admission adds to a nightmare week for the club as they prepared for
Saturday night's knockout NRL finals clash against Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium.
The skipper came under fire just days after three Broncos players were interviewed
by Brisbane detectives over the alleged sexual assault of a 24-year-old woman in a
Fortitude Valley nightclub toilet last weekend.
And there is no let up in sight.
More Broncos players have been accused of bad behaviour in inner-city Brisbane on
the same weekend that Lockyer tackled the bar manager.
A Caxton Street hospitality worker, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed she was
verbally abused by players as they walked past her, reducing her to tears.
"They were eventually asked to leave because they were ripping down posters, ripping
pot plants out and throwing glasses and stuff, just being really menacing," she told
the The Sunshine Coast Daily newspaper.
"They were just disgusting and could barely stand up.
"It wasn't just a group of guys having a good time, they were destroying stuff and
purposely going out of their way to cause trouble."
Meanwhile, Casablanca bar spokesman Sarosh Mehta said they had accepted Lockyer's
apology.
"That's fantastic and I take my hat off to him for saying that and we appreciate
it," he told Channel Nine.
But Mehta said they had been forced to triple security at the venue - just down the
road from Suncorp Stadium - after receiving abusive calls from irate Broncos fans
for releasing the CCTV footage.
However, Lockyer is not holding any grudges over the leaked footage.
"I'm not dirty on anyone. At the end of the day, I was the person that made someone
feel a bit threatened but that wouldn't have been my intention," said Lockyer, who
once owned a bar on Caxton Street.
Lockyer said he wanted to finally clear the air over the incident before their
crucial game.
"I just want to put it all behind us. I want the fans of the Broncos and the general
public to be able to just put this issue behind them and just focus on the game
tonight," he said.
"It has been a pretty tough week. But when we all get to the stadium tonight, and we
hear that crowd and we know who we're playing against ... all will be forgotten."
Broncos coach Wayne Bennett wasn't so forgiving of the Lockyer controversy yesterday.
He accused the media of "muck raking" and described reports on Lockyer's tackle as
"the worst side of journalism".
Broncos boss Bruno Cullen earlier this week described the actions in the footage as
"a bit of a hug".
He still did not think Lockyer had done anything wrong after his captain's admission
tonight.
"I think it's young guys having a bit of a muck around," he told brisbanetimes.com.au.