Broncos prop Lodge takes out loan to compensate victims of drunken assault
Brisbane Broncos prop Matt Lodge has reached a confidential settlement compensating victims over his drunken rampage in New York in 2015.
CCTV of the violent assault, during which Lodge was arrested at gunpoint, was released earlier this year.
Lodge was sentenced to community service and treatment for anger and alcohol abuse.
A court ordered him to pay $1.6 million to the victims.
Lodge said he has taken out a loan to pay for the compensation agreement.
"In recent months I've worked with my legal team to ensure that they get to New York and move the situation forward," Lodge said.
"I was represented in New York by my lawyers while my dad and (Broncos chief executive) Paul White also attended to provide support where needed.
"I want to say how sorry I am for my actions, moving forward I now have a young family, my partner Jess and a baby boy Toby and I fully appreciate the consequences of my actions on a daily basis.
"Now I'm trying to move forward and I've got some closure now I've settled this."
White said the compensation needed to be paid to enable the club and Lodge to move on.
"It was just the case that obviously he's playing in the NRL and he's playing at our club and I guess we have a sense of responsibility that we needed to support that process," White said.
White said the victims would be paid straight away.
"Matt had endeavoured to reach out, he was limited in what he could provide from a compensation point of view and he probably still is limited, he's on a minimum wage at our club," he said.
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ABC .net
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