Jarryd Hayne makes a stunning return to football just months after his rape conviction was commuted

Former Parramatta Eels star Jarryd Hayne has returned to top-flight football by joining the Fiji squad for the upcoming Pacific Rugby League Championship, just four months after being released from prison following the overturning of his rape conviction.

The 36-year-old will mentor the team after being invited to a camp at the tournament, which starts on Friday.

Hayne played 120 games for Fiji between 2008 and 2018, as well as five games for the national Sevens rugby team, and on Monday described his new position as “amazing”.

“Yesterday on the way to the airport and watching the documentary of the team following us in the 08 village (Rugby League World Cup), I realized it has been a long journey… 16-17 years,” he said.

“From the military barracks to the present, we have been staying in five-star hotels. We’ve come a long way. It’s always good to reminisce.

Fiji coach Wise Kativerata contacted Hayne after his release from prison and the appointment took place from there.

“I called him to talk to him and find out how he was doing,” Kativerata told the Sydney Morning Herald.

– I wanted to make sure he was okay. He was happy when he heard us.

“After a while I told him about rugby league in Fiji and how it really needed support.

I then asked him to come and help the team because I knew it would be good for him and for us.

“At first he thought I was joking.”

The NRL has approved Hayne’s employment with the team.

In August, Sydney-based rugby club Two Blues offered the former star the chance to play for them after he was spotted training with famed sprint coach Roger Fabri, who is known for working with NRL players such as James Tedesco and Josh Addo. Carr.

Hayne, 36, was released from prison on June 12 after his convictions were overturned. He spent more than a year behind bars after a jury found him guilty in April 2023 of two counts of non-consensual sexual intercourse.

The decision by the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal ended a six-year saga that saw two-time Dally M winner face three trials after being accused of raping a woman in Newcastle on the 2018 NRL grand final night.

After regaining his freedom, Hayne tried to maintain a low profile and reintegrate with his family.

At the height of his brilliant football career, he once earned a million dollars and hundreds of thousands in sponsorship deals.

But Hayne is now a far cry from the man who in 2015 was expected to become Australia’s highest-paid athlete.

This difficult legal situation has had a devastating impact on his finances, battered by years of legal fees, and the situation was made worse by the fact that he was allegedly defrauded out of $780,000 by a fellow inmate in a Bitcoin scam.

Lyall Mercer, public relations and crisis communications strategist, said that “unfortunately we live in an age where reputations are defined by social media comments and speculation rather than facts.”

“Everyone deserves a fair trial and Jarryd has gone through the legal process which has ultimately determined that at this stage he is still innocent until proven guilty,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

Unless there is a retrial, he will remain innocent, despite what everyone thinks.

“Jarryd faces a long journey to rebuild his damaged reputation.

Mercer pointed out that the NRL, in which Hayne has twice been awarded the Dally M Medal for player of the year, is full of stars who have been found guilty of crimes but have been offered the opportunity to restore their reputations.

“So it would be hypocritical for them (NRL) to do anything other than offer Jarryd – who has not been convicted at this stage – support and welcome him back to their community,” Mercer said.