PROCTOR’S SHAME
KEVIN Proctor has denied he has a drinking problem and has vowed to do all he can to regain the trust of his Gold Coast teammates.
Former Titans co-captain Proctor returned from a clubimposed four-match ban last Friday, playing for the first time since allegedly snorting cocaine after going on a bender following the Anzac Test last month.
Proctor and former New Zealand captain Jess Bromwich, who were caught on CCTV in Canberra being supplied with and then consuming drugs by a man under police surveillance, claimed last month he could not remember the event given he had been drinking heavily.
But speaking for the first time since the incident, the 28year-old yesterday denied he had a drinking problem.
“Not at all. I’ve just had some bad choices,” Proctor said.
“It’s been pretty tough (over the past month), especially that first couple of weeks.
“But the club’s been behind me and I’ve been working with Peter Smith and Jen Cross, the welfare people at the club, and they’ve been really good for me and ... getting my personal life back on track.”
A former Palm Beach Currumbin student, Proctor made the move back to the Gold Coast from the Melbourne Storm this season but has played just eight of their 14 games due to injury and suspension.
He said he owed the club plenty and would be doing his best to restore his image in the eyes of teammates and officials.
“I owe them a lot, I’ve got to earn everyone’s respect back, I guess,” said Proctor, who with Bromwich, has also been stood down from the New Zealand team for the Rugby League World Cup tournament at the end of the season.
“I let a lot of people down, including my teammates, the club, my country, the NRL and most of all, my family.
“Once I start earning everyone’s respect back and getting back to doing what I love, I’ll move on from this.
“I think I just do that with my actions. I show them on and off the field I can be a leader.
“(I do that with) all the work I’m doing with our welfare team, helping other people out and not just myself and doing everything right by the team.”
Proctor – who received a four-game ban from the Titans, twice that handed to Bromwich by the Storm, as well as a $20,000 fine and 50 hours of community service – admitted to struggling with the impact of his actions on his family.
“It’s been tough for everyone,” Proctor said, coming close to tears as he outlined the impact on those closest to him.
“I don’t want to drag them through that anymore.
“I need to be a better role model to my kids and that’s why I’m working really hard to put all this behind me and just get back to playing and focus on my family.”
As well as promoting grassroots and junior football, Proctor has been working with the Salvation Army.
He said doing something for others had helped him see outside his situation.
“I’ve been sitting in on a few of their meetings and just learning from their experiences and how they’ve dealt with similar situations as mine and seeing some other people outside of footy that our welfare team has put me on to to better my personal life and just working on my footy and my family,” he said.
I NEED TO BE A BETTER ROLE MODEL TO MY KIDS AND THAT’S WHY I’M WORKING REALLY HARD TO PUT ALL THIS BEHIND ME KEVIN PROCTOR