Ex-NRL star Curtis Scott cleared to fight in bare-knuckle match after assault charges

Controversial former rugby league star Curtis Scott has been given the green light to fight in a bare-knuckle boxing match, less than a month after he allegedly attacked two people.

The 28-year-old former Melbourne Storm and Canberra Raiders player was granted bail on strict conditions after he was arrested over an alleged altercation at the Sydney Cricket Ground in March.

Police allege he and his 55-year-old mother, Dianna Allen, attacked an 18-year-old after an argument after a Sydney Swans AFL match.

The teenager was treated by paramedics for facial injuries before being taken to hospital.

Police stopped a tram at Moore Park and attempted to speak to Scott, but he allegedly assaulted a police officer – who suffered minor injuries – before fleeing the scene.

Scott wore all black as he pleaded not guilty in the local court at Sydney’s Downing Center on Wednesday to affray, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault on a police officer.

His lawyer Paul McGirr asked the court to vary Scott’s bail conditions to allow him to fight in an upcoming bare-knuckle boxing match in Brisbane.

The former centre, once one of the NRL’s brightest young stars, switched to boxing after his NRL contract was canceled in 2021 following an altercation at a nightclub.

“He has a job and his main income comes from fighting, sanctioned fighting,” McGirr said.

“This is his job and this is what he is good at.”

He noted that Scott, like many other rugby league players, had the potential to “fall by the wayside” after his career ended as the “sugar hit” of high income had suddenly disappeared.

But the former premiership winner has turned his talents around and found a permanent job, McGirr said.

Scott has abstained from alcohol and embraced weekly treatment, his lawyer said, but the nighttime curfew must be lifted so he can work in Queensland.

The suggestion was pushed back by the prosecutor, who said the former NRL player has been charged over a “significant incident of violence” and has a history of violence.

The alleged confrontation with the teen involved “significant cruelty and violence,” Judge Michael Allen noted.

He acknowledged his concerns about community safety and committing further offending, but emphasized Scott’s compliance.

The judge lifted the curfew, clearing the way for the former NRL player to fight later this month.

Scott will return to court in May and his mother will appear in court on Thursday.

She has been charged with common assault and obstructing a police officer in the execution of her duty, but has not yet entered pleas.

Her son played 84 NRL games during his career, including a stint in the Storm’s premiership-winning side in 2017.

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