Canberra Raiders players Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies have fronted the media to apologise following an altercation at their Las Vegas hotel just days before the 2025 NRL season opener.
The club has confirmed the players were sanctioned over the incident, which occurred due to a room booking mix-up.
The altercation took place after the pair returned from a night out on Thursday.
Reports indicate the scuffle occurred in an elevator and involved an inflatable baseball bat.
Security personnel were alerted when one of the players accidentally pressed the emergency button inside the lift, triggering the hotel’s surveillance system.
Security guards initially escorted Young and Smithies from the hotel, but they were later allowed to return.
Canberra Raiders players Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies speak to media in Las Vegas
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has slammed the players actions as “unacceptable” and confirmed they have been spoken to
The NRL has been made aware of the incident, though police were not involved.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart confirmed the altercation and called the players’ actions unacceptable.
‘I have spoken to the players who are very embarrassed,’ Stuart said.
‘The behaviour was unacceptable. The club will deal with this strongly.’
The Raiders are one of four NRL clubs in Las Vegas for the opening round of the 2025 season.
Despite the incident, both Young and Smithies are expected to be named in the Raiders’ line-up against the New Zealand Warriors on Sunday AEST.
Smithies old media that the altercation started due to a rooming issue, which escalated into a scuffle.
‘We came back after a night out on Thursday and there was an issue with the room,’ he said.
Hudson Young has fronted media in Vegas and apologised for his role in the hotel scuffle
Morgan Smithies and Young are good friends and had been out celebrating that night
‘We’re not going to go into details of that. There was a scuffle in the elevator, nothing in the hallways.’
Young admitted the situation ‘got out of hand’ and expressed regret for the distraction it caused the team.
‘I want to apologise for the actions on Thursday night. It wasn’t good enough,’ Young said.
‘I’m embarrassed for myself, our teammates, and the NRL.’
Reports from The Sydney Morning Herald indicate that Smithies did not have a hotel room upon returning, which led to a dispute with Young.
What started as a disagreement escalated into a physical altercation involving punches.
The inflatable baseball bat, purchased as a souvenir earlier that evening, was mistaken for a weapon by security personnel monitoring the hotel’s surveillance system.
Footage from over 5000 cameras in the precinct captured the incident, prompting hotel staff to intervene.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner has called on the players to take responsibility for their actions in Vegas
The Raiders are one of four NRL sides in Vegas for the season opener that kicks off March 2
This will be the second year that the NRL has launched its season in Las Vegas in Nevada
Following their brief eviction, one of the players was escorted to a new room, only to discover it was already occupied by a Penrith Panthers player, further complicating the situation.
Raiders CEO Don Furner insisted the players take responsibility for their actions.
‘At the end of the day, they are the ones that made the mistake, so they are the ones that need to apologise and take ownership of it,’ Furner said.
‘They did that this morning. Now they have to prove to everybody that they made the mistake, can get over it, be professional, and win the game.’
Stuart confirmed the club had dealt with the matter internally and was keen to shift focus back to game preparations.
‘He was disappointed and we were in ourselves,’ Smithies said.
‘We apologised and are looking to move on and focus on this week. It’s a massive week so we want to put it to bed.’
Young reinforced that he and Smithies remain close friends despite the incident.
‘We are best mates,’ he said.
‘He was at mine for Christmas, and our partners are travelling America together at the moment, so there’s no issues there.’
The incident marks the first off-field controversy to occur in the NRL’s second year of staging games in Las Vegas.
Clubs have allowed players the freedom to enjoy the city, trusting them to behave responsibly.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .