Mitchell Pearce has been forgiven by his Newcastle Knights teammates after a texting scandal with a club staffer ended his captaincy and saw his Byron Bay wedding cancelled at the 11th hour.
The under pressure halfback, 31, voluntarily stood down as captain of the red and blue when it was revealed he sent ‘flirty’ texts to a young female employee just days before his lavish wedding with glamorous fiancee Kristin Scott was set to go ahead.
The ceremony was meant to be held in Byron Bay before 150 guests but it was called off at the last minute, with some guests getting less than a week’s notice of the changed plans.
Mitchell Pearce (pictured with former partner Kristin Scott) has been forgiven by his Newcastle Knights teammates after a texting scandal with a club staffer ended his captaincy and saw his Byron Bay wedding cancelled at the 11th hour
The ceremony was meant to be held in Byron Bay before 150 guests but it was called off at the last minute, with some guests getting less than a week’s notice of the changed plans
Pearce initially claimed the nuptials were postponed due to coronavirus but reports emerged the inappropriate messages to the young woman caused the couple to pull the pin.
The woman at the centre of the scandal has since resigned from her position at the club.
Behind the scenes some high-profile Knights’ players were furious at the Blues’ veteran.
Hard-running second rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon is a close friend of the club staffer’s long-term boyfriend and the public controversy caused a major rift within the squad.
The 26-year-old admitted he was ‘angry’ at the time but now says the two have buried the hatched.
‘We have both gone past it and moved on… We are family here at the Knights and you don’t throw one of your family out,’ Fitzgibbon told the Newcastle Herald.
He said it would be ‘ridiculous’ to hold a grunge against the playmaker as it would be detrimental for their season.
‘You can be angry at them for a period of time and that was certainly the case but you get over it and get on with it and that’s what we’ve done,’ Fitzgibbon said.
‘It’s definitely a really big year for myself. I’m off contract but hopefully I can put together a lot of good, consistent performances and contribute to our side going really well and having a big year.’
Hard-running second rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon is a close friend of the club staffer’s boyfriend and the public controversy caused a major rift within the squad (pictured with partner)
The 26-year-old (pictured with partner) admitted he was ‘angry’ at the time but now says the two have buried the hatched.
Knights head of football Danny Buderus earlier acknowledged the issue had become a problem.
‘It definitely needs to be addressed (immediately) when he comes back … otherwise it can fester among the group,’ Buderus said.
‘Something needs to be said and once it’s said we can all move on.’
A teary-eyed Pearce later fronted the group to say sorry.
He then relinquished his captaincy to spend more time mending his relationship with his fiancee.
‘For me it’s been a traumatic few weeks for my personal life and those I love,’ Pearce said at a media conference earlier this month.
‘Unfortunately my actions have impacted the team and more importantly the people I have closest to me, Kristin and my family.
‘I’m taking steps now to address these issues and I feel it would be in the best interests of the club for me to step down as captain this season.’
NRL star Mitchell Pearce (pictured right) has stepped down from his role as Newcastle captain after revelations of inappropriate text messages with a club staffer (Knights coach Adam O’Brien left)
Pearce initially claimed the nuptials were postponed due to coronavirus but it has now been confirmed, the alleged inappropriate messages to the young woman caused the couple to pull the pin
He fought back tears as he voiced his love for the Newcastle team and vowed to overcome the embarrassing public incident, which disrupted the club’s preseason campaign.
‘I love this club and I love my family and I’m committed to working as hard as I can to be the best man I can be both on and off the field,’ he said.
The couple have not been pictured together on the barre instructor’s Instagram for more than two months, with Pearce recently deleting his own page.
When Ms Scott celebrated her 29th birthday this month, she uploaded a series of photos to her Instagram, none of which included Pearce.
Pearce was also absent from photos on New Year’s Eve and Christmas.
The last time the couple were seen together in a photo on her Instagram was on November 6 at the opening of their Barre Effect studio in Newcastle.
The couple have not been pictured together on the barre instructor’s Instagram for more than two months, with Pearce recently deleting his own page
When Ms Scott celebrated her 29th birthday this month, she uploaded a series of photos to her Instagram, none of which included Pearce
Coach Adam O’Brien has since named a five-man leadership group in the wake of Pearce’s departure as captain.
Mitch Barnett, Kalyn Ponga, Daniel Saifiti, Blake Green and Jayden Brailey our now tasked with providing guidance for the rest of the playing group but it’s still not clear who the captain will be when the Knights take on the Bulldogs on March 12 for Round 1 of the upcoming competition.
Pearce joined the Knights in 2018 after starting his NRL career with the Sydney Roosters in 2007.
He won a premiership with the the Tricolours in 2013 and has made 19 appearances for NSW in State of Origin, finally winning a series last year.
Ms Scott shared a picture of herself with Pearce after a State of Origin series win in 2019
Pearce (pictured above) won a premiership with the Roosters in 2013 and is a leading halfback in the NRL, a veteran of 297 NRL games, and a much-valued talent at the Knights
