NRL player Tristan Sailor has been charged with aggravated sexual assault and will appear in Wollongong Local Court tomorrow after being refused bail.
Per reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, the 22-year-old, who lived with his parents in Wollongong, was arrested at his family home earlier this morning.
NSW Police say that earlier this week, they received a report from a 24-year-old Sydney woman who alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by a man known to her.
Following “extensive inquiries”, detectives executed a search warrant at the home of Tristan Sailor earlier today, and a number of items “relevant to the investigation’ were seized.
They went on to say:
“A 22-year-old man was arrested at the home and taken to Wollongong Police Station, where he was charged with aggravated sex assault – inflict actual bodily harm on victim. Police will allege in court that the man sexually assaulted the woman, during which she sustained injuries, at a home in Sydney’s south last Saturday. He has been refused bail to appear at Wollongong Local Court tomorrow. Inquiries are continuing.”
Tristan Sailor is the son of NRL legend Wendell Sailor, who finished out his career with St George Illawarra in 2009.
The 22-year-old played five games for St George over the course of 2019-2020, but is currently without a club, as he was not offered a new deal by the Dragons.
The NRL has issued a statement, saying:
The National Rugby League is aware that New South Wales Police have today charged Tristan Sailor with aggravated sexual assault.
This is a serious criminal charge and automatically results in Mr Sailor being stood-down under the NRL’s No-Fault Stand Down Rule.
Mr Sailor was contracted to the St George Illawarra Dragons for the 2020 season. He does not have a contract registered with the NRL for the 2021 season.
NRL Chief Executive Andrew Abdo said:
“The game has the strongest stance in Australian sport on these matters. The No-Fault Stand Down Rule ensures the automatic stand down of a player on a no-fault basis when they are charged with a serious criminal offence.”
“The player is not contracted to play in the NRL next season and will not be permitted to play while he remains subject to serious criminal charges.”
The NRL has said it will make no further statement, as this is a police investigation.
